performing-vulnerability-scanning-with-nessus

Create, monitor, and export Nessus vulnerability scans via the REST API.

2|Updated Apr 14, 2026

Search Tags:#cve #penetration-testing #vulnerability-scanning #nessus #tenable #authenticated-scan #patch-compliance

Ready to run

npx skills add https://github.com/Acczdy/MoZiSec --skill performing-vulnerability-scanning-with-nessus

💬 Prompt for ChatGPT / Claude Chat▼

Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: performing-vulnerability-scanning-with-nessus
Source: https://github.com/Acczdy/MoZiSec/tree/main/penetration-testing/.claude/skills/performing-vulnerability-scanning-with-nessus
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/Acczdy/MoZiSec --skill performing-vulnerability-scanning-with-nessus

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill requires requests, urllib3, and includes scripts (resource) and references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

This Skill automates comprehensive vulnerability scanning using Tenable Nessus to rapidly identify known CVEs, misconfigurations, default credentials, and missing patches across networks, servers, and applications so teams can prioritize remediation and maintain compliance.

Core Features & Use Cases

Authenticated and Unauthenticated Scans: Configure credentialed scans to detect local vulnerabilities and fallback to unauthenticated checks when credentials fail.
Scan Management: Create, launch, monitor, and export Nessus scans (CSV/PDF/HTML) and validate authentication success per host.
Prioritization & Validation: Correlate findings with CVE and CVSS metrics, validate false positives, and group results by remediation action for compliance workflows such as PCI-DSS and HIPAA.
Use Case: Run a credentialed PCI internal scan across the cardholder data environment, validate critical findings manually, and produce a remediation-prioritized report for the operations team.

Quick Start

Run an authenticated Nessus scan against the target subnet, monitor the scan to completion, and export the validated results as a CSV report.

Frequently Asked Questions about performing-vulnerability-scanning-with-nessus

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema

How do I automate vulnerability scanning with Nessus to identify missing patches and CVEs?▼

Automate Nessus vulnerability scanning by using the REST API to create, launch, and monitor scans that identify CVEs, misconfigurations, and missing patches. You can configure authenticated and unauthenticated checks to detect local vulnerabilities across your network infrastructure.

What is the difference between authenticated and unauthenticated Nessus scans?▼

Authenticated Nessus scans use administrative credentials to detect local vulnerabilities and missing patches, while unauthenticated scans perform external checks without login. You can configure credentialed scans and automatically fallback to unauthenticated checks when credentials fail.

How do I export Nessus scan results for PCI-DSS and HIPAA compliance reporting?▼

Export Nessus scan results in CSV, PDF, or HTML formats via the REST API for compliance reporting. You can correlate findings with CVE and CVSS metrics, validate false positives, and group results by remediation action to produce prioritized reports for PCI-DSS and HIPAA audits.

Do I need Nessus Professional to run credentialed vulnerability scans via the API?▼

You need either Nessus Professional or Nessus Expert with up-to-date plugins to run credentialed scans via the REST API. Both support scan creation, monitoring, export, and authenticated status checks, provided you have administrative credentials for the target hosts.

How do I validate Nessus authentication status per host during a vulnerability scan?▼

Validate Nessus authentication status per host by checking the authenticated scan results through the REST API after the scan completes. This confirms whether administrative credentials were successfully applied to each host to detect local vulnerabilities and missing patches.

What limitations exist when running unauthenticated Nessus scans without administrative credentials?▼

Unauthenticated Nessus scans are limited to detecting external vulnerabilities and misconfigurations without local system access. They cannot identify missing patches, default credentials, or local misconfigurations that require administrative login privileges to detect.