# Week 19 - Customizing Nikto Scans ## Customize Your Nikto Scan Configuration Happy week 19 of the [#WebHackingSeries](https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=webhackingseries\&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3Aactivity%3A6931946625728753664). Have you ever used Nikto to scan a website and received this dreaded error?\ \ ERROR: Error limit (20) reached for host, giving up.\ \ I used to see this all the time when I did bug bounties. What I found is that you can edit the Nikto Configuration file to increase the error limit! The config file is located at:\ \ `/var/lib/nikto/nikto.conf.default`\ \ At the very bottom of the file, you will find the ‘FAILURES’ variable you can set to any number. Then all you need to do is force Nikto to use your new config file with the ‘—config’ flag. Since the average ‘Script Kiddie’ doesn’t edit config files, this tip can make you a lot of money on bug bounty sites that allow scanning. In the past, I made $750 by discovering one sensitive file with a custom-configured Nikto scan.\ \ It is also worth noting that you can set cookies in the configuration file as well, which allow you to perform Nikto scans on sites that require authentication. ![](/files/9oFPJCq6D6gtLlzsyGLT) ![](/files/5hHNPUHsEewl28Rb38Ji) --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://www.webhackingtips.com/weekly-tips/week-19-customizing-nikto-scans.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.