Running an Assessment

Plan

Confirm you own or control the machine, choose a quiet time, take a backup, and decide what you will do with the results. Prefer a test copy of a production server.

Preview and Scan

openvapt scan --dry-run lists every file, command and request a real scan would use, without doing any of it. Then run sudo openvapt scan --out <folder>, read the acknowledgements, and type I ACCEPT.

Triage

Start with Critical and High findings. For each one, ask three questions. Is it real (check the evidence)? Is it reachable in my environment? What would an attacker gain? Record false positives honestly instead of hiding them.

In Summary

Plan, preview with a dry run, then scan. Triage by severity and by what an attacker could actually reach.

Apply It

These OpenVAPT checks put this module into practice. Open one to see its detection logic and source code.

Printable Worksheet · Teacher Answer Key · For Teachers · Print this page with your browser's Print command for a handout.

Also available as plain Markdown for notes, scripts and AI tools. Same facts, same source, no styling.

Lab

1. Run: openvapt scan --dry-run | less
2. Run: openvapt demo --out a1 and triage the top five findings in a short table: finding, real or not, reachable or not, impact.

Check Yourself

Answers are checked in your browser and never stored or sent.

References

• NIST SP 800-115, Technical Guide to Information Security Testing and Assessment

Adapted from the OpenVAPT Academy (openvapt.com), built by AI Cybersecurity Engineers, used under the OpenVAPT Source-Available Licence 1.3. Free teaching use under Teaching With OpenVAPT. Pre-release material may be wrong or unstable; use at your own risk.

OpenVAPT. (2026). A1: Running an Assessment (Version 0.1.0-alpha.6). OpenVAPT Academy. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://openvapt.com/academy/a1.html

@misc{openvapt_a1,
  author       = {{OpenVAPT}},
  title        = {{A1: Running an Assessment}},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://openvapt.com/academy/a1.html}},
  note         = {OpenVAPT Academy, version 0.1.0-alpha.6. Accessed 16 October 2026}
}