ServiceNow Connector

The following is not supported in Tenable FedRAMP Moderate environments. For more information, see the Tenable FedRAMP Product Offering.

The ServiceNow CMDB connector is used to create incidents (both automatically and manually) and extract data from the Configuration Management Database (CMDB). This guide provides a comprehensive overview of setting up and utilizing the ServiceNow connector, detailing the prerequisites, authentication methods, optional features, and API usage.

Tip: For more information on how third-party integrations work, see Connectors.

Connector Details

Details	Description
Supported products	Service Now CMDB
Category	Endpoint Security
Ingested data	Assets only
Ingested Asset Classes	Devices Website Applications
Integration type	UNI directional (data is transferred from the Connector to Tenable Exposure Management in one direction)
Supported version and type	SaaS (latest)

Prerequisites and User Permissions

Before you begin configuring the connector, make sure you have the following:

ServiceNow Instance Name: Obtain the name of your hosted ServiceNow instance. For instance, if your URL is https://dev123456.service-now.com/, the instance name is dev123456.
ServiceNow User with the following permission: Navigate to your ServiceNow instance and edit or create a ServiceNow User with the appropriate roles and permissions:
- personalize_dictionary
- itil
- cmdb_read
- oauth_user
Know the Authentication method you wish to use: Retrieve the required parameters from your ServiceNow account of the relevant Auth you want to use.
- Basic Auth: ServiceNow username and Password. Credentials are used for pulling assets. Make sure the above permissions are enabled for this user.
- OAuth2: ServiceNow username and password + Client ID and Client Secret ID. The keys are used to communicate with the ServiceNow API.
- Azure AD OAuth 2.0: An Azure Directory Tenant ID and Scope.
  
  TIP: For more info, see Configure OAuth application in Microsoft Azure.

Add a Connector

To add a new connector:

In the left navigation menu, click Connectors.

The Connectors page appears.
In the upper-right corner, click Add new connector.

The Connector Library appears.
In the search box, type the name of the connector.
On the tile for the connector, click Connect.

The connector configuration options appear.

Configure the Connector

(Optional) In the Connector's Name text box, type a descriptive name for the connector.
In the Instance Name text box, type the name of your ServiceNow instance.
From the Authentication Method drop-down, select the method you want to use to authenticate the connector and fill in the relevant auth parameters.
In the Data pulling configuration section, you can configure dynamic settings specific to the connector. Enable the relevant options and configure as needed.
- Configure ServiceNow CMDB data: Enable this option so you can customize how data from ServiceNow is mapped into Exposure Management during connector setup:
  1. On the first screen, choose which ServiceNow tables to include. You can select from the predefined list or specify a custom table.
  2. Select Next to proceed to the mapping screen. Here, you can review the default mappings or customize them as needed.
    - Each asset must have a unique identifier, such as sys_id (recommended).
    - All hierarchical tables are expected to include a sys_class_name column. This column identifies the record type and enables accurate table inheritance mapping.
    IMPORTANT! Keep sys_id as the default value for the asset_id field to ensure data integrity. If you select a non-unique field as the asset_id, data may be overwritten between assets that share the same identifier.
    1. To add an attribute, select the + icon on the right.
    2. To remove an attribute, hover over its name, select the three-dot menu, and choose Delete.
      
      Note: Some attributes support mapping multiple fields. Certain attributes apply only to specific asset classes.
- Collect assets only when their ServiceNow Operational Status is set to ‘1’: Filters ingested assets to include only those where operational_status = 1.
- Immediately remove assets when their install_status matches any of the selected values.
- In the Asset Retention text box, type the number of days after which you want assets to be removed from Tenable Exposure Management. If an asset has not been detected or updated within the specified number of days, it is automatically removed from the application, ensuring your asset inventory is current and relevant.
  
  Tip: For more information, see Asset Retention.
In the Test connectivity section, click the Test Connectivity button to verify that Tenable Exposure Management can connect to your connector instance.
- A successful connectivity test confirms that the platform can connect to the connector instance. It does not, however, guarantee that the synchronization process will succeed, as additional syncing or processing issues may arise.
- If the connectivity test fails, an error message with details about the issue appears. Click Show tests for more information about the exact error.
In the Connector scheduling section, configure the time and day(s) on which you want connector syncs to occur.

Tip: For more information, see Connector Scheduling
Click Create. Tenable Exposure Management begins syncing the connector. The sync can take some time to complete.
To confirm the sync is complete, do the following:
- Navigate to the Connectors page and monitor the connector's status. Sync is complete once the connector status is Connected.
- View the sync logs for the connector to monitor the logs for a successful connection.

ServiceNow in Tenable Exposure Management

Locate Connector Assets in Tenable Exposure Management

As the connector discovers assets, Tenable Exposure Management ingests those devices for reporting.

To view assets by connector:

In Tenable Exposure Management, navigate to the Assets page.
In the Filters section, under 3rd Party Connectors, click the connector name for which you want to view assets.

The asset list updates to show only assets from the selected connector.
Click on any asset to view Asset Details.

Status Update Mechanisms

Every day, Tenable Exposure Management syncs with the vendor's platform to receive updates on existing findings and assets and to retrieve new ones (if any were added).

The table below describes how the status update mechanism works in the connector for findings and assets ingested into Tenable Exposure Management.

Update Type in Exposure Management	Mechanism (When?)
Archiving Assets	Asset that appears in Tenable Exposure Management and isn't returned on the next connector's sync. Asset not seen for X days according to "Last Seen". See Asset Retention Asset status changes to one of the selected statuses defined in the Asset Retention configuration.

Note: Updates on the vendor side are reflected in Tenable Exposure Management only when the next scheduled connector sync time is complete (once a day).

Uniqueness Criteria

Tenable Exposure Management uses defined uniqueness criteria to determine whether an ingested asset or finding should be recognized as a distinct record. These criteria help define how assets and findings are identified and counted from each connector.

Tip: Read all about Third-Party Data Deduplication in Tenable Exposure Management

The uniqueness criteria for this connector are as follows:

Data	Uniqueness Criteria
Asset	sys_id

API Endpoints in Use

API version: 2.0

API	Use in Tenable Exposure Management	Required Permissions
https://{{{ instance_name }}}.service-now.com/oauth_token.do	Authenticate using OAuth2.	oauth_user
https://{{{ instance_name }}}.service-now.com/api/now/table/	Display the specific tables to the user in the UI Fetch the records of the selected table	itil
https://{{{instance_name}}}.service-now.com/api/now/doc/table/schema/	Provide the user with the structure of the table columns Identify which column is sys_class_name	personalize_dictionary
https://{{{ instance_name }}}.service-now.com/api/now/table/sys_db_object	Display all tables exist to the user in the UI	itil personalize_dictionary not ACL restrict
https://{{{ instance_name }}}.service-now.com/api/now/table/sys_dictionary	Provide the user with the structure of the table columns in one API call	itil personalize_dictionary not ACL restrict

Support Limitations and Expected Behavior

This section outlines any irregularities, expected behaviors, or limitations related to integration of the connector and Exposure Management. It also highlights details about ingested and non-ingested data to clarify data handling and functionality within this integration.

Data Validation

This section shows how to validate and compare data between Tenable Exposure Management and the ServiceNow platform.

Asset Data Validation

Objective: Ensure the number of assets/devices in ServiceNow aligns with the number of devices displayed in Tenable Exposure Management.

In ServiceNow:

Navigate to All > System Definition > Tables.
Use the Label column to search for the table’s user-friendly name, or use the Name column to locate the system name used in the integration.
Click the relevant table (for example, cmdb_ci_computer) to open the list of records.
Click the gear icon in the top-right corner to configure the view and add the columns used for filtering. These typically include:
- install_status
- sys_class_name (displayed as Class)
- operational_status
Click the funnel icon in the top-left corner to apply filters that align with the connector configuration in Exposure Management. For example:
- install_status = 1
- operational_status = 1
- A specific sys_class_name
After applying filters, note the total number of records displayed. This number should align with the devices count shown on the Devices page in Tenable Exposure Management.

IMPORTANT! The sys_id field is used as the unique identifier for ServiceNow assets. If a non-unique field is selected in the connector configuration, discrepancies such as duplicate or overwritten assets may occur.

In Tenable Exposure Management:

Locate your connector assets.
Compare the total number of assets between ServiceNow and Tenable Exposure Management.

Expected outcome: The total numbers returned in ServiceNow and Exposure Management should match.

If an asset is not visible in Exposure Management, check the following conditions:

Asset archived because its status changed to one of the selected statuses defined in the Asset Retention configuration.
Verify that the asset’s sys_class_name matches one of the table classes selected in the connector configuration.
Records that do not contain required fields, such as sys_id, may be excluded from ingestion.

Assets archived based on the value in the last_seen column (or an equivalent timestamp field configured in the connector). Only assets considered active at the time of sync are retained.

Tip: To learn more on how assets are archived and findings change status, see ServiceNow Connector.