I found an error in the vulnerability worksheets. So I fixed them and added the port scanning reporting found in the Nessus XML file. Enjoy…parse_nessus_xml-for-blog.v6.pl
When I do security assessments, I always use Nessus. Nessus is a great tool and is extremely helpful with one exception, the reporting. While filtering is good in the new Flash interface, I still found myself needing to do something else. So I have used Perl for many years and I figured it was time to start coding again. I am by no means a Perl expert or even a programmer. But I can hack-up some pretty good Perl code to parse text files. So that is what I did.
This the first Perl code I have ever released to the public. So if you read it and would like to comment…please be gentle.
The parse-nessus.pl is a CLI only script. The script does require a few modules that can be found on CPAN. The required modules are: XML::TreePP, Data::Dumper, Spreadsheet::WriteExcel::Big, and Math::Round. I used this on Snow Leopard, but all the modules I use should compile fine on any OS. To install the modules from the command line use the “cpan” command, see below.
parse_nessus_xml.v5-for-blog.pl
Example
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Get the Verion
xyz:parse-nessus MyMac$ perl parse_nessus_xml.v5-for-blog.pl v
PARSE NESSUS VER 0.05
RELEASE AS IS AND USE AS YOU SEE FIT.
PLEASE GIVE ME CREDIT IF YOU RELEASE ELSE WHERE!!!!!!
Example with the “.” directory, this is what I use most of the time.
xyz:parse-nessus MyMac$ perl parse_nessus_xml.v5-for-blog.pl .
Parsing File inside.nessus.xml
Finished Parsing File inside.nessus.xml
Printing the Main Report
Creating Spreadsheet Data
Preparing Hosts Data
Create General Vulnerability Data
Creating Policy Compliance Data
Creating Windows Management Data
Creating Nessus Report Spreadsheet
completed
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I figured I would share this with the world, enjoy and please comment. I am releasing this code under the GPL, use as you will, please link back to this blog in the source code. If you would like to contribute and make changes, please feel free to make the changes and post the code here or email me.
There is a great blog called the “Command Line Kung Fu” blog http://blog.commandlinekungfu.com. Since the guys at the “Command Line Kung Fu” blog started I have told myeself I should take their “Command Line Kung Fu” and add my Excel Fu to it. So I finally have. I have not converted all the episodes yet, only 1 – 15, but this is a start. I will be adding comments on how the Excel Fu works in a week or so. But in the mean time…check out the spreadsheet and “Command Line Kung Fu” blog. Command_line_kung_fu_builder.v0.2.xlsx