Compliance templates in Nessus are specialized configurations designed to evaluate systems and environments for compliance with industry standards, frameworks, and best practices. These templates are essential for organizations needing to adhere to regulations like PCI DSS, HIPAA, or CIS Benchmarks.
Here’s how to effectively use compliance templates in Nessus.
1. What Are Compliance Templates?
Compliance templates in Nessus help:
- Assess adherence to security standards and frameworks.
- Identify configuration issues that might lead to non-compliance.
- Provide detailed remediation guidance to bring systems into compliance.
Templates are preconfigured scan policies tailored to specific compliance frameworks, making them easy to set up and use.
2. Accessing Compliance Templates
- Log in to the Nessus interface.
- Navigate to the Policies section.
- Look for compliance-related templates such as:
- CIS Benchmarks: For secure configuration standards.
- PCI DSS: For payment card industry compliance.
- HIPAA: For healthcare data security standards.
- ISO 27001: For information security management systems.
- Custom Audit Files: For proprietary or customized compliance checks.
3. Creating a Compliance Scan
Step 1: Create a New Scan Using a Compliance Template
- Go to the My Scans or Policies section.
- Click New Scan.
- Select a compliance template appropriate for your environment. For example:
- CIS Benchmarks for Windows Server if scanning a Windows server.
- PCI DSS for systems handling cardholder data.
- Give your scan a descriptive name, such as “PCI DSS Compliance – Web Server.”
Step 2: Configure Scan Settings
- Targets:
- Add the IP addresses, hostnames, or ranges of the systems you want to scan.
- Credentials (Highly Recommended):
- Add system credentials for a deeper, more accurate compliance assessment.
- Examples:
- SSH keys or usernames and passwords for Linux/Unix systems.
- Administrator credentials for Windows systems.
- Port Ranges:
- Use the default port range or specify a custom range based on the environment.
Step 3: Save and Launch the Scan
- Save the scan configuration.
- Launch the scan by clicking the Launch button.
- Nessus will start assessing the target systems based on the selected compliance framework.
4. Reviewing Compliance Results
Once the scan is complete, review the results in the Nessus interface.
Key Sections of Compliance Results:
- Compliance Summary:
- Displays an overall compliance score.
- Highlights passed and failed checks.
- Detailed Compliance Results:
- Lists individual compliance checks performed.
- Shows which checks passed, failed, or were skipped.
- Includes detailed descriptions of failures and remediation steps.
- Audit Files:
- Refer to the audit file section for specific benchmarks or rules tested during the scan.
5. Interpreting Results
- Pass:
- The system meets the compliance requirement.
- No action is needed.
- Fail:
- The system does not meet the compliance requirement.
- Click on the failed check to view:
- A description of the issue.
- The compliance framework rule violated.
- Recommended remediation steps.
- Skipped:
- Certain checks may be skipped due to lack of credentials or unsupported configurations.
- Review and provide the necessary information for future scans.
6. Exporting and Reporting
Compliance results are often needed for audits or internal reviews. Nessus makes it easy to export reports.
- Go to the scan results page.
- Click Export and choose a format:
- PDF: For presentations or audits.
- CSV: For deeper analysis and sorting.
- HTML: For easily shareable web reports.
7. Customizing Compliance Templates
For unique environments, you may need to tailor compliance checks.
- Custom Audit Files:
- Download an audit file template from Tenable or create your own.
- Modify the file to include or exclude specific checks.
- Upload the custom audit file to Nessus under the policy configuration.
- Disable Irrelevant Checks:
- Edit the compliance policy to disable checks that don’t apply to your environment.
8. Remediating Compliance Failures
- Prioritize Issues:
- Address critical failures first, such as those exposing sensitive data or violating major standards.
- Use Recommendations:
- Follow the remediation guidance provided for each failed check.
- Test Fixes:
- After applying fixes, rerun the compliance scan to ensure the issue is resolved.
9. Best Practices for Using Compliance Templates
- Use Credentialed Scans:
- Always provide credentials for accurate compliance assessments. Credentialed scans provide deeper insights into system configurations.
- Schedule Regular Scans:
- Automate compliance scans to run at regular intervals, ensuring continuous monitoring.
- Combine with Vulnerability Scans:
- Pair compliance scans with vulnerability scans to address both misconfigurations and vulnerabilities.
- Keep Nessus Updated:
- Regularly update Nessus plugins to align with the latest compliance standards.
- Document Results:
- Maintain a record of compliance scans and remediation efforts for audit purposes.
10. Real-World Use Cases
- PCI DSS Audit for Payment Systems:
- Use the PCI DSS template to scan payment systems and ensure compliance before an audit.
- CIS Benchmark for Secure Server Configuration:
- Assess Windows or Linux servers for adherence to CIS benchmarks.
- HIPAA Compliance for Healthcare Systems:
- Ensure that systems handling patient data meet HIPAA requirements.
Compliance templates in Nessus simplify the process of evaluating systems against industry standards. Properly setting up and interpreting compliance scans ensures your organization meets regulatory requirements, minimizes risks, and stays audit-ready. With the ability to customize, automate, and integrate these scans into your workflow, Nessus becomes a powerful tool for maintaining compliance and security.
