Tenable.sc integrations with the Vulnerability Response application

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 5 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    Summarized using AI
    This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.

    Summary of Tenable.sc integrations with the Vulnerability Response application

    The Tenable.sc integrations within the Vulnerability Response application enable ServiceNow customers to efficiently import, update, and manage vulnerability and asset data from Tenable.sc into their ServiceNow AI Platform instance. Starting with Vulnerability Response v20.0, scans performed by agents are flagged as authentic with the "Agent exists" indicator in the Discovered Items list.

    Show full answer Show less

    Multi-source support allows deployment of multiple Tenable.io and Tenable.sc integration instances across customers’ environments via Setup Assistant. Tenable.sc, being on-premises, supports optional MID Server usage depending on the deployment environments of Tenable.sc and ServiceNow AI Platform.

    Key Features

    • Tenable.sc Assets Integration: Comprised of two integrations to avoid duplicate items:
      • Open Assets Integration: Imports current/open vulnerabilities requiring investigation and remediation.
      • Fixed Assets Integration: Imports mitigated/fixed vulnerabilities, transitioning their state to Closed/Fixed in ServiceNow.
      This integration processes all asset data, creates or updates configuration items (CIs), and applies selected query filters from Setup Assistant to import only relevant assets.
    • Tenable.sc Plugin Integration: Retrieves up-to-date plugin data to ensure imported vulnerabilities are current and active, coordinating REST calls to the Plugins API, outputting third-party vulnerabilities.
    • Tenable.sc Fixed Vulnerabilities Integration: Imports vulnerability data filtered by severity, updating or creating vulnerable items (VIs) in Closed/Fixed state. Optionally, can create VIs for fixed detections for enhanced visibility, though this may impact performance. It also manages CI creation and is a scheduled, chained integration that triggers the Open Vulnerabilities Integration on completion.
    • Tenable.sc Open Vulnerabilities Integration: Triggered after fixed vulnerabilities import, it imports active vulnerabilities and creates or updates VIs and CIs accordingly.
    • Tenable.sc Scan Credential Integration: Retrieves scan credentials from Tenable.sc to enable scanner access when initiating scans from ServiceNow. This integration runs weekly and populates credentials in a dedicated table.
    • Tenable.sc Backfill Vulnerabilities Integration: Imports any missed open and fixed vulnerabilities from the past seven days to ensure completeness. It is inactive by default due to potential performance impact.

    User Authentication

    User authentication support varies by Tenable.sc version. It is required for versions 5.12 and earlier and supported by ServiceNow AI Platform and Tenable.sc version 5.13 and above. Token expiration during integration runs is handled automatically by refreshing tokens without interrupting processes. Notifications about token validation failures are informational and require no action.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Seamless synchronization of asset and vulnerability data between Tenable.sc and ServiceNow, improving vulnerability management workflows.
    • Accurate state tracking of vulnerabilities, distinguishing between open and fixed issues for better prioritization.
    • Integration flexibility with multi-source support and optional MID Server configurations to suit diverse deployment architectures.
    • Automated credential management facilitates secure and smooth scanning operations initiated from ServiceNow.
    • Scheduled integrations and chained runs optimize data freshness and system performance.
    • Backfill capability ensures no vulnerabilities are missed during data imports, maintaining comprehensive security posture visibility.

    The Tenable.sc integrations in the Vulnerability Response Integration with Tenable application.

    Starting with Vulnerability Response v20.0, if an asset is scanned by an agent, the "Agent exists" column in the Discovered Items list displays the value as "true." This indicates that the scan is authentic.

    List of Tenable.sc integrations

    Multi-source is supported for all the Tenable.io and Tenable.sc integrations. You can add and deploy multiple instances of the following integrations across your environment from Setup Assistant in Vulnerability Response. You can also install and configure the Vulnerability Response Integration with Tenable application from Setup Assistant.

    • Tenable.sc is an on-premises integration that gives you the option to use a MID Server if the Tenable.sc product and your ServiceNow AI Platform instance are in the same environment.
    • If the Tenable.sc product and your ServiceNow AI Platform instance aren’t in the same environment, you’re required to use a MID Server.
    Table 1. Tenable.sc integrations
    Integration Description
    Tenable.sc Assets Integration
    To avoid creating duplicate discovered items with imported asset data, the Asset Integration of the Tenable.sc product is comprised of two integrations.
    The Tenable.sc Open Assets Integration
    This integration imports vulnerability data about your assets that Tenable considers Cumulative (current), or Open. The vulnerable items (VIs) that are created in your instance with this imported asset data are considered open, that is, in the Open state. These vulnerable items require investigation and might need remediation.
    The Tenable.sc Fixed Assets Integration
    This integration imports vulnerability data about your assets that Tenable considers Mitigated (no longer vulnerable) or Fixed. The vulnerable items for these assets transition from the Open state to the Closed/Fixed state in your instance, because the results of scans show they’re no longer vulnerable.
    • Retrieves all asset data from the Tenable.sc product and processes it in your instance.
    • Creates unique CIs for unmatched assets, or updates existing CIs with the network partition identifier attribute for assets across your environment that share IP address.
    • Coordinates the REST message calls to the Assets API.
    • The output of this integration is discovered items.
    • The Tenable query filter that you select in the Setup Assistant also applies to the Tenable.sc Assets Integration. Only the assets with the vulnerabilities that match the conditions of the query filter are imported.
    Tenable.sc Plugin Integration
    • Retrieves the plugin data from the Tenable.sc product. Retrieved data are based on the date that the plugins were last updated by a Tenable.sc integration run.
    • This import ensures that the Tenable.sc Identifiers (Ten IDs) are current and only active vulnerabilities are imported.
    • Coordinates the REST message calls to the Plugins API.
    • The output of this integration is third-party vulnerabilities.
    Tenable.sc Fixed Vulnerabilities Integration
    • Retrieves vulnerability data based on severity filters from the Tenable.sc product and processes it in your instance. Vulnerable items are created for detection records which are in the Open and Reopened states, because these records require remediation. Existing vulnerable items are updated by Vulnerability Response if detections are Fixed, but vulnerable items aren’t created for Fixed detections by default, because Tenable considers Fixed vulnerabilities Mitigated.
    • When the flag Create vulnerable times for Fixed Vulnerability detections is activated in Setup Assistant, it creates VIs in the Fixed state so you have visibility into the detections that created them. As VIs are created for Fixed detections that don’t exist in your instance, this might negatively impact your import performance. You may prefer to leave this feature deactivated so that Fixed detections only update the states of existing vulnerable items.
    • Creates unique CIs for unmatched assets, or updates existing CIs with the network partition identifier attribute for assets across your environment that share IP address.
    • Coordinates the REST message calls to the Vulnerabilities API.

    The output of this integration is Closed/Fixed vulnerable items (VIs). It also creates assets and third-party entries if they don't exist.

    This integration run is a scheduled run. It’s a chained integration which means after a run is successfully completed, the Tenable.sc Open Vulnerabilities Integration described next is triggered.

    Note:
    By default, the family IDs 0 and 39 are excluded from this integration.
    Tenable.sc Open Vulnerabilities Integration
    • This integration is triggered on successful completion of the Tenable.sc Fixed Vulnerabilities Integration.
    • Retrieves vulnerability data based on the query filters selected from the Tenable.sc product and processes it in your instance.
    • Creates corresponding vulnerable items for active vulnerabilities.
    • Creates unique CIs for unmatched assets, or updates existing CIs with the network partition identifier attribute for assets across your environment that share IP address.
    • Coordinates the REST message calls to the Vulnerabilities API.
    • The output of this integration is Update/Create new vulnerable items (VIs) if they don’t exist. It also creates configuration items and third-party entries if they don't exist.
    Note:
    By default, the family IDs 0 and 39 are excluded from this integration.
    Tenable.sc Scan Credential Integration
    • This integration retrieves the scan credentials configured in Tenable.sc.
    • Coordinates the REST message calls to the Credentials API.
    • The output of this integration is scan credentials populated in table, [sn_vul_tenable_scan_credential].
    • The imported credentials are used to access the scanner when scan requests are initiated from the ServiceNow AI Platform.
    • This integration is scheduled to run weekly.
    Tenable.sc Backfill Vulnerabilities Integration
    • This backfill integration imports any open and fixed vulnerabilities that might have been missed during an import.
    • This integration imports both open and fixed vulnerabilities from the last seven days to update your detections and vulnerable items.
    • This integration might impact your performance.
    • This integration is inactive by default.
    • To update your vulnerability data and avoid potential performance problems, you might prefer to schedule the Tenable.sc Fixed Vulnerabilities and Open Vulnerabilities Integrations to run when no other scans are running.
    • The output of this integration is:
      • Closed/Fixed vulnerable items (VIs). It also creates assets and third-party entries if they don't exist.
      • to Update/Create new vulnerable items (VIs) if they don’t exist. It also creates configuration items and third-party entries if they don't exist.

    User authentication and Tenable.sc

    User authentication is supported by your ServiceNow AI Platform® instance and version 5.13 of the Tenable.sc product. User authentication is required if you’re using version 5.12 and earlier of the Tenable.sc product.

    When you select user authentication for the Tenable.sc integrations, tokens might expire and be replaced during integration runs. In the Notes column on the Vulnerability Integration Run record (VIN), the following message is displayed for a process when a token expires, Error: Token validation is failed. No action is required if this message is displayed. Expired tokens are automatically refreshed in the background and the message doesn’t indicate a pause or error with the integration process.