Installing Nessus 2.0 on SuSE 9.0 Pro with KDE 3.1

The following is a simple how-to guide for installing the Nessus
vulnerability scanner, server daemon, and client on SuSE Linux.
The instructions do not include in depth explanations as it is
assumed that you are familiar with features and benefits of
Nessus and have a general working knowledge of Linux.

As with any software installation, your results may vary
depending on the machine. The installation steps were conducted
using the commercial version of SuSE 9.0 Professional steps were
tested on a notebook, workstation, and server to insure
accuracy. The one difference that may occur during your
installation is that of the network card and/or Internet
connection. At SiteRecon we do not use DHCP and each
installation required manual setup of NIC and IP information. If
you use DHCP, the network and Internet setup will differ from
the instructions below.

The installation process should be conducted using the “root”
account. It is strongly suggested that your install take place
on a safe non-routable network that does not have hostile
traffic. Your system will be vulnerable and could easily become
infected with a virus, worm, bomb, or hacked.

Install SuSE 9.0 Professional

• Insert
  Disk 1 and boot system
• Press F2 - select screen
  resolution
• Use up/down arrows to select
  “Installation”
• Select Language

• Select “New Installation” (Screen may not
  appear depending on installation)
• “Installation
  Settings” change anything needed then type='disc'>YaST2 “Start installation” (Screen
  may not appear depending on installation)
• System
  Reboots…
• Insert Disk 2 as requested, select
  
• Click “Expert Options” button and change
  Encryption type to MD5
• Enter root user
  password
• “Network Configuration” - change
  as needed
• “Test Internet Connection”
  
• “User Authentication Method” type='disc'>“Add a New Local User” - uncheck “Auto Login, enter
  data as desired
• “Release Notes”

• “Hardware Configuration” type='disc'>“Installation Completed” type='disc'>System boots to KDE interface
• Login
  as root
• “Welcome to SuSE Linux 9.0″
  
• Click “Control Center” on task bar type='disc'>Click “Desktop”
• Click “Size &
  Orientation”
• Select desired screen resolution,
  check “Apply settings on KDE startup” type='disc'>Click “Accept Configuration”
• Close
  “Size & Orientation” window

• Network Card Setup (if needed)
  type='circle'>Click “Control Center” on task bar type='circle'>Click “YaST2 modules”
  • Click
    “Network Devices”
  • Click “Network card” and
    setup you NIC

• SuSE Watcher
  • Click
    “SuSE Watcher” on task bar (round green or red icon on right)

  • Click
  • Click “Start
    online update”
  • “Welcome to YaST Online Update”
    
  • Take desired
    actions when prompted.
  • When completed, check
    “Remove Source Packages after Update”, click

You now have a fully functioning and patched installation of
SuSE and are ready to install the applications required for
Nessus. It should be noted that by installing the programs
below, you are also setting up an environment to compile GCC C
programs. Additional information on GCC can be found at http://gcc.gnu.org/.

Nessus Application Requirements

type='disc'>Click “Control Center” on task bar type='disc'>Click “YaST2 modules”
• Click
  “Software”
• Click “Install and Remove Software”
  and install the following programs:
  • Bison

  • Flex
  • Gcc type='circle'>Gcc-c++
  • GTK2 type='circle'>GTK2-devel
  • GTK-devel type='circle'>kdepim3-time-management package type='circle'>libnet
  • Make type='circle'>OpenSSL
  • OpenSSL-devel type='circle'>Perl
  • sharutils type='circle'>xfree86
  • xfree86-compat-libs type='circle'>xfree86-devel
• Run YaST
  Online Update to patch all installed programs

Download Nessus

• Click “Local
  Network”
• Change location to “/” type='disc'>Right click and Create New directory titled
  “nessus-installer”, close window
• Using browser
  go to http://www.nessus.or
  g/nessus_2_0.html
• From “The easy and less
  dangerous way” section download “nessus-installer.sh” file
  saving to the “nessus-installer” directory.

Compile Nessus

• Click “Konsole” on
  task bar and change directories to “nessus-installer” type='disc'>Type “sh nessus-installer.sh” type='disc'>Accept defaults by pressing (During the
  compiling process you may receive warning messages for
  “nessus_popen”, “insert_nasl_func”, and “extra tokens”. These
  are warning messages and the compiling process should complete
  successfully.)
• When compiling process is
  complete you will be prompted to press to quit.

Nessus Server Setup

• Type
  “nessus-mkcert” to make a server certificate
  type='circle'>Accept default for “CA certificate life”
  • Accept default for “Server certificate life”
    
  • Enter your 2 letter country code
    
  • Enter your state or province code
    
  • Enter your location type='circle'>Enter your organization name type='circle'>Certificate process completed message exit>
• Type “nessus-adduser” to create a
  user account
  • Enter login name type='circle'>Accept default for authentication type='circle'>Enter password
  • Press
    ctrl-D to end user creation process
  • “Is that
    ok?” message
• Type “nessusd -D” to
  start the Nessus server service (It may take several seconds for
  Nessus to finish initializing. The command prompt will return
  once the Nessus daemon is started).

If you wish to have the Nessus Server daemon automatically
started when the system is booted, edit the
“etc/init.d/boot.local” file and append “nessusd -D”.

Nessus Setup

• Type “nessus” type='disc'>Enter login
• Enter password type='disc'>Click “Log in” button
• “SSL Setup”
  window will appear, click
• “Nessus” windows
  asking to accept this certificate, click type='disc'>“Warning” message about plugins crashing remote
  systems will appear, click
• Close “Konsole”
  window

KAlarm

• Click “Start Applications”
  on task bar and select “Utilities”, “Time”, then “KAlarm” type='disc'>In the KAlarm window click “Actions”, then New type='disc'>Check “Command” and enter “nessus-update-plugins” as
  the command line
• Check “Any time” check box type='disc'>Check “Recur” for Repetition, then select the
  “Recurrence” Tab
• Enter “01:00″ for “Recurr
  every” field
• Select button, then type='disc'>Close “Kalarm” window (Kalarm by default is
  automatically stated upon boot.)

Firewall

KDE provides built-in firewall protection. Vulnerability
scanners such as Nessus do not normally function well with
software firewalls in place. To remove the firewall:

• Click “Control Center” on task bar type='disc'>Click “YaST2 modules”
• Click
  “Security and Users”
• Click “Firewall” type='disc'>Check “Stop Firewall and Remove from Boot Process”
  
• “Firewall configuration - deactivate
  firewall”, click
• “The firewall is now
  turned off”

General Information

Uninstall executable: /usr/local/sbin/uninstall-nessus

Configuration file: /usr/local/etc/nessus/nessusd.conf

Certificate Authority: /usr/local/com/nessus/CA/cacert.pem

Certificate Authority - Private:
/usr/local/var/nessus/CA/cakey.pem

Nessus Server Certificate file:
/usr/local/com/nessus/CA/servercert.pem

Nessus Server - Private Key file:
/usr/local/var/nessus/CA/serverkey.pem

Nessus uses port 1241 to communicate

You now have a fully functioning Nessus server daemon and client
installed on SuSE using the KDE desktop environment. Kalarm is
setup to automatically update Nessus plugins once per hour to
insure you have the latest vulnerability tests. Nessus is now
fully operational to help with your security needs.