Vulnerability Scanning & Remediation With OpenVAS Using VirtualBox

In this homelab, I set up a virtualized environment using Oracle VirtualBox, deploying an OpenVAS Vulnerability Management Scanner VM and a vulnerable Windows 10 VM. I simulated a security testing scenario by intentionally installing outdated software on the Windows 10 VM and performing both unauthenticated and credentialed vulnerability scans with OpenVAS. I then analyzed the scan results, remediated the identified vulnerabilities, and verified improvements through subsequent rescans.

Remember that creating vulnerabilities involves making the system insecure, so it's essential to isolate your lab environment from production networks. This can be done using virtual machines and a separate, isolated network. Also, ensure that you understand the implications of your actions and the importance of ethical conduct in cybersecurity.

This lab provided hands-on experience in vulnerability scanning, system hardening, and patch management.

• Set up a virtualized homelab environment using Oracle VirtualBox, deploying an OpenVAS Vulnerability Management Scanner VM and a vulnerable Windows 10 VM.
• Developed a vulnerable Windows 10 VM by intentionally installing outdated software and disabling security controls to simulate common real-world vulnerabilities.
• Performed unauthenticated and credentialed vulnerability scans using OpenVAS, comparing results between both methods to identify security gaps.
• Analyzed and documented scan results, highlighting the differences in findings between unauthenticated and credentialed scans, and assessed the impact of vulnerabilities.
• Remediated identified vulnerabilities through system patching, configuration changes, and security updates, then verified successful remediation by rescanning with OpenVAS.
• Created a comprehensive list of vulnerabilities and remediation steps, simulating realistic vulnerability remediation scenarios for improving system security.

Skills Used: Vulnerability Scanning · OpenVAS Configuration · Unauthenticated and Authenticated Scanning · Vulnerability Remediation · System Hardening · Network Security · Windows Firewall · Security Documentation · Cyber Risk Management · Penetration Testing · Virtualization

---

Prerequisites

• Downloaded and installed VirtualBox Download
• Greenbone OpenVAS OVA downloaded Download
• Windows 10 ISO downloaded Download

Setting up Greenbone OpenVAS VM

• Start VirtualBox
• Select File > Import Appliance
  • Click on and navigate to and select the downloaded Greenbone OpenVAS OVA file
  • Click Finish
• Click Settings
  • Network > Adapter 1 > Enable Network Adapter > Attached to: Bridged Adapter > Promiscuous Mode: Allow All
    • This allows the VM to communicate with other VMs that have Bridge Adapter enabled (same subnet)
    • 
  • Network > Adapter 2 > Enable Network Adapter > Attached to: NAT
    • This allows the VM to communicate to the internet through the host machine's IP
    • 
  • Click OK to apply settings
• Click Start and log in
  • Username: admin
  • Password: admin
  • When prompted to complete setup, select Yes
  • When Prompted to create a web admin, select Yes
  • When prompted to create new admin, create an Account name and Password
  • Select OK
  • When prompted to Upload Subscription Key Now, select Skip > OK
• Once in the main Greenbone OS Administration menu, we need to update the feed.
  • 
• Select Maintenance > Feed > Update
  • The feed update will take up to 30-60 minutes. You can check the progress by going to About in the main menu. If it is updating still, it will say "System Status: The system operation 'Update Feed' is running currently"
  • Once it is completed, it will say "System Status: No system operation is running currently."
• Once the Feed Update is completed, we need to know the Ip Address needed to access the OpenVAS Web Interface
  • Click Setup > Network > IP
  • Take note of your IP Address before the "/". This IP Address can be access through your web browser to access the OpenVAS Web Interface
• You can shutdown OpenVAS VM by selecting Maintenance > Power > Shutdown
• Note: Now would be a good time to take a snapshot of the base VM to revert back to if you accidentally misconfigure something.
  • On the Oracle VirtualBox Manager, select the VM to take a snapshot of.
  • Click on
    • Snapshot Name: Baseline
    • Snapshot Description: Fresh installation

Setting up Windows 10 VM

• Start VirtualBox
• Select Machine > New
  • Name and Operating System
    • Name: Windows10-VM
    • Under ISO Image, click on and navigate to and select the downloaded Windows 10 ISO file
      • 
  • Click on Unattended Install
    • Type in a Username and Password
  • Click on Hardware
    • Base Memory: 4096 MB or more
    • Processors: 2 CPU or more
  • Click Hard Disk
    • Hard Disk Size: at least 10 GB, no more than 15 GB
  • Click Finish
• Note: Windows 10 VM will automatically start. Let it start and if it gives you an error "Windows cannot read the <ProductKey> setting from the unattend answer file.", follow the instructions below. Otherwise, skip these steps.
  • Click OK to close dialogue
  • On the Virtual Machine menu bar, click File > Close... > Power off the machine > OK
  • On Oracle VirtualBox Manager, select the Windows10-VM, then click Settings
  • Under System > Boot Order, uncheck Floppy
  • Under Storage > Devices, select the item under Controller: Floppy, then click Remove Attachment
  • Click OK
• On Oracle VirtualBox Manager, click Settings
  • Network > Adapter 1 > Enable Network Adapter > Attached to: Bridged Adapter > Promiscuous Mode: Allow All
    • This allows the VM to communicate with other VMs that have Bridge Adapter enabled (same subnet)
    • 
  • Network > Adapter 2 > Enable Network Adapter > Attached to: NAT
    • This allows the VM to communicate to the internet through the host machine's IP
    • 
  • Click OK to apply settings
• Click Start to power up Windows 10 VM
• Set up Windows 10 installation
  • Click Next > Install Now > I don't have a product key
  • For the operating system selection, select Windows 10 Pro, and click Next
  • Check I accept the license terms > Next
  • Click Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)
  • Click Drive 0 Unallocated Space > New > Apply > OK
  • Click Drive 0 Partition 2 > Next
  • Let Windows 10 install on the virtual machine
• After Windows 10 is installed, go through basic setup
  • Click Yes > Yes > Skip second keyboard layout > Set up for personal use > Next > Offline account > Limited experience
  • Go through the next few screens of setting up your Username, Password, and security questions.
    • Take note of your Username and Password as this will required later for OpenVAS to do a credentialed scan
  • Click Not now > Accept > Skip > Not now
• After you get past all the menus, you can shutdown the Windows10 VM
  • Click on Start > Power > Shutdown
• Note: Now would be a good time to take a snapshot of the base VM to revert back to if you accidentally misconfigure something.
  • On the Oracle VirtualBox Manager, select the VM to take a snapshot of.
  • Click on
    • Snapshot Name: Baseline
    • Snapshot Description: Fresh installation

Enabling vulnerabilities on Windows 10 VM

• Boot up the Windows 10 VM
• Once logged in, disable the Windows Firewall
  • Click Start and type wf.msc to open the Widows Firewall
  • In the Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security on Local Computer panel under Overview, Click on Windows Defender Firewall Properties
  • Click Domain Profile > Firewall state: Off
  • Click Private Profile > Firewall state: Off
  • Click Public Profile > Firewall state: Off
  • Click Ok
• Install Old Software
  • Install an Old Version of Firefox: Firefox Setup 97.0b5.exe
  • Install an Old Version of VLC Player: vlc-1.1.7-win32.exe
  • Install an Old Version of Adobe Reader: 10.0_AdbeRdr1000_en_US_1_.exe
• Restart the Windows 10 VM
• Right Click on the Windows icon on the bottom left, then click on Run
  • In the text field, type CMD and press enter to opening the command line
  • Type "ipconfig /all"
  • If you had set your networking to bridge mode. Under Ethernet adapter Ethernet 2, write down the IPv4 Address
  • 

Configuring unauthenticated scan in OpenVAS

• Boot up the OpenVAS VM and log in
• Access the OpenVAS Web Interface
• Click on Assets > Hosts
• On the top left, click New Host
  • IP Address: (Type in the IPv4 Address that you had written)
  • Comment: Windows10 VM
  • Click Save
• Under Actions on the right side, click on New Target from the Host , name it “Azure Vulnerable VMs”.
• In the New Target window,
  • Name & Comment: Windows10 Vulnerable VM
  • Leave rest as is and click Save
• Click on Scans > Tasks
• On the top left, click on New Task
  • Name & Comment: “Scan - Windows10 Vulnerable VM”
  • Scan Targets → “Windows10 Vulnerable VM”
  • Leave rest as is and click Save
  • 

Running unauthenticated scan against Windows 10 VM

• Click Start to start the “Scan - Windows10 Vulnerable VM” Task
  • The status will update as the scan progresses and will take a few minutes. When the scan is finished, the Status will changed to "Done"
  • 

Observing unauthenticated scan results

• Once the scan is finished, click the date under “Last Report” to see the results
  • Take note of Tabs, specifically the “Results” tab. Even though we installed a super old version of Firefox, note that it does not show up here.
  • Note that this is because we aren’t running a credentialed scan so the scanner could not discover it. We will configure credential scans next

Configuring authenticated scan in OpenVAS with credentials

• Click on Configuration > Credentials
• On the top left, click on New Credential
  • Name & Comment: “Windows10 VM Credentials”
  • Type: Username + Password
  • Allow Insecure Use: Yes
  • Auto-generate: No
  • Username: (Enter your Username that was used for the Windows10 VM)
  • Password: (Enter your Password that was used for the Windows10 VM))
  • Save
• Click on Configuration > Targets
• On the "Windows10 Vulnerable VM" row, Click "Clone Target"
• On the new cloned target, click "Edit Target"
  • Name & Comment: “Windows10 Vulnerable VM - Credentialed Scan”
  • Ensure the Private IP is still accurate
  • Under Credentials for authenticated check, click on SMB and select “Windows10 VM Credentials” -
  • Save

Reconfiguring Windows 10 VM to allow authenticated scan

• Disable User Account Control
  • Click Start and type in "UAC"
  • Click on "Change User Account Control settings"
  • Move slider to "Never notify"
  • Click "*OK"
  • 
• Enable Remote Registry
  • Click Start and type in "Registry"
  • Launch "Registry Editor" (regedit.exe) in “Run as administrator” mode and grant Admin Approval, if requested
  • Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System key
  • Create a new DWORD (32-bit) value with the following properties:
    • Name: LocalAccountTokenFilterPolicy
    • Value: 1
    • Click OK
    • 
  • Close Registry Editor
• Restart the VM

Running authenticated scan against Windows 10 VM

• Within the OpenVAS Web Interface, Click on Scans > Tasks
• On the "Scan - Windows10 Vulnerable VM" row, Click "Clone Task"
• On the new cloned task, click "Edit Task"
  • Name & Comment: “Scan - Windows10 Vulnerable VM - Credentialed”
  • Scan Targets: "Windows10 Vulnerable VM - Credentialed Scan"
  • Save
• Click Start to start the “Scan - Windows10 Vulnerable VM - Credentialed” Task
  • The status will update as the scan progresses and will take a few minutes. When the scan is finished, the Status will changed to "Done"
  • 

Observing authenticated scan results

• After the credentialed scan finishes, you can immediately see the difference in findings:
• Check SMB Login under “Results”
• Further inspect the individual vulnerabilities and see all the Criticals from the out-of-date Adobe Reader, VLC Player, and Firefox

Remediating software vulnerabilities

• Log back into your Windows10 VM
• Uninstall Adobe Reader, VLC Player, and Firefox
• Restart the VM
• Re-initiate the “Scan - Windows10 Vulnerable VM - Credentialed Scan” scan and observe the results to verify remediations.