Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised May 27, 2026

OpenVAS

OpenVAS is the scanner component of Greenbone Vulnerability Management (GVM), a software framework of several services and tools offering vulnerability scanning and vulnerability management.

Last revised
May 27, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
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Source
Wikipedia ↗
OpenVAS
DeveloperGreenbone Networks GmbH
Stable release
23.45.51Edit this on Wikidata / 20 May 2026 (20 May 2026)
Written inC
Operating systemCross-platform
TypeVulnerability scanner
LicenseGPL
Websitewww.openvas.org Edit this at Wikidata
Repository

OpenVAS (Open Vulnerability Assessment Scanner, originally known as GNessUs) is the scanner component of Greenbone Vulnerability Management (GVM), a software framework of several services and tools offering vulnerability scanning and vulnerability management.2

All Greenbone Vulnerability Management products are free software, and most components are licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Plugins for Greenbone Vulnerability Management are written in the Nessus Attack Scripting Language, NASL.

History

Greenbone Vulnerability Manager began under the name of OpenVAS, and before that the name GNessUs, as a fork of the previously open source Nessus scanning tool, after its developers Tenable Network Security changed it to a proprietary (closed source) license in October 2005.3 OpenVAS was originally proposed by pentesters at SecuritySpace,4 discussed with pentesters at Portcullis Computer Security5 and then announced6 by Tim Brown on Slashdot.

Greenbone Vulnerability Manager is a member project of Software in the Public Interest.7

Structure

The OpenVAS 8 Structure source ↗

There is a daily updated feed of Network Vulnerability Tests (NVTs). As of January 2019, there were over 50,000 NVTs.8

Documentation

The OpenVAS protocol structure aims to be well-documented to assist developers. The OpenVAS Compendium is a publication of the OpenVAS Project that delivers documentation on OpenVAS.

See also

See also

References

References

  1. "Release 23.45.5". 20 May 2026. Retrieved 22 May 2026.
  2. "GMV tools - Glossary". Greenbone Networks GmbH. 22 March 2023. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  3. LeMay, Renai (6 October 2005). "Nessus security tool closes its source". CNet.
  4. "SecuritySpace". www.securityspace.com.
  5. "Portcullis Labs". labs.portcullis.co.uk. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  6. "Nessus Closes Source". Slashdot. 7 October 2005. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  7. "[Openvas-discuss] Log from SPI board meeting". lists.wald.intevation.org. 7 July 2007. Archived from the original on 24 October 2010.
  8. "About Greenbone Community Feed (GCF)". Greenbone Community Forum. 10 January 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
External links