Before using this How To, you should be aware of the following:
You can use MBSA by using the graphical user interface (GUI) or from the command line. The GUI executable is Mbsa.exe and the command line executable is Mbsacli.exe.
MBSA uses ports 138 and 139 to perform its scans .
MBSA requires administrator privileges on the computer that you scan. The options /u (username) and /p (password) can be used to specify the username to run the scan. Do not store user names and passwords in text files such as command files or scripts.
MBSA requires the following software:
Windows NT 4.0 SP4 and above, Windows 2000, or Windows XP (local scans only on Windows XP computers that use simple file sharing).
IIS 4.0, 5.0 (required for IIS vulnerability checks).
SQL 7.0, 2000 (required for SQL vulnerability checks).
Microsoft Office 2000, XP (required for Office vulnerability checks).
The following services must be installed/enabled: Server service, Remote Registry service, File & Print Sharing.
The section Additional Information later in this How To includes tips on working with MBSA.