Nessus

Overview

This node interacts with the Nessus API to manage security policies, scans, folders, plugins, and sessions. Specifically for the Policy - Update operation, it updates an existing policy in Nessus by specifying the policy ID or name. This is useful for automating policy management tasks such as modifying scan configurations or updating security rules without manual intervention.

Common scenarios include:

• Automating updates to vulnerability scanning policies based on changing compliance requirements.
• Integrating policy updates into CI/CD pipelines to ensure scans use the latest configurations.
• Managing multiple policies programmatically across different environments.

Example: Automatically update a specific policy's settings after retrieving its current details, ensuring all scans use the updated configuration.

Properties

Output

The output JSON contains the response from the Nessus API corresponding to the requested operation. For the Update operation on a policy, the output typically includes the updated policy details or confirmation of the update action.

The structure depends on the Nessus API response but generally includes fields such as:

• id: The unique identifier of the policy.
• name: The name of the policy.
• Other policy attributes reflecting the updated state.

No binary data output is produced by this operation.

Dependencies

• Requires an active connection to the Nessus API via an API key credential configured in n8n.
• The node uses internal methods to load options dynamically (e.g., list of policies) from the Nessus API.
• Proper permissions on the Nessus server to update policies are necessary.

Troubleshooting

• Common issues:

  • Invalid or missing policy ID: Ensure the policy exists and the correct ID or name is provided.
  • Insufficient permissions: The API key used must have rights to update policies.
  • Network or authentication errors connecting to the Nessus API.

• Error messages:

  • "Failed to load policies: <message>" — Indicates problems fetching policy lists; check API connectivity and credentials.
  • Errors thrown during execution will include context about the item index if multiple inputs are processed.

• Resolution tips:

  • Verify API credentials and permissions.
  • Confirm the policy ID is valid and accessible.
  • Use expressions carefully to ensure they resolve correctly.
  • Enable "Continue On Fail" to handle partial failures gracefully.

Links and References

• Nessus API Documentation
• n8n Expressions Documentation
• Nessus Official Site