Check the Scan defaults for the Wizard - it should be set to run the built-in "Full and Fast" scan For that scan, verify (under Configuration->Scan Configs) that the "Scan Settings" list shows "safe_checks" as "yes" Once you start a scan, change the display to "auto refresh" to give you more feedback on the scan process. Once the scan is completed, a report can be exported in PDF form. Common problems Errors during openvas-start OpenVAS is a rather ... delicate program. Most often, the openvas-start script will not wait long enough between launching openvassd and openvasmd, causing openvasmd to error out. Re-running openvasmd often works, though an entire stop/start cycle seems to be slightly more reliable. Often, openvasmd will error out, but launch anyway. Checking the web interface at https://127.0.0.1:9392 to make sure that you can log in is the best way to check if it's actually successfully launched. Lost admin password From a root command-line, you can reset the web interface's admin password: openvasmd --create-user=admin openvasmd --user=admin --new-password=admin openvasmd will never launch The below applies to OpenVAS 7 In many fresh install cases, the openVAS self-signed CA certificate is set to an invalid date, which also causes openvasmd to error out. The check-setup script will recommend rebuilding the database, but the /var/log/openvas/openvasmd.log may have errors discussing certificate errors. If this is the case, try: rm /var/lib/openvas/CA/* rm /var/lib/openvas/private/CA/* openvas-mkcert openvas-mkcert-client -n -i openvas-check-setup openvas-start openvasmd --rebuild openvas-stop openvas-start Recommendation Page 95 of 240