Installing and Using Nuclei for Automated Security Scanning

Introduction

Nuclei is a powerful, fast, and customizable vulnerability scanner that helps security researchers and bug bounty hunters identify security issues across web applications, APIs, and network services. This guide walks you through installing Nuclei and using it effectively.

Step 1: Install Go Language

Nuclei requires Go (Golang) to be installed on your system. To install Go, run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install golang -y

Verify the installation:

go version

Step 2: Install Nuclei

Once Go is installed, you can install Nuclei using the go install command:

go install -v github.com/projectdiscovery/nuclei/v3/cmd/nuclei@latest

This downloads and installs Nuclei to the Go bin directory.

Step 3: Locate Nuclei Binary

The Nuclei binary is stored in ~/go/bin. Navigate to the directory:

cd ~/go/bin

You can check if Nuclei is installed by running:

./nuclei -version

Step 4: Move Nuclei to System Path

To make Nuclei accessible system-wide, move it to /usr/bin/:

sudo mv nuclei /usr/bin/

Now you can run Nuclei from anywhere using:

nuclei -version

Usage of Nuclei

Nuclei allows scanning URLs with various templates. Below are some basic usage examples:

Scan a Single URL

nuclei -u https://example.com -t path_to_nuclei_template

Scan a List of URLs

nuclei -l list_of_urls.txt -t path_to_nuclei_template

Download and Update Nuclei Templates

nuclei -update-templates

Conclusion

With Nuclei installed, you can now start scanning for vulnerabilities efficiently. Keep your templates updated to ensure you have the latest security checks. Happy hunting!