Skip to content

Tenable.io / Nessus

Audits Tenable.io / Nessus configuration against CIS Benchmarks and maps findings to your enabled compliance frameworks.
Category Vulnerability Scanner
Connector Type nessus
Auth Method API keys (access + secret)
Default Schedule 0 */6 * * * (every 6 hours)
Vendor Docs Tenable API documentation

Prerequisites

Requirements

Read-only audit access to Tenable.io / Nessus and an auditor:write permission to add the connector in Analytics.

  • Read-only audit credentials in Tenable.io / Nessus (step 1)
  • Network: Analytics can reach the Tenable.io / Nessus API endpoint on port 443
  • auditor:write to add the connector; auditor:execute to run it on demand

Step 1: Create credentials in Tenable.io / Nessus

  1. Log in to Tenable.io (or your Nessus instance).
  2. Open My Account → API Keys and generate keys.
  3. Record the Access Key and Secret Key, and your API URL if not the default cloud endpoint.

Not the same as the Conductor integration

The Conductor Tenable / Nessus integration ingests vulnerability artifacts into the signal pipeline and is configured in the Conductor UI. It is a separate, independent configuration from this Auditor connector. See Tenable / Nessus integration.

Step 2: Configure in Analytics

  1. Open Reporter → Auditor and select the Connectors tab.
  2. Click Add Connector and choose Tenable.io / Nessus.

  3. Fill in the connector form:

    Field Required Description
    Access Key Yes Tenable API access key
    Secret Key Yes Tenable API secret key
    API URL No Override for self-hosted Nessus, e.g. https://<host>:8834

  4. Set the Schedule (default 0 */6 * * * — every 6 hours).

  5. Toggle Enabled on and click Save.

Step 3: Validate

  1. Click Test Connection on the connector row to confirm the credentials.
  2. Click Run Now (requires auditor:execute) to trigger an immediate audit.
  3. After the run completes, open the Findings tab — Tenable.io / Nessus findings appear with severity, evidence, framework mappings, and remediation guidance.

Troubleshooting

  • Authentication failed — regenerate the API keys and confirm both are entered.
  • Forbidden — ensure the account has permission to read scan results.
  • Self-hosted Nessus — set the API URL to your Nessus host and port (default 8834).

See also: Auditor · Audit Report