Upgrade a Nessus Agent

After you install an agent, its manager (either Tenable.io or Nessus Manager) automatically updates the agent software automatically.

Agent Update Plan

For Tenable.io-linked agents, you can set an agent update plan to determine the version that the agent automatically updates to. Set the agent update plan from the command line interface.

To set the agent update plan for Tenable.io-linked agents:

  1. Log in to the agent from a command terminal.
  2. Enter the command:
    nessuscli fix --set agent_update_channel=<value>

    Use one of the following values:

    • ga: (Default) Automatically updates to the latest Nessus version as soon as it is made generally available (GA).

    • ea: Automatically updates to the latest Nessus version as soon as it is released for Early Access (EA), typically a few weeks before general availability.

    • stable: Does not automatically update to the latest Nessus version. Remains on an earlier version of Nessus set by Tenable, usually one release older than the current generally available version, but no earlier than 8.10.0. When Nessus releases a new version, your Nessus instance updates software versions, but stays on a version prior to the latest release.

Manual Updates

In certain cases, such as air-gapped or Internet restricted networks, you may want to download application updates manually.

Caution: When manually updating an agent, you must update to a newer version than your current version. If you want to downgrade to a previous version, you must first delete the destination folder where Nessus Agent was installed, then install the new package. Downgrading directly to a previous version is not supported.

To manually download agent updates:

  1. Visit the Tenable Downloads page.

  2. Click Nessus Agents.

    The latest application update files for agents are available.

  3. Click the application update file that you want to download.

    The License Agreement window appears.

  4. Click I Agree.

    The download begins automatically.

  5. Do one of the following, depending on your operating system:

    Do one of the following:

    • Double-click the .msi file you downloaded and follow the on-screen instructions.

    • In the command line interface, enter the following command, using the location and file name of the package you downloaded:

      > msiexec /i <path-to>\NessusAgent-<version>.msi

    • In the command line interface, enter the following command, using the location and file name of the package you downloaded:

      # rpm -Uvh <path-to>/NessusAgent-<version>.rpm

    1. Mount the .dmg file you downloaded:

      # sudo hdiutil attach <path-to>/NessusAgent-<version>.dmg

    2. Install the package:

      # sudo installer -package /Volumes/Nessus\ Install/Install\ <path-to>/NessusAgent-<version>.dmg -target /

    Your operating system installs Nessus Agent.