NAME
       Net::Nessus::Client - A Nessus client module

SYNOPSIS
       # Connect to the Nessus Server
       require Net::Nessus::Client;
       my $client = Net::Nessus::Client->new('host' => 'localhost',
                                             'port' => '3001',
                                             'user' => 'joe',
                                             'password' => 'my_password');

DESCRIPTION
   The Nessus program is a Client/Server application offering a
   framework for lots of security related scanners, so-called
   plugins. The idea is not to create a separate scanner for any
   possible security hole, but to reimplement only the most
   important parts and let the Nessus Server (nessusd) do the most
   part of the work.

   Clients are typically available as GUI applications, for example
   based on the GTK (nessus), Java or Win32 applications. This
   module is another Nessus client written in Perl, but without
   GUI.

   You start using the module by opening a connection to a Nessus
   Server: This will create a Nessus client object for you. This
   object offers methods that you can later use, for example
   retrieving the list of available plugins, start a scan, set
   preferences and so on.

METHOD INTERFACE
 Creating a client object

     require Net::Nessus::Client;
     my $client = Net::Nessus::Client->new(%attr);

   (Class Method) The new method is the client constructor. It
   receives a set of attributes that are required for opening the
   connection, for example

   A Perl exception is thrown in case of trouble.

   host
   port    Host name (or IP address) and port number of the Nessus
           servers machine. The defaults are *localhost* and
           *3001*, as accepted by the IO::Socket modules *new*
           constructor. You may as well use other attributes of
           this constructor, for example *Timeout*. the IO::Socket
           manpage.

   user
   password
           User name and password to use for logging into the
           Nessus server. There are no defaults, you must set these
           attributes.

   ntp_proto
           An optional version of the NTP protocol to run. Defaults
           to the highest available number, 1.1 as of this writing.

   Example: Log into the Nessus server running at machine
   "gate.company.com", port 2367 as user "joe" with password
   "what_password" and NTP version 1.0:

     require Net::Nessus::Client;
     my $client = Net::Nessus::Client->new('host' => 'gate.company.com',
                                           'port' => 2367,
                                           'user' => 'joe',
                                           'password' => 'what_password',
                                           'ntp_proto' => '1.0');

 Reading the plugin list

     my $plugins = $self->Plugins();
     my $prefs = $self->Prefs();
     my $rules = $self->Rules();

   (Instance Methods) Read the plugin list, the current preferences
   or the list of rules. The plugin list is an array of hash refs,
   each hash ref with attributes *id*, *category* and so on. The
   prefs are a single hash ref of name/value pairs and the rules
   are an array ref of strings.

   When talking to an NTP/1.0 server, the Prefs() and Rules()
   methods will return undef.

   Examples:

     my $plugins = $self->Plugins();
     print("The first plugins ID is ", $plugins->[0]->{'id'}, "\n");
     print("The second plugins description is ",
           $plugins->[1]->{'description'}, "\n");
     my $prefs = $self->Prefs();
     print "\nThe current prefs are:\n";
     while (my($var, $val) = each %$prefs) {
       print "  $var = $val\n";
     }
     my $rules = $self->Rules();
     print "\nThe current rules are:\n";
     foreach my $rule (@$rules) {
       print "  $rule\n";
     }

 Sending a message to the server

     $client->Print($msg);

   (Instance Method) The print method is used for sending a
   previously created message to the server. Depending on the
   message type you should continue calling the *GetMsg* method.

   Example:

     my $rules = ['n:*.fr;', 'y:*.my.de;'];
     my $msg = Net::Nessus::Message::Rules($rules);
     $client->print($msg);

 Reading a message from the server

     $msg = $client->GetMsg($type, $timeout);

   (Instance method) The *GetMsg* method is reading a message from
   the server. If the argument $type is undef, then any message is
   accepted, otherwise any message other message type is treated as
   an error. Valid message types are PLUGIN_LIST, PREFERENCES and
   so on.

   If the argument $timeout is given, then an error will be
   triggered, if the server is not sending any message for that
   much seconds. If no timeout is given, then the default timeout
   will be used.

 Launching an attack

     my $messages = $client->Attack(@hosts);
     $client->ShowSTATUS($msg);
     $client->ShowPORT($msg);
     $client->ShowHOLE($msg);
     $client->ShowINFO($msg);
     $client->ShowPLUGINS_ORDER($msg);
     $client->ShowBYE($msg);

   (Instance Methods) An attack can be launched by calling the
   clients *Attack* method. While the attack is running, the Nessus
   server will send PLUGINS_ORDER, STATUS, PORT, HOLE and INFO
   messages and finally a BYE message. If the client receives such
   a message, he will call the corresponding Show method, for
   example *ShowPLUGINS_ORDER* or *ShowPORT*.

   The default implementations of these messages will create a hash
   ref. The hash refs keys are port numbers, a special key being
   the word general. The hash refs values are hash refs again, the
   keys being the words PORT, HOLE and INFO. The values are array
   refs of corresponding messages. That is, you find all security
   holes (if any) of the targets FTP port as follows:

     my @ftp_holes = @{$messages->{'21'}->{'PORT'}};

   Finally the hosts are used to build a top hash ref, the values
   being as described above for the respective host.

AUTHOR AND COPYRIGHT
   The Net::Nessus package is

     Copyright (C) 1998    Jochen Wiedmann
                           Am Eisteich 9
                           72555 Metzingen
                           Germany

                           Phone: +49 7123 14887
                           Email: [email protected]
     All rights reserved.

   You may distribute under the terms of either the GNU General
   Public License or the Artistic License, as specified in the Perl
   README file.

   $Id: Client.pm,v 1.5 1999/01/31 14:03:19 joe Exp $

SEE ALSO
   the Net::Nessus::Client(3) manpage

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