Nessus Import

Nessus Import

Import Nessus scan results to bring vulnerability findings and asset information into your NEURO projects. Automatically map Nessus severity ratings and include remediation guidance.

Overview

Nessus is a widely-used vulnerability scanner. NEURO imports:

• Vulnerability findings
• Asset information
• CVSS scores
• Remediation guidance
• Plugin output

Supported Formats

Format	Extension	Recommended
Nessus native	.nessus	- Yes
Nessus CSV	.csv	Partial support

Exporting from Nessus

Export .nessus File

1. Open your Nessus scan
2. Click Export
3. Select Nessus format
4. Choose All results or specific hosts
5. Download the .nessus file

Export Options

For best import results:

• Include all findings
• Export as .nessus (not PDF/HTML)
• Include plugin output if needed

Importing Nessus Results

Step-by-Step

1. Open your project in NEURO
2. Navigate to Findings tab
3. Click Import → Nessus
4. Upload your .nessus file
5. Configure import options:
   • Severity threshold
   • Include informational?
   • Import assets?
6. Review findings preview
7. Click Import

Import Options

Option	Description
Minimum Severity	Lowest severity to import
Include Informational	Import info-level findings
Import Assets	Create assets from scan targets
Deduplicate	Merge similar findings
Add Tags	Tag imported findings

Severity Mapping

Nessus to NEURO severity:

Nessus Severity	NEURO Severity
Critical	Critical
High	High
Medium	Medium
Low	Low
Info	Informational

CVSS Score Mapping

• Nessus CVSS scores are imported directly
• Base scores preserved
• Vector strings included when available

Imported Finding Data

Fields Populated

Finding Field	Nessus Source
Title	Plugin name
Description	Plugin description
Severity	Risk factor / CVSS
CVSS Score	CVSS base score
Remediation	Solution text
References	CVE, BID, links
Affected Assets	Target hosts

Additional Data

• Plugin ID
• Plugin family
• Plugin output
• Port/protocol
• First/last seen dates

Handling Duplicates

Same Finding, Multiple Hosts

When a finding affects multiple hosts:

• Single finding created
• All affected hosts linked
• Port details preserved per host

Previous Import

When importing over existing data:

• Matched by plugin ID + project
• Updates existing if found
• Creates new if not found
• Option to skip existing

Finding Quality Enhancement

After Import

Imported findings may need:

1. Description enhancement - Use AI to improve
2. Context addition - Add project-specific details
3. Evidence - Add screenshots if available
4. Verification - Confirm finding validity

Using AI Enhancement

1. Open imported finding
2. Click Enhance with AI
3. Review improvements
4. Apply changes

Import Filtering

Severity Filtering

Import only findings above a threshold:

• Critical only
• High and above
• Medium and above
• All findings

Plugin Family Filtering

Filter by Nessus plugin family:

• Web servers
• Databases
• Windows
• Linux
• Network

Host Filtering

Import findings for specific hosts only:

• Select target IPs
• Use IP ranges
• Exclude specific hosts

Best Practices

Before Import

1. Review scan coverage - Ensure complete scan
2. Export correct format - Use .nessus, not PDF
3. Create target project - Have project ready
4. Set severity threshold - Decide what to import

Import Strategy

For large scans:

1. Start with Critical/High - Import highest severity first
2. Review and enhance - Quality check top findings
3. Add Medium - Import medium severity
4. Informational last - If needed for completeness

After Import

1. Deduplicate - Remove false duplicates
2. Verify key findings - Confirm critical issues
3. Add evidence - Screenshot important findings
4. Enhance descriptions - Use AI for better content

Troubleshooting

Import Errors

“Invalid file format”

• Ensure .nessus format (not CSV/PDF)
• Check file isn’t corrupted
• Re-export from Nessus

“No findings found”

• Check scan actually found vulnerabilities
• Verify severity threshold isn’t too high
• Check for empty scan

“File too large”

• Export specific hosts only
• Import in batches
• Contact support for limit increase

Data Quality Issues

Missing descriptions

• Some plugins have minimal text
• Use AI enhancement
• Manually add context

Wrong severity

• Nessus may rate differently than your assessment
• Adjust severity after import
• Document reasoning

Duplicate findings

• Review deduplication settings
• Merge manually if needed
• Use bulk operations

Advanced: Nessus API Integration

For automated workflows, consider API integration:

# Example: Export scan via API and import
curl -X GET "https://nessus:8834/scans/{scan_id}/export" \
  -H "X-ApiKeys: accessKey=xxx;secretKey=xxx" \
  -o scan.nessus

# Then upload to NEURO via API
curl -X POST "https://{tenant}.nforged.com/api/v1/projects/{id}/import/nessus" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer {token}" \
  -F "file=@scan.nessus"

See API Integration for details.

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Next: Learn about Burp Suite Import