ARPV6/ICMPV6 socket: Address family not supported by protocol

GVM versions

gsad: Greenbone Security Assistant 21.4.1~dev1
gvmd: Greenbone Vulnerability Manager 21.4.2
openvas-scanner: OpenVAS 21.4.1
gvm-libs: gvm-libs 21.4.1

Environment

Operating system: Ubuntu 20.04.2 LTS
Kernel: Linux 5.4.0-77-generic
Installation method / source: Kali Linux Repo & Manual Compile

I have been on this for a few days now, and I can’t find the issue even after trying Ubunutu and manual compile, Fedora via Atomic, Fedora and manual compile, and finally Ubunutu with kali linux repo. I keep getting the following error when trying to run scans when the Alive Test for target is set to anything but consider alive.

libgvm boreas:WARNING:2021-07-09 02h27.40 utc:117766: set_socket: failed to open ARPV6/ICMPV6 socket: Address family not supported by protocol
libgvm boreas:WARNING:2021-07-09 02h27.40 utc:117766: start_alive_detection. Boreas could not initialise alive detection. Boreas was not able to open a new socket. Exit Boreas.

It be nice to get the other 8 options working.

==> gvmd.log <==
event task:MESSAGE:2021-07-08 23h30.21 CDT:294679: Status of task IPv4 Network (1b0cd917-bc7e-4c54-8110-c0fa02fa16e0) has changed to Queued

==> ospd-openvas.log <==
OSPD[294511] 2021-07-09 04:30:29,458: INFO: (ospd.ospd) Currently 1 queued scans.
OSPD[294511] 2021-07-09 04:30:29,473: INFO: (ospd.ospd) Starting scan d3414936-c2af-47c2-9a92-672ef69ab461.

==> gvmd.log <==
event task:MESSAGE:2021-07-08 23h30.31 CDT:294679: Status of task IPv4 Network (1b0cd917-bc7e-4c54-8110-c0fa02fa16e0) has changed to Running

==> openvas.log <==
sd main:MESSAGE:2021-07-09 04h30.43 utc:294885: openvas 21.4.1 started
sd main:MESSAGE:2021-07-09 04h30.49 utc:294885: Vulnerability scan d3414936-c2af-47c2-9a92-672ef69ab461 started: Target has 254 hosts: 192.168.0.0/24, with max_hosts = 20 and max_checks = 4
libgvm boreas:WARNING:2021-07-09 04h30.49 utc:294885: set_socket: failed to open ARPV6/ICMPV6 socket: Address family not supported by protocol
libgvm boreas:WARNING:2021-07-09 04h30.49 utc:294885: start_alive_detection. Boreas could not initialise alive detection. Boreas was not able to open a new socket. Exit Boreas.
sd main:MESSAGE:2021-07-09 04h30.50 utc:294885: Vulnerability scan d3414936-c2af-47c2-9a92-672ef69ab461 finished in 7 seconds: 0 alive hosts of 254

==> ospd-openvas.log <==
OSPD[294511] 2021-07-09 04:30:50,794: INFO: (ospd.ospd) d3414936-c2af-47c2-9a92-672ef69ab461: Host scan finished.
OSPD[294511] 2021-07-09 04:30:50,796: INFO: (ospd.ospd) d3414936-c2af-47c2-9a92-672ef69ab461: Host scan finished. Progress: 0, Status: RUNNING
OSPD[294511] 2021-07-09 04:30:50,796: INFO: (ospd.ospd) d3414936-c2af-47c2-9a92-672ef69ab461: Scan interrupted.
OSPD[294511] 2021-07-09 04:30:51,349: INFO: (ospd.ospd) d3414936-c2af-47c2-9a92-672ef69ab461: Scan process is dead and its progress is 0
OSPD[294511] 2021-07-09 04:30:51,349: INFO: (ospd.ospd) d3414936-c2af-47c2-9a92-672ef69ab461: Scan interrupted.
OSPD[294511] 2021-07-09 04:30:51,353: INFO: (ospd.ospd) d3414936-c2af-47c2-9a92-672ef69ab461: Scan process is dead and its progress is 0
OSPD[294511] 2021-07-09 04:30:51,353: INFO: (ospd.ospd) d3414936-c2af-47c2-9a92-672ef69ab461: Scan interrupted.
OSPD[294511] 2021-07-09 04:30:51,381: INFO: (ospd.ospd) d3414936-c2af-47c2-9a92-672ef69ab461: Scan process is dead and its progress is 0
OSPD[294511] 2021-07-09 04:30:51,381: INFO: (ospd.ospd) d3414936-c2af-47c2-9a92-672ef69ab461: Scan interrupted.
OSPD[294511] 2021-07-09 04:30:51,399: INFO: (ospd.ospd) d3414936-c2af-47c2-9a92-672ef69ab461: Scan process is dead and its progress is 0
OSPD[294511] 2021-07-09 04:30:51,399: INFO: (ospd.ospd) d3414936-c2af-47c2-9a92-672ef69ab461: Scan interrupted.

==> gvmd.log <==
event task:MESSAGE:2021-07-08 23h30.51 CDT:294679: Status of task IPv4 Network (1b0cd917-bc7e-4c54-8110-c0fa02fa16e0) has changed to Interrupted

Does anyone have any idea?

Disabling boreas resolved the issue.

echo “test_alive_hosts_only=no” >> /etc/openvas/openvas.conf

2 Likes

I do get exactly the same problem. Is there any other solution than disabling Boreas? Why is it failing in the first place?

There apparently is another solution, and sadly it’s that you have to enable IPv6 on the host (even if you have no IPv6 anywhere on your network).

I just ran into this same nonsense, and it was only after undoing the grub kernel parameter to disable ipv6 (as well as the “belt & suspenders” sysctl setting) and rebooting that Boreas could be bothered to do a single thing.

1 Like