Update scan

Updates the scan configuration. For example, you can enable or disable a scan, change the scan name, description, folder, scanner, targets, and schedule parameters. For more information and request body examples, see Update a Scan.

For information on updating remediation scans and request body examples, see Manage Remediation Scans.

Requires the Scan Operator [24] user role and the Can Edit [64] scan permission. Alternatively, requires the VM.VM_SCAN.VM_SCAN.EDIT custom role privilege. See Roles and Permissions.

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Path Params
string
required

The unique identifier for the scan you want to update. This identifier can be either the scans.schedule_uuid or the scans.id attribute in the response message from the List scans endpoint. Tenable recommends that you use scans.schedule_uuid.

Body Params

Creates a scan using the Advanced Network Scan template, which provides full control over all scan settings. Supports credentials, compliance audits, and plugin selection.

string
required

Specifies the UUID for the Tenable-provided scan template to use. Use the List templates endpoint to find the template UUID.

Caution: The defaults listed for a template via the Get template details endpoint apply to the user interface only. When you create a scan via the API you must include the settings in the request even if the setting is listed as a default in the editor. For example, even if host_tagging is set to yes by default in the editor, you still need to include "host_tagging": "yes" in the settings object for the scan.

settings
object
required

Compliance output settings controlling result format and timeouts. Available in Advanced scan templates.

credentials
object

An object that specifies credential parameters that enable a scanner to authenticate a connection to a target host. For more information about using managed credentials with the Tenable Vulnerability Management API, see Manage Credentials.

plugins
object

Specifies plugin families and individual plugins to include or exclude from the scan. Each property in this object represents a plugin family (keyed by family name). Use the List plugin families endpoint to get a list of available plugin families. Use the List plugins in family endpoint to find individual plugins within a family.

For detailed guidance on configuring plugins, including how to use mixed status, lock states, and common configuration patterns, see Configure Scan Plugins.

Note: The property names in this object are dynamic — each key corresponds to a plugin family name (for example, Misc., Web Servers, Windows, DNS). The example below shows multiple families with different configurations.

audits
object

Specifies compliance audit files to include in the scan. Supports both Tenable-provided (feed) audits and user-uploaded (custom) audits. For more information, see Configure Compliance Audits and Compliance in the Tenable Vulnerability Management User Guide.

Headers
string
enum
Defaults to application/json

Generated from available response content types

Allowed:
Responses

400

Returned under the following conditions:

  • Your request message is missing a required parameter.
  • Your request included a user-defined template, which is invalid for a remediation scan.

404

Returned if Tenable Vulnerability Management could not find the specified scan configuration.

Language
Credentials
Header
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Response
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application/json
text/html