Tenable Vulnerability Management Specialist Exam
Questions and Answers| Latest Update| Guaranteed Pass
Q1. What is Tenable Vulnerability Management (formerly Tenable.io)?
A. A cloud-based platform for vulnerability management, asset discovery, and risk-
based prioritization
B. An on-premises SIEM product
C. A firewall management console
D. A network traffic analyzer only
Answer: A
Rationale: Tenable Vulnerability Management is Tenable's cloud-delivered (SaaS)
platform that discovers assets, assesses them for vulnerabilities using Nessus-based
sensors, and prioritizes risk using VPR and other scoring.
Q2. Which sensor types can send data into Tenable Vulnerability Management?
A. Nessus scanners only
B. Nessus scanners, Nessus Agents, Nessus Network Monitor (NNM), and cloud
connectors
C. Only third-party vulnerability scanners
D. Only agents installed on Windows
Answer: B
Rationale: Tenable VM ingests data from multiple sensor types: active Nessus
scanners, lightweight Nessus Agents, passive Nessus Network Monitor, and cloud/API
connectors (AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.), giving a combined view of the attack surface.
Q3. What is the primary difference between Tenable Vulnerability Management and
Tenable Security Center (Tenable.sc)?
A. Tenable.sc is cloud-based while Tenable VM is on-premises
B. Tenable VM is a cloud-delivered SaaS solution, while Tenable.sc is deployed and
managed on-premises
C. There is no difference; they are the same product
, D. Tenable.sc does not use Nessus scanning technology
Answer: B
Rationale: Tenable Vulnerability Management is hosted in Tenable's cloud, removing
the need for customers to manage backend infrastructure, whereas Tenable.sc is
installed and maintained on the customer's own infrastructure.
Q4. What component performs local, credentialed vulnerability checks on a host and
is the core scanning engine used across Tenable products?
A. Nessus
B. Splunk
C. LDAP
D. Nmap
Answer: A
Rationale: Nessus is Tenable's vulnerability scanning engine that powers active scans,
whether run from a Nessus scanner appliance or embedded in a Nessus Agent.
Q5. What is a Nessus Network Monitor (NNM) primarily used for?
A. Actively exploiting vulnerabilities
B. Passively monitoring network traffic to discover assets and vulnerabilities without
sending packets to hosts
C. Managing user licenses
D. Encrypting scan traffic
Answer: B
Rationale: NNM passively analyzes network traffic in real time to identify assets,
applications, and vulnerabilities without actively probing hosts, which is useful for
sensitive or always-on systems that cannot tolerate active scanning.
Q6. Which Tenable component is designed specifically for scanning operational
technology (OT) and industrial control system (ICS) environments?
A. Tenable Web App Scanning
B. Tenable OT Security
C. Tenable Lumin
D. Tenable Cloud Security
Answer: B
Rationale: Tenable OT Security is purpose-built to safely discover and assess OT/ICS
assets and protocols, complementing Tenable VM for IT assets.
,Q7. In the Tenable Vulnerability Management architecture, where does the
vulnerability data ultimately get stored and analyzed?
A. Locally on the scanner only
B. In Tenable's cloud platform
C. On the customer's SIEM exclusively
D. In a local Nessus Agent cache only
Answer: B
Rationale: Scanners and agents collect data and upload it to Tenable's cloud platform,
where it is aggregated, correlated, and made available through the Tenable VM
interface and API.
Q8. What is the purpose of a Tenable-managed scanner versus a self-hosted (linked)
scanner?
A. There is no difference
B. Tenable-managed (cloud) scanners are hosted by Tenable and used to scan
externally reachable assets, while self-hosted scanners are deployed by the customer
inside their network for internal scanning
C. Self-hosted scanners cannot run compliance scans
D. Tenable-managed scanners require an agent to function
Answer: B
Rationale: Cloud scanners hosted by Tenable are typically used for
external/perimeter scanning, while customer-deployed (linked) scanners sit inside the
customer's network to reach internal, non-internet-facing assets.
Q9. Which protocol/port is commonly required outbound from a linked Nessus
scanner or agent to communicate with the Tenable Vulnerability Management cloud?
A. HTTPS over TCP 443
B. Telnet over TCP 23
C. SNMP over UDP 161
D. FTP over TCP 21
Answer: A
Rationale: Nessus scanners and agents communicate with the Tenable cloud using
outbound HTTPS (TCP 443), simplifying firewall configuration since no inbound ports
need to be opened.
Q10. What is Tenable Lumin/Tenable One primarily used for?
A. Running exploits automatically
, B. Providing exposure management analytics, benchmarking, and risk metrics across
the attack surface
C. Replacing Nessus scanners
D. Managing DNS records
Answer: B
Rationale: Tenable Lumin (now part of Tenable One) layers analytics on top of
vulnerability data to translate technical findings into business risk metrics, trending,
and peer benchmarking.
Scanning Fundamentals
Q11. What is the difference between a scan template and a scan policy in Tenable
Vulnerability Management?
A. A template is a pre-built set of scan settings for a use case; a policy is a saved,
reusable configuration created from a template that can be applied to multiple scans
B. They are identical
C. A policy can only be used once
D. Templates are for compliance scans only, policies are for vulnerability scans only
Answer: A
Rationale: Templates (e.g., Basic Network Scan, Advanced Scan) provide a starting
point of pre-configured settings; a user can save a customized version as a reusable
policy that multiple scans can reference.
Q12. What is required to perform a credentialed scan of a Windows host?
A. Nothing extra is needed beyond network access
B. Valid administrative credentials (or a low-privileged account with proper rights)
configured in the scan for authentication, typically via SMB/WMI
C. A Nessus Agent must be installed first
D. The host must be rebooted before scanning
Answer: B
Rationale: Credentialed scans require valid authentication credentials (local, domain,
or via an authentication method like Kerberos) so Nessus can log in and perform in-
depth, local checks rather than relying solely on network-based detection.
Q13. Why are credentialed scans generally preferred over uncredentialed scans?
A. They are faster
Questions and Answers| Latest Update| Guaranteed Pass
Q1. What is Tenable Vulnerability Management (formerly Tenable.io)?
A. A cloud-based platform for vulnerability management, asset discovery, and risk-
based prioritization
B. An on-premises SIEM product
C. A firewall management console
D. A network traffic analyzer only
Answer: A
Rationale: Tenable Vulnerability Management is Tenable's cloud-delivered (SaaS)
platform that discovers assets, assesses them for vulnerabilities using Nessus-based
sensors, and prioritizes risk using VPR and other scoring.
Q2. Which sensor types can send data into Tenable Vulnerability Management?
A. Nessus scanners only
B. Nessus scanners, Nessus Agents, Nessus Network Monitor (NNM), and cloud
connectors
C. Only third-party vulnerability scanners
D. Only agents installed on Windows
Answer: B
Rationale: Tenable VM ingests data from multiple sensor types: active Nessus
scanners, lightweight Nessus Agents, passive Nessus Network Monitor, and cloud/API
connectors (AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.), giving a combined view of the attack surface.
Q3. What is the primary difference between Tenable Vulnerability Management and
Tenable Security Center (Tenable.sc)?
A. Tenable.sc is cloud-based while Tenable VM is on-premises
B. Tenable VM is a cloud-delivered SaaS solution, while Tenable.sc is deployed and
managed on-premises
C. There is no difference; they are the same product
, D. Tenable.sc does not use Nessus scanning technology
Answer: B
Rationale: Tenable Vulnerability Management is hosted in Tenable's cloud, removing
the need for customers to manage backend infrastructure, whereas Tenable.sc is
installed and maintained on the customer's own infrastructure.
Q4. What component performs local, credentialed vulnerability checks on a host and
is the core scanning engine used across Tenable products?
A. Nessus
B. Splunk
C. LDAP
D. Nmap
Answer: A
Rationale: Nessus is Tenable's vulnerability scanning engine that powers active scans,
whether run from a Nessus scanner appliance or embedded in a Nessus Agent.
Q5. What is a Nessus Network Monitor (NNM) primarily used for?
A. Actively exploiting vulnerabilities
B. Passively monitoring network traffic to discover assets and vulnerabilities without
sending packets to hosts
C. Managing user licenses
D. Encrypting scan traffic
Answer: B
Rationale: NNM passively analyzes network traffic in real time to identify assets,
applications, and vulnerabilities without actively probing hosts, which is useful for
sensitive or always-on systems that cannot tolerate active scanning.
Q6. Which Tenable component is designed specifically for scanning operational
technology (OT) and industrial control system (ICS) environments?
A. Tenable Web App Scanning
B. Tenable OT Security
C. Tenable Lumin
D. Tenable Cloud Security
Answer: B
Rationale: Tenable OT Security is purpose-built to safely discover and assess OT/ICS
assets and protocols, complementing Tenable VM for IT assets.
,Q7. In the Tenable Vulnerability Management architecture, where does the
vulnerability data ultimately get stored and analyzed?
A. Locally on the scanner only
B. In Tenable's cloud platform
C. On the customer's SIEM exclusively
D. In a local Nessus Agent cache only
Answer: B
Rationale: Scanners and agents collect data and upload it to Tenable's cloud platform,
where it is aggregated, correlated, and made available through the Tenable VM
interface and API.
Q8. What is the purpose of a Tenable-managed scanner versus a self-hosted (linked)
scanner?
A. There is no difference
B. Tenable-managed (cloud) scanners are hosted by Tenable and used to scan
externally reachable assets, while self-hosted scanners are deployed by the customer
inside their network for internal scanning
C. Self-hosted scanners cannot run compliance scans
D. Tenable-managed scanners require an agent to function
Answer: B
Rationale: Cloud scanners hosted by Tenable are typically used for
external/perimeter scanning, while customer-deployed (linked) scanners sit inside the
customer's network to reach internal, non-internet-facing assets.
Q9. Which protocol/port is commonly required outbound from a linked Nessus
scanner or agent to communicate with the Tenable Vulnerability Management cloud?
A. HTTPS over TCP 443
B. Telnet over TCP 23
C. SNMP over UDP 161
D. FTP over TCP 21
Answer: A
Rationale: Nessus scanners and agents communicate with the Tenable cloud using
outbound HTTPS (TCP 443), simplifying firewall configuration since no inbound ports
need to be opened.
Q10. What is Tenable Lumin/Tenable One primarily used for?
A. Running exploits automatically
, B. Providing exposure management analytics, benchmarking, and risk metrics across
the attack surface
C. Replacing Nessus scanners
D. Managing DNS records
Answer: B
Rationale: Tenable Lumin (now part of Tenable One) layers analytics on top of
vulnerability data to translate technical findings into business risk metrics, trending,
and peer benchmarking.
Scanning Fundamentals
Q11. What is the difference between a scan template and a scan policy in Tenable
Vulnerability Management?
A. A template is a pre-built set of scan settings for a use case; a policy is a saved,
reusable configuration created from a template that can be applied to multiple scans
B. They are identical
C. A policy can only be used once
D. Templates are for compliance scans only, policies are for vulnerability scans only
Answer: A
Rationale: Templates (e.g., Basic Network Scan, Advanced Scan) provide a starting
point of pre-configured settings; a user can save a customized version as a reusable
policy that multiple scans can reference.
Q12. What is required to perform a credentialed scan of a Windows host?
A. Nothing extra is needed beyond network access
B. Valid administrative credentials (or a low-privileged account with proper rights)
configured in the scan for authentication, typically via SMB/WMI
C. A Nessus Agent must be installed first
D. The host must be rebooted before scanning
Answer: B
Rationale: Credentialed scans require valid authentication credentials (local, domain,
or via an authentication method like Kerberos) so Nessus can log in and perform in-
depth, local checks rather than relying solely on network-based detection.
Q13. Why are credentialed scans generally preferred over uncredentialed scans?
A. They are faster
