Configure Nessus

Before you begin:

When you access Nessus in a browser, a warning appears to regard a connection privacy problem, an untrusted site, an unsecure connection, or a related security certificate issue. This is normal behavior. Nessus provides a self-signed SSL certificate.

Refer to the Security Warnings section for steps necessary to bypass the SSL warnings.

Note: Depending on your environment, plugin configuration and initialization can take several minutes.

To configure Nessus:

  1. Follow the Install Nessus instructions to open to the Welcome to Nessus page in your browser.

  2. On the Welcome to Nessus page, do the following:

    • (Optional) Select Register Offline if you cannot connect Nessus to the Internet for installation.

    • (Optional) Click Settings to configure the following Nessus settings manually.

      • Proxy Server — Configure a proxy server.

        Note: You must enter a proxy server if you want to link the Nessus scanner through a proxy server. You can also configure a proxy connection later on in the user interface. For more information, see Proxy Server and Remote Link.

      • Plugin Feed — Enter a custom host for the Nessus plugin feed.

      • Encryption Password — Enter a Nessus encryption a password. Nessus enforces the encryption password after you create your user in the user interface.

        If you set an encryption password, Nessus encrypts all policies, scans results, and scan configurations. You must enter the password when Nessus restarts.

        Caution: If you lose your encryption password, it cannot be recovered by an administrator or Tenable Support.

      Tip: You can also configure these settings later on in the user interface.

      Once you finish, click Save to save the settings and return to the Welcome to Nessus page.

  3. Click Continue.

    A new Welcome to Nessus page appears.

  4. Do one of the following: