Nessus Primer with the NessusWX Client

The process of securing information takes on many forms. Some forms are proactive and some are reactive. Many methods of securing data and the systems that hold the data can actually be both proactive and reactive. Case in point, the installation of virus scanning software and the updating of virus signatures are proactive in that it protects a system or a network from known viruses, worms, and Trojans. However, this same security measure can be reactive in dealing with the damage caused by the new and unknown variety of viruses that have been so prevalent as of late. Proactive measures can include the installation of firewalls, the encryption of data while in-transit, the encryption of data while stored on an end system, the securing of these same end systems, and the processes that run on them just to name a few. The focus of this paper will be to proactively seek out known vulnerabilities on the end systems and the processes running on them. In my current employment, I work in the IT department for a very small community college.