Download Nessus: The Ultimate Guide to Vulnerability Assessment
How to Download Nessus: A Step-by-Step Guide
If you are looking for a powerful and easy-to-use tool to scan your network for vulnerabilities, you might want to consider Nessus. Nessus is one of the most popular and trusted vulnerability scanners in the world, used by millions of security professionals and organizations of all sizes. In this article, we will show you how to download Nessus for Windows, Linux, or Mac, and how to use it for vulnerability scanning. But first, let's see what Nessus is and why you need it.
What is Nessus and why do you need it?
Nessus is a vulnerability scanner that helps you identify and fix security issues in your network, systems, applications, and devices. It can scan for thousands of vulnerabilities across different platforms and technologies, including cloud, web, mobile, IoT, containers, and more. It can also perform compliance checks, configuration audits, malware detection, patch management, and web application testing.
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By using Nessus, you can improve your security posture and reduce your risk of cyberattacks. You can also comply with industry standards and regulations, such as PCI DSS, HIPAA, NIST, ISO 27001, and more. Nessus can help you save time and money by automating your vulnerability management process and providing actionable insights and recommendations.
Nessus features and benefits
Some of the main features and benefits of Nessus are:
It has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to create, run, and manage scans.
It has a comprehensive vulnerability database that is updated daily with the latest security information.
It supports multiple scan types, such as network scan, host scan, web application scan, container scan, cloud scan, etc.
It provides detailed and customizable reports that show the severity, impact, solution, and references for each vulnerability.
It integrates with other security tools and platforms, such as Tenable.io, Tenable.sc, Splunk, ServiceNow, AWS, Azure, etc.
It has a community edition that is free for personal use on up to 16 IP addresses.
Nessus editions and pricing
Nessus has three main editions: Nessus Essentials, Nessus Professional, and Nessus Expert. Here is a brief overview of each edition:
EditionDescriptionPricing
Nessus EssentialsA free edition for personal use on up to 16 IP addresses. It includes basic vulnerability scanning features and access to the Tenable Community.Free
Nessus ProfessionalA paid edition for professional use on unlimited IP addresses. It includes advanced vulnerability scanning features and access to Tenable Support.$2.790 per year
Nessus ExpertA paid edition for enterprise use on unlimited IP addresses. It includes all the features of Nessus Professional plus additional features such as RBVM (Risk-Based Vulnerability Management), WAS (Web Application Scanning), LCE (Log Correlation Engine), etc.$9.730 per year
You can compare the features of each edition .
How to download Nessus for Windows, Linux, or Mac
Now that you know what Nessus is and what it can do for you, let's see how to download it for your device. The process is similar for Windows, Linux, or Mac, but there are some differences in the installation steps. Here are the general steps to download Nessus:
Download Nessus from the official website
The first step is to download the Nessus installer from the official website. You can find the download links for different platforms . You will need to register with your email address and choose the edition you want to download. You will also receive a license key by email, which you will need to activate Nessus later.
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Once you have downloaded the installer, save it to a location on your device. The installer file name will vary depending on the platform and version you have chosen. For example, for Windows 10 64-bit, the file name might be Nessus-8.15.0-x64.msi.
Install Nessus on your device
The next step is to install Nessus on your device. The installation steps will differ slightly depending on the platform you are using. Here are the general steps for each platform:
Windows
Double-click on the installer file and follow the instructions on the screen.
Accept the license agreement and choose the destination folder for Nessus.
Choose whether to install Nessus as a service or an application.
Wait for the installation to complete and click Finish.
Linux
Open a terminal and navigate to the location where you saved the installer file.
Run the following command to make the installer executable: chmod +x Nessus-8.15.0-debian6_amd64.deb (replace with your file name).
Run the following command to install Nessus: sudo dpkg -i Nessus-8.15.0-debian6_amd64.deb (replace with your file name).
Wait for the installation to complete and verify that Nessus is running by typing: sudo /etc/init.d/nessusd status
Mac
Double-click on the installer file and follow the instructions on the screen.
Accept the license agreement and drag the Nessus icon to the Applications folder.
Open the Applications folder and double-click on the Nessus icon.
Wait for the installation to complete and verify that Nessus is running by clicking on the Nessus menu and choosing About.
Activate Nessus with a license key
The final step is to activate Nessus with a license key that you received by email when you downloaded Nessus. You will need to do this before you can use Nessus for scanning. Here are the general steps to activate Nessus:
Open a web browser and go to (or if you installed Nessus on a different device).
You will see a warning message about an untrusted certificate. This is normal and you can ignore it by clicking Advanced and Proceed (or similar options depending on your browser).
You will see a welcome screen where you need to enter your license key and agree to the terms and conditions. Click Continue after entering your license key.
Nessus will connect to the Tenable server and activate your license. This may take a few minutes.
You will see a confirmation message that your license has been activated. Click Continue.
Congratulations! You have successfully downloaded and installed Nessus on your device. Now you are ready to use it for vulnerability scanning.
How to use Nessus for vulnerability scanning
Nessus is a powerful tool that can help you scan your network for vulnerabilities and fix them before they are exploited by hackers. In this section, we will show you how to use Nessus for vulnerability scanning in four simple steps: launch Nessus, create a user account, create and run a scan, and analyze and export scan results.
Launch Nessus and create a user account
To launch Nessus, you need to open a web browser and go to (or if you installed Nessus on a different device). You will see a login screen where you need to enter your username and password. If this is your first time using Nessus, you need to create a user account by clicking on Create Account.
You will see a form where you need to enter your name, email, username, password, and role. You can choose between two roles: standard and administrator. A standard user can create and run scans, but cannot change the Nessus settings or manage other users. An administrator user can do everything a standard user can do, plus change the Nessus settings and manage other users. Choose the role that suits your needs and click Create.
You will see a confirmation message that your account has been created. Click Login to enter your username and password and access the Nessus dashboard. The dashboard is