Openvas is a opensource security scanner
As important as security is, remaining current with every development is hard, and evaluating possible vulnerabilities across a network can be quite a chore. You need a way to both automate tests and make sure you’re running the most appropriate and up-to-date tests. Open Vulnerability Assessment System (OpenVAS) is a network security scanner that includes a central server and a graphical front end. The server allows you to run several different network vulnerability tests (NVT) written in Nessus Attack Scripting Language (NASL), which OpenVAS updates frequently.
OpenVAS, Open Vulnerability Assessment Server is a free opensource vulnerability assessment software released under GNU GPL lincese. OpenVAS is a fork of Nessus Vulnerability assessment software. Similar to the Plugin sets in Nessus, OpenVAS provides free Network Vulnerability Tests plugins that can be updated regularly.
OpenVAS needs for components installed on the server end namely
OpenVAS-Server: Core component of OpenVAS, which contains the functionality used for scanning a large number of target servers at a high speed.
OpenVAS-Libraries: This module contains functionality used by OpenVAS-Server.
OpenVAS-LibNASL: The NVTs are written in the “Nessus Attack Scripting Language” (NASL). This module contains the functionality needed by OpenVAS-Server to interface with NASL.
OpenVAS-Plugins: This module contains a base set of NVTs.
and then there is a OpenVAS Client to access the Open VAS server and run the scans.
The latest versions of OpenVAS do not have packages for any Linux Distribution. However, the previous versions of all the above components have the RPMs for openSuSE 10.2. I have to choose to use the source for the latest versions to install OpenVAS on my openSUSE 11.0