How To Install OpenSCAP on Fedora 38

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install OpenSCAP on Fedora 38. OpenSCAP is an open-source security compliance solution that helps administrators assess the security posture of their systems and ensure compliance with industry standards. It provides a framework for automated vulnerability scanning, configuration management, and policy compliance. With OpenSCAP, you can identify security vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and other issues, and take appropriate remediation actions.

This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of OpenSCAP on a Fedora 38.

Prerequisites

• A server running one of the following operating systems: Fedora 38.
• It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
• SSH access to the server (or just open Terminal if you’re on a desktop).
• An active internet connection. You’ll need an internet connection to download the necessary packages and dependencies for OpenSCAP.
• A non-root sudo user or access to the root user. We recommend acting as a non-root sudo user, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.

Install OpenSCAP on Fedora 38

Step 1. Before we can install OpenSCAP on Fedora 38, it’s important to ensure that our system is up-to-date with the latest packages. This will ensure that we have access to the latest features and bug fixes and that we can install OpenSCAP without any issues:

sudo dnf update
sudo dnf install dnf-plugins-core

Step 2. Installing OpenSCAP on Fedora 38.

By default, OpenSCAP is available on the Fedora base repository. Now install the latest version of OpenSCAP to your Ubuntu system using the following command below:

sudo dnf install scap-security-guide openscap-scanner

Confirm the successful installation of OpenSCAP by running the command:

oscap --version

If the installation was successful, you will see the version number of OpenSCAP displayed in the terminal.

Step 3. Configure OpenSCAP for First-Time Usage.

Configure OpenSCAP by executing the following command:

sudo oscap xccdf eval --profile xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_profile_standard --results scan-results.xml --report report.html /usr/share/xml/scap/ssg/content/ssg-fedora38-xccdf.xml

This command sets up OpenSCAP to use the standard profile and saves the scan results in the scan-results.xml file. It also generates a report in HTML format named report.html.

Step 4. Exploring OpenSCAP Command Line Examples.

Now that you have OpenSCAP installed on your Fedora 38 system, let’s explore some command line examples to demonstrate its capabilities:

• Scanning the System for Vulnerabilities:

To scan your system for vulnerabilities using OpenSCAP, run the following command:

sudo oscap xccdf eval --profile xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_profile_standard --results scan-results.xml /usr/share/xml/scap/ssg/content/ssg-fedora38-xccdf.xml

This command performs a vulnerability scan using the standard profile and saves the results in the scan-results.xml file.

• Generating Compliance Reports:

OpenSCAP allows you to generate detailed compliance reports. Use the following command to generate a report in HTML format:

sudo oscap xccdf generate report scan-results.xml > compliance-report.html

This command generates a compliance report in HTML format based on the scan results stored in the scan-results.xml file.

• Customizing OpenSCAP Scans:

OpenSCAP provides flexibility in customizing scans according to your specific requirements. You can modify the profile or include additional rules using the --profile and --rules options. For example:

sudo oscap xccdf eval --profile my_custom_profile --results scan-results.xml --rules my_custom_rules.xml /usr/share/xml/scap/ssg/content/ssg-fedora38-xccdf.xml

This command performs a scan using a custom profile (my_custom_profile) and custom rules (my_custom_rules.xml).

• Scheduling Automated Scans:

To schedule recurring OpenSCAP scans for continuous system monitoring, you can utilize cron or other scheduling tools. Create a shell script that includes the desired OpenSCAP command and use cron to schedule its execution at specified intervals.

Step 5. Best Practices and Tips.

To make the most of OpenSCAP on Fedora 38, consider the following best practices and tips:

1. Keep OpenSCAP and its associated content up to date to ensure accurate vulnerability assessment and compliance checks.
2. Regularly review and analyze OpenSCAP reports to identify and remediate security vulnerabilities and configuration issues.
3. Customize OpenSCAP scans based on your organization’s security requirements and industry regulations.
4. Familiarize yourself with OpenSCAP documentation, community forums, and other resources for additional guidance and support.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed OpenSCAP. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing OpenSCAP on your Fedora 38 system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official OpenSCAP website.