The Tenable Vulnerability Integration with Configuration Compliance

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of The Tenable Vulnerability Integration with Configuration Compliance

    The Tenable Vulnerability Integration with Configuration Compliance enables ServiceNow customers to import and process policies, controls (test results), and configuration tests from Tenable.io within the Configuration Compliance application. This integration helps identify configuration-related vulnerabilities on assets tracked in the Configuration Management Database (CMDB) and verify compliance with defined policies and controls.

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    Starting with Configuration Compliance version 14.9, several terminology changes have been applied to align with updated naming conventions, such as renaming “Test Result Group” to “Remediation Task Group” and “Policy” to “Test group.”

    Key Features

    • Data Imports: Assets, policies, controls, and configuration tests are imported via three main integrations:
      • Tenable.io Assets Integration
      • Tenable.io Compliance Results Integration
      • Tenable.io Compliance Results Backfill Integration
    • Handling Discrepancies: Differences in the number of imported assets between the Assets Integration and Compliance Results Integration are managed by creating temporary records of ignored asset IDs. The Backfill Integration then automatically imports missing assessment data for these assets, reconciling discrepancies.
    • Automated Reconciliation: The Backfill Integration imports up to 200 asset IDs per run to match missing assets with their assessment data, deleting temporary records once matched. Multiple runs may be necessary for full reconciliation.
    • Monitoring and Verification: Customers can track ignored assets by reviewing the “Ignored CIs” field on integration run records, accessible via the Tenable Vulnerability Integration administration interface.
    • Activation and Configuration: The Compliance Results and Compliance Results Backfill integrations are inactive by default. Customers can activate and configure these through the Tenable Vulnerability Integration > Administration > Integrations section and may keep default scheduling settings to begin processing.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Enables continuous import and updating of vulnerability and compliance data from Tenable.io, ensuring up-to-date asset security posture.
    • Allows accurate identification and remediation of configuration-related vulnerabilities by correlating Tenable.io assessment data with CMDB assets.
    • Provides mechanisms to detect and resolve data discrepancies between asset and compliance result imports, maintaining data integrity.
    • Simplifies management and monitoring of integration processes through built-in tracking of ignored or missing assets.
    • Supports flexible activation and scheduling to fit organizational needs without manual intervention for most reconciliation tasks.

    The Tenable.io product of the Tenable Vulnerability Integration imports policies, controls (test results), and configuration tests for processing in the Configuration Compliance application.

    Note:
    Starting with v14.9 of Configuration Compliance, the following terms have been renamed:
    Table 1. Changes in terminology
    Terminology prior to v14.9 Terminology v14.9 onwards
    Test Result Group Remediation Task
    Group Rules Remediation Task Rules
    Policy Test group

    Tenable.io

    The Tenable Vulnerability Integration is supported.

    You can use imported data to:
    • Identify configuration-related vulnerabilities on your assets listed in your Configuration Management Database (CMDB)
    • Verify that your assets are in compliance with your policies and controls.
    Assets data, policies, controls (test results), and configuration tests are imported with the following integrations:
    • Tenable.io Assets Integration
    • Tenable.io Compliance Results Integration
    • Tenable.io Compliance Results Backfill Integration

    The following image illustrates how the integrations work together to import asset and configuration assessment data and reconcile any ignored CIs overlooked during an import.

    Figure 1. Import flow for secure configuration assessment results
    Sequence for the three tenable integrations, Assets, Configuration Compliance Results, and Compliance Results Backfill to update test, policy, and test result records

    Data is imported, updated, and displayed on the test result, policy, and configuration test records in the Configuration Compliance application.

    In some cases, the number of imported Configuration Items (CIs) is different for the Tenable.io Assets Integration and the Tenable.io Compliance Results Integration. When this occurs, temporary records are created and stored for the ignored asset IDs. These records can be matched later with imported assessment data by imports from the Compliance Results Backfill Integration.

    For example, let's say the Assets Integration imports 80 assets on an integration run, but the Compliance Results Integration imports 100.

    Note:
    You can verify the number of ignored CIs on integration runs by navigating to Tenable Vulnerability Integration > Administration > Integrations. Click the name of an integration to open the record. On the Vulnerability Integration Runs Related Link, open an integration run record and select the Items tab to see the value in the Ignored CIs field. This field tracks the total of ignored (missing) assets from the import.

    By comparing values in the Ignored CIs fields on each integration run record, there is a difference of 20 ignored CIs. As a result, the backfill integration runs automatically as shown in the preceding image. This integration imports the configuration assessment information for the extra 20 assets found by the Compliance Results Integration but missed by the Assets Integration. Since assessment data for missing assets is not imported, the Tenable.io Compliance Results Backfill Integration imports up to 200 Asset IDs per integration run to reconcile the missing assets with their corresponding assessment data. All records created for missing or ignored assets and listed on the temporary table are deleted after these assets and their data are matched.

    Note:
    It may take multiple runs of these integrations to import all the ignored assets.

    For more information about how to enable and configure the Tenable.io Asset Integration, see Configure the Tenable Vulnerability Integration using Setup Assistant. See Understanding the Tenable Vulnerability Integration for more information about the integration.

    The Tenable.io Compliance Results Integration and the Tenable.io Compliance Results Backfill Integration are inactive by default.

    To activate them:
    1. Navigate to Tenable Vulnerability Integration > Administration > Integrations.
    2. On the Tenable Integrations list, click an integration name to open the record and select the Active check box to enable it. You might prefer to leave the schedule settings in their default values for these integrations to start.