OpenVAS Scanner is a vulnerability scanning engine that executes continuously updated vulnerability tests as part of the Greenbone Community Edition.
The tool addresses the need for comprehensive vulnerability detection by functioning as a full-featured scan engine that runs an extended feed of Vulnerability Tests. It is designed to integrate with other Greenbone Vulnerability Management modules and serves as the core scanning component for Greenbone Enterprise appliances. The scanner can be built from source using CMake and Make, with detailed installation instructions provided in the repository documentation. For users preferring not to build from source, Greenbone offers a prepared virtual machine with a ready-made setup, and Docker images are available from the Greenbone registry.
Organizations should adopt this tool if they are deploying the Greenbone Community Edition or Greenbone Enterprise solutions and need a capable vulnerability assessment engine. The project is particularly suited for teams already invested in the Greenbone ecosystem. The repository also includes a Rust implementation project that aims to consolidate the scanner stack by replacing the current combination of openvas-scanner, ospd-openvas, and notus-scanner with a unified solution, currently using openvas-scanner as its scan engine. This modernization effort may appeal to teams seeking simplified deployment and centralized scanning infrastructure.
The project is maintained by Greenbone AG with an established contribution process requiring conventional commit messages and a contribution agreement. The team uses automated labeling for releases based on commit message conventions. Development discussions for significant changes occur through the GitHub issues section, and the project maintains a community support portal alongside its issue tracking system.
