Nikto A Powerful Web Server Scanner for Vulnerability Assessment

Nikto is an open-source, command-line-based web server scanner used by penetration testers to identify vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and other security issues in web servers. It performs comprehensive tests against web servers, looking for dangerous files, outdated software, and configuration issues that could lead to a compromise. With the ability to detect over 6,700 potential problems, Nikto is a valuable tool for web vulnerability assessments.

1. Basic Web Server Scan

To scan a target web server, simply use the following command :

2. Scanning a Specific Port

If your target web server runs on a non-standard port (e.g., 8080), specify the port using the -p switch :

3. SSL/TLS Scanning

For HTTPS servers, enable SSL/TLS scanning with the -ssl switch :

4. Scanning Multiple Ports

You can scan multiple ports by listing them with the -p switch :

5. Saving Scan Output to a File

To save the scan results to a file, use the -o switch and specify the output format (e.g., text, XML) :

6. Using a Proxy

Route your scan through a proxy using the -useproxy switch :