Simplifying Tenable Administration: A Menu-Driven Utility for User Management

 Introduction

Managing a robust security infrastructure often means interacting with multiple administrative interfaces, and Tenable environments (Nessus and Tenable.sc) are no exception. Performing routine tasks like resetting a password or simply managing user access can become repetitive, especially in environments without seamless directory integration.

Crucially, when an administrator or standard user account gets locked out, gaining back immediate access can be a critical, high-stress scenario. This script offers a rapid solution for those situations.

To streamline these common administrative headaches, I developed the Tenable Utility, a simple, menu-driven Bash script designed to centralize and automate essential user management tasks for both Tenable.sc and Nessus.

Core Features of the Tenable Utility

The Tenable-Utility.sh script provides a clear, numbered menu system to execute privileged commands against your Tenable installations.

1. Quick Lock/Unlock: Quickly unlocking an administrator or standard user account.

2. Password Resets: Reset a Tenable.sc user's password to a known default value.

3. Add/Remove Users: (Nessus only) Add a new Nessus user or removing an existing one

Getting and Running the Script

Because this script performs administrative actions directly on the backend files of Tenable products, it must be run with the appropriate permissions.

Requirements:

- Tenable.sc and/or Nessus installed on a Linux or macOS system

- Root or sudo privileges.

Installation and Usage

1. Clone the Repository

> git clone https://github.com/2bitninja/Tenable-Utility.git
> cd Tenable-Utility

2. Grant Execution Rights

> chmod +x Tenable-Utility.sh

3. Execute and Select Options

Run the script using sudo. This will launch the interactive main menu

> sudo ./Tenable-Utility.sh

From here, you simply choose the option corresponding to the administrative task you need to complete.

Conclusion

The Tenable Utility offers Tenable administrators a fast, reliable, and convenient way to handle crucial user management and operational tasks. Instead of navigating complex UIs or recalling lengthy command syntax, you can execute necessary changes from a single, simple menu.

If you are looking to simplify your daily administrative routine, check out the repository today and integrate this utility into your toolbox!

Tenable-Utility on GitHub

Feel free to check out the script, use it, and let me know if you have any suggestions for improvements!

Automating Verification for Nessus Scans

 The Challenge of Scan Verification

As vulnerability managers and security engineers we rely on credentialed scans to provide accurate visibility into our environment. An uncredentialed scan is essentially a surface-level check, missing most critical vulnerabilities that require authenticated access (like missing patches or insecure configurations).

When managing Tenable environments (Nessus or Tenable.sc), confirming that every asset in a large scan successfully ran with credentials is a critical, yet highly inefficient task. Since the definitive check demands manually reviewing Nessus Plugin ID 19506 (Nessus Scan Information) for the credentialed=true value on every host, this drill-down approach is simply too time-consuming.

The Solution: check-scans.sh

To solve this problem and reclaim time, I developed a simple Bash script called check-scans.sh.

This script automates the verification process, allowing vulnerability managers to confirm scan integrity quickly and efficiently without having to manually sift through the user interface.

The Script's Core Utility

The primary purpose of check-scans.sh is straightforward: verify that scans were conducted with credentials.

It targets the operational need to ensure that the foundational data used for patching and risk analysis is reliable. If Plugin 19506 is missing or shows credentialed=false, the script flags that asset, pointing you directly to the hosts that require re-scanning or troubleshooting.

How to Implement and Run the Script

The script is available in my GitHub repository. It requires minimal setup, making it easy to integrate into your existing workflow.

1. Getting the Script

You can find the source code and usage details here: https://github.com/2bitninja/check-scans

To get the script, clone the repository and navigate into the directory:

git clone https://github.com/2bitninja/check-scans.git

2. Prepare for Execution

Make the script executable:

chmod +x check-scans.sh

3. Running the Check

Due to the nature of interacting with the Nessus/Tenable installation directories and files, you will need elevated privileges (e.g., being in the tns group or using sudo) to execute it successfully.

Execute the script:

sudo ./check-scans.sh

The script will handle the heavy lifting, giving you an immediate, verifiable result of your credentialed scan coverage.

Conclusion

Operational efficiency in security is often achieved through small, focused automations. By leveraging a simple script like check-scans.sh, you eliminate a manual administrative burden, ensuring your security team can maintain a high standard of data quality for all vulnerability assessments.

Feel free to check out the script, use it, and let me know if you have any suggestions for improvements!

How does this version look? I focused on explaining the technical necessity and the workflow benefit.