Vuls is an agentless vulnerability scanner that logs into Linux or FreeBSD systems, inventories installed software and system information, and matches that inventory against vulnerability databases. A reliable workflow is: prepare the databases on a scan host, define each target in config.toml, run vuls configtest, choose the least-privileged scan mode that answers your question, scan, and preserve both the report and the database state used to create it.
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What Vuls scans and why the workflow matters
Vuls does not require a permanent agent installed on every server. In its usual remote mode, one scanning machine connects to targets over SSH, gathers package and operating-system information, and evaluates the results against vulnerability data available to the scanner. Vuls also supports local execution, HTTP-based server mode, and container targets reached through Docker, LXD, or LXC mechanisms.
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The result is a point-in-time assessment, not a guarantee that a host is safe. Findings depend on the package inventory exposed by the selected mode, the privileges granted to the scanner, and the vulnerability databases loaded on the scan host. Keep those inputs with the output so a later remediation review can explain why a finding appeared or disappeared.
Prepare the scanning environment
Choose a scan host
Use a maintained Linux system with enough disk space for vulnerability databases, logs, and result files. The scan host must be able to reach remote targets over SSH for remote scans, or reach the Vuls HTTP listener when you use server mode. It does not need to be the production server being assessed.
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Install Vuls and load vulnerability databases
Install a Vuls release appropriate for your operating system, then populate the vulnerability databases before the first scan. Database updates belong on the scanning side; an offline target can still be assessed when the scanner already has the required data. Record the Vuls release and the database update time in your scan notes.
- Keep the database files in a controlled location with permissions that allow the scanning account to read them.
- Update the databases on a schedule that matches your patching risk, and record the update result rather than assuming an update succeeded.
- Use the same database snapshot when comparing two scans if you want changes to represent host remediation rather than changing vulnerability data.
Prepare credentials and privileges
For SSH scans, create a dedicated account and prefer a key over a password. Restrict the account to the servers and commands needed for the selected scan mode. Fast scans are designed to work without root privilege; fast-root and equivalent deeper checks require root-level access and may need narrowly scoped sudo rules. Test the exact key, username, port, and sudo policy from the scan host before scheduling scans.
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Vuls reads the target inventory from config.toml. Each entry needs a name that you will use on the command line, a host and SSH port, the account and key path, and a scan mode. The following is an illustrative layout; keep the syntax and option names aligned with the Vuls release installed in your environment.
[servers]
[servers.server1]
host = "192.0.2.10"
port = "22"
user = "vuls"
keyPath = "/home/vuls/.ssh/id_ed25519"
scanMode = ["fast"]
[servers.server2]
host = "192.0.2.11"
port = "22"
user = "vuls"
keyPath = "/home/vuls/.ssh/id_ed25519"
scanMode = ["fast-root"]Use a separate entry for every address, port, credential set, or scan policy that differs. Name entries for stable identities rather than temporary IP addresses when possible; that keeps historical reports understandable after a host moves.
Set the mode deliberately
scanMode determines privilege, target-side requirements, and the depth of checks. Start with fast for broad coverage, then assign fast-root where runtime or update-state information justifies the additional privilege. If a target cannot reach the internet, select the documented offline variant while ensuring the scanner has current vulnerability data.
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Validate configuration before scanning
Run the configuration test before a production scan:
vuls configtestWhen your configuration uses deep or fast-root requirements, run the deeper validation as well:
vuls configtest --deepDo not treat a successful file parse as proof that a scan will work. Correct every reported problem before continuing.
- SSH errors: verify DNS or addressing, firewall rules, the port, host-key acceptance, username, and key-file permissions.
- Authentication errors: test the key with the same account and confirm that the account is allowed to log in from the scan host.
- Privilege errors: check that the selected account can run the commands required by fast-root or deep checks, with no unexpected interactive password prompt.
- Dependency errors: install or enable target-side utilities required by the chosen mode, or switch to a mode whose documented requirements the host can satisfy.
- Database errors: confirm that the vulnerability data exists on the scan host and is readable by the account running Vuls.
Choose the right Vuls scan mode
| Mode | Privilege and dependencies | Connectivity and internet | What it is useful for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
fast |
Documented to require no root privilege and no dependencies on the scan target in the fast-scan examples. | Usually used through SSH; the scanner needs prepared vulnerability data. The target itself can be isolated when using the appropriate offline workflow. | Fast, low-friction inventory across a large fleet. | Less visibility into processes and update state that require elevated access. |
fast-root |
Runs with root privilege and may require sudo configuration and additional target-side checks. | Can be used remotely or locally; vulnerability data still belongs on the scanning side for offline operation. | Deeper checks, including processes affected by updates. | Higher privilege, more preparation, and greater security impact if credentials are mishandled. |
| Offline variant | Combine the offline choice with fast or fast-root according to the release’s documented syntax. | Designed for targets without internet access; the scan host must already contain the vulnerability databases. | Assessing isolated, restricted, or disconnected servers. | Database freshness becomes an explicit responsibility of the scanning team. |
deep |
Current scan documentation describes deep scanning as the same as fast-root for now. | Use the connectivity method supported by the installed release. | Configurations that request the deeper validation path. | Behavior can change; verify the installed release before relying on the equivalence. |
Fast is the sensible first pass when you need fleet-wide coverage with minimal target changes. Fast-root is appropriate when a remediation decision depends on whether a vulnerable library is currently loaded by a process or whether an update requires a restart. Do not grant root merely because it is convenient.
Run a remote SSH scan
Remote mode uses one scanner to pull information from targets over SSH. After configtest passes, scan one named server first:
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vuls scan server1When the single-host result is clean and expected, scan every configured target:
vuls scanKeep output in explicit directories so automation and retention policies can find it:
vuls scan -results-dir ./results -log-dir ./log server1Use the equivalent options in your installed release when scanning all servers. The command defaults include a 300-second timeout for general processing and a 7,200-second timeout when scanning all servers; adjust them for host count and network latency rather than assuming a slow scan is hung.
Check the first result before scaling out
- Confirm that the target name in the command exactly matches the name under
[servers]. - Read the log for connection, privilege, package-manager, and database errors before interpreting vulnerability findings.
- Compare the reported host identity and package inventory with the server you intended to scan.
- Only then launch a fleet scan, preferably in batches when many hosts share a limited SSH bastion or have long-running package queries.
Use local mode when targets should run their own scans
Local mode executes Vuls on each target instead of having one scanner fan out over SSH. It is useful when inbound SSH is prohibited, when administrators already have a trusted software-distribution path, or when network segmentation makes central collection impractical. Install the same Vuls release and required vulnerability data on each target, run the local scan according to that release’s local-mode command, and collect the resulting files through your existing administration channel.
Local execution removes the central SSH dependency but increases operational overhead: every target needs a maintained Vuls binary, suitable database data or a way to receive it, local storage, and a process for exporting results. Keep the release and database timestamp with each exported result.
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Use server mode for HTTP push workflows
Server mode starts an HTTP listener that accepts host information or scan results. The documentation’s default listener is localhost:5515. A typical setup starts the listener and writes received data to local files:
vuls server -listen host:port -to-localfileClients or collection jobs can submit results with:
vuls report -to-httpReplace host:port with the address appropriate for your deployment. Keep the listener on an internal interface, restrict access with firewall rules or a private network, and avoid exposing it directly to the public internet: it receives host and package information. Server mode is especially useful when targets can make outbound HTTP requests but a central scanner cannot initiate SSH connections.
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An offline target does not prevent vulnerability assessment. Prepare or update the vulnerability databases on a connected scanning system, transfer them through your approved media or synchronization process, and select the offline scan variant compatible with fast or fast-root. The target still needs whatever local commands and privileges the chosen mode requires; offline means no target internet connection, not no operating-system access.
For disconnected environments, document the database version and transfer date. A report generated with an old database can be technically correct for that snapshot while missing vulnerabilities disclosed later.
Read, store, and compare reports
Vuls stores scan results and logs in the directories you specify or in the configured defaults. Use the reporting command supplied by your release to render findings in the format your team needs, and use vuls report -to-http when sending results to a server-mode listener. Preserve the raw result, rendered report, log, scan timestamp, Vuls release, and vulnerability-database state together.
Interpret a finding in context
- Confirm the affected package name and installed version against the host’s current package inventory.
- Check the vulnerability identifier, severity information, and fixed-version guidance provided by the loaded database.
- Determine whether the vulnerable code is merely installed or is active in a process; this distinction is one reason to use fast-root when required.
- Record whether the host was scanned remotely, locally, or through server mode, because collection paths and privileges differ.
- After patching, rescan with a comparable database snapshot when possible, then separately run a current-database scan to identify newly disclosed issues.
A report is evidence for a remediation decision, not an automatic patching command. Validate vendor backports, maintenance windows, service restarts, and application compatibility before changing packages.
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The scan cannot connect
Start with a direct SSH test from the scan host using the configured account, key, and port. Resolve routing, firewall, DNS, host-key, and bastion issues first. If inbound SSH is structurally impossible, move the target to local or server mode rather than weakening network controls.
Fast-root or deep validation fails
Check sudoers rules, non-interactive execution, and the target’s installed utilities. Grant only the commands required by the selected Vuls release. If the deeper checks are not needed for the decision, use fast mode instead of expanding privileges.
Results are empty or unexpectedly incomplete
Read the log before assuming the host has no vulnerabilities. An empty inventory can indicate a package-manager error, an unsupported distribution, a permission problem, or a failed database load. Compare a fast and fast-root result on a test host to identify information that depends on elevation.
Server-mode submissions do not arrive
Verify that the listener is bound to the intended interface and port, that network controls allow the client-to-server direction, and that the client points to the correct endpoint. Inspect the server’s local-file output and logs. Treat the endpoint as an internal service even when it is technically reachable from a wider network.
Operate Vuls safely at scale
- Use key-based SSH and a dedicated, restricted scanning account.
- Separate fast and fast-root credentials so a broad inventory job does not automatically obtain root access everywhere.
- Version-control
config.tomlwithout committing private keys or passwords. - Protect result and log directories because package inventories reveal host details and software versions.
- Keep vulnerability databases and scan outputs versioned, with timestamps, to make remediation reviews reproducible.
- Schedule scans after database updates and after major patch windows, but avoid running so many concurrent SSH sessions that you overload bastions or production hosts.
- Review the installed release’s scan documentation before using deep-mode equivalence or any option whose behavior may have changed.
A repeatable operating procedure
- Install Vuls on a controlled scan host and populate its vulnerability databases.
- Create or update
config.tomlwith target names, addresses, ports, credentials, and scan modes. - Run
vuls configtest; add--deepwhen deep or fast-root requirements apply. - Run
vuls scan server1against one representative target and inspect the log and inventory. - Choose remote, local, or server mode according to network direction and administrative constraints.
- Run the fleet scan, directing results and logs to controlled directories.
- Render reports, triage findings, and preserve the database state and timestamps.
- Patch or otherwise mitigate confirmed issues, then rescan and compare like-for-like inputs.
This process gives Linux administrators a practical balance: fast mode provides low-dependency coverage, fast-root adds runtime and update-state visibility where it matters, and offline, local, or server workflows adapt Vuls to restricted networks without installing a permanent agent on every server.
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