Qualys Policy Compliance

Qualys Policy Compliance (PC) is a compliance management tool that performs automated security configuration assessments on your IT systems. You can bring control, host, and violation data from Qualys into Brinqa to construct a unified view of your attack surface and strengthen your cybersecurity posture.

This document details the information you must provide for the connector to authenticate with Qualys PC and how to obtain that information from Qualys. See create a data integration for step-by-step instructions on setting up the integration.

Required connection settings

When setting up a data integration, select Qualys Policy Compliance from the Connector drop-down. You must provide the following information to authenticate Qualys with Brinqa:

• API Server URL: The Qualys platform API Server URL. For information on how to determine your Qualys API URL, see Qualys documentation.

• Username and Password: The user name and password associated with the Qualys user, which must have permissions to log in to the API server and return data.

Create a Qualys user

To ensure that the user account that the Qualys PC connector uses to access the Qualys API has the appropriate permissions, follow these steps.

1. Log in to your organization's Qualys server.

2. Navigate to Users, and then select the Users tab.

3. Click New and select User. The New User dialog displays.

   

4. Fill out the general information for the new user.

5. Click User Role on the left menu.

   • From the User Role drop-down, select Reader.

   • Select GUI and API to enable API access, and leave Business Unit as Unassigned.

     note

     GUI access allows the user to log in to the Qualys GUI (graphical user interface). After you create the new Qualys user, log in to the Qualys GUI using the new credentials. The system prompts the user to reset their password. The Qualys connector will not function until you complete the password reset.

     

6. Click Asset Groups.

   • From the Add asset groups drop-down, select All or only the asset groups the Qualys user needs access to.

7. Click Permissions and select all of the available permissions.

8. Click Options to modify the notification options as needed.

9. Click Save.

The new Qualys user with appropriate permissions to retrieve data displays on the Qualys Users page.

If you do not wish to create a new Qualys user, you can leverage an existing user with the appropriate permissions.

note

If you do not have the permissions to create a Qualys user, contact your Qualys administrator. For additional information, see Qualys documentation on user roles and permissions.

Additional settings

The Qualys PC connector contains additional options for specific configuration:

• Page size: The maximum number of records to get per API request. The default setting is 100. It is not recommended to go over 100.

• Parallel requests: The maximum number of parallel API requests. The default setting is 2.

• Maximum retries: The maximum number of times that the integration attempts to connect to the Qualys API before giving up and reporting a failure. The default setting is 5.

Types of data to retrieve

The Qualys PC connector can retrieve the following types of data from the Qualys API:

Table 1: Data retrieved from Qualys

Connector Object	Required	Maps to Data Model
Control	Yes	Violation Definition
Host	Yes	Host
Violation	Yes	Violation

info

For detailed steps on how to view the data retrieved from Qualys PC in the Brinqa Platform, see How to view your data.

Attribute mappings

Expand the sections below to view the mappings between the source and the Brinqa data model attributes.

Control

Table 2: Control attribute mappings

Source Field Name	Maps to Attribute
CATEGORY	Local variable
CHECK_TYPE	Local variable
CREATED_DATE	sourceCreatedDate
CRITICALITY	severity, sourceSeverity, severityScore
FRAMEWORK_LIST (name)	Local variable
ID	uid
STATEMENT	Local variable
SUB_CATEGORY	Local variable
TECHNOLOGY_LIST (name)	Local variable
UPDATE_DATE	sourceLastModified

Host

Table 3: Host attribute mappings

Source Field Name	Maps to Attribute
ACCOUNT_ID	Local variable
AVAILABILITY_ZONE	Local variable
CATEGORIES_ASSET_CATEGORY	categories
FIRST_DISCOVERED	firstSeen
host.getASSETCRITICALITYSCORE	Local variable
host.getASSETRISKSCORE	Local variable
host.getASSETID	Local variable
host.getCLOUDPROVIDER	Local variable
host.getCLOUDPROVIDERTAGS	Local variable
host.getCLOUDRESOURCEID	cloudInstanceId
host.getCLOUDSERVICE	Local variable
host.getDNSDATA.getDOMAIN	Local variable
host.getDNSDATA.getFQDN	publicDnsName, privateDnsName
host.getIP	publicIpAddresses
host.getLASTVMAUTHSCANNEDDATE	Local variable
host.getLASTVULNSCANDATETIME	lastSeen
host.getNETBIOS	hostnames
host.getOS	Local variable
host.getOWNER	Local variable
host.getQGHOSTID	Local variable
host.getTAGS.getTAG	tags
host.getTRACKINGMETHOD	Local variable
host.getID	uid
HOSTNAME	Local variable
IMAGE_ID	Local variable
INSTANCE_ID	cloudInstanceId
INSTANCE_STATE	status
INSTANCE_TYPE	Local variable
IPV6	Local variable
LOCAL_HOSTNAME	privateDnsName
LOCATION	Local variable
MAC	Local variable
MAC_ADDRESS	macAddresses
MACHINE_TYPE	Local variable
NAME	name
NETWORK	Local variable
OS_TYPE	Local variable
PRIVATE_IP	Local variable
PRIVATE_IPV4	Local variable
PROJECT_ID	Local variable
PUBLIC_HOSTNAME	publicDnsName
PUBLIC_IPV4	publicIpAddresses
REGION	Local variable
RESOURCE_GROUP_NAME	Local variable
SECURITY_GROUP	Local variable
STATE	status
SUBNET	Local variable
SUBSCRIPTION_ID	Local variable
VM_ID	Local variable
ZONE	Local variable

Violation

Table 4: Violation attribute mappings

Source Field Name	Maps to Attribute
CAUSE_OF_FAILURE.ADDED_DIRECTORIES	Local variable
CAUSE_OF_FAILURE.CONTENT_CHANGED_DIRECTORIES	Local variable
CAUSE_OF_FAILURE.DIRECTORY_FIM_UDC	Local variable
CAUSE_OF_FAILURE.MISSING	Local variable
CAUSE_OF_FAILURE.PERMISSION_CHANGED_DIRECTORIES	Local variable
CAUSE_OF_FAILURE.REMOVED_DIRECTORIES	Local variable
CAUSE_OF_FAILURE.UNEXPECTED	Local variable
CONTROL_ID	rationale, type
EXTENDED_EVIDENCE	Local variable
FIRST_FAIL_DATE	firstFailed
FIRST_PASS_DATE	firstPassed
HOST_ID	targets
ID	uid
LAST_FAIL_DATE	lastFailed
LAST_PASS_DATE	lastPassed
name (Technology)	Local variable
policyId	Local variable
policyTitle	Local variable
POSTURE_MODIFIED_DATE	sourceLastModified
PREVIOUS_STATUS	Local variable
REMEDIATION	Local variable
STATUS	status, statusCategory
techId	Local variable

info

Local variable indicates that the field is processed within a specific context, such as a particular workflow or calculation. Unlike other attributes, local variables aren't mapped to the unified data models. They only exist on the source data model.

Operation options

The Qualys PC connector supports the following operation options. See connector operation options for information about how to apply them.

Expand the sections below to view the supported operation options per connector object.

Control

Table 5: Control operation options

Connector Object	Option	All Possible Values	Description	Example
Control	asset_group_ids	Any Qualys asset group ID	A comma-separated list of asset group IDs. You can use this option to retrieve controls from the specified Qualys asset groups.	Key: asset_group_ids Value: 101,202. This key and value combination only retrieves controls associated with the specified asset group IDs.
	control_ids	Any Qualys control ID	A comma-separated list of control IDs. You can use this option to retrieve specific controls from the specified Qualys control IDs.	Key: control_ids Value: A1,B2. This key and value combination only retrieves controls with the specified control IDs.
	criticality_labels	MINIMAL, MEDIUM, SERIOUS, CRITICAL, URGENT	A comma-separated list of criticality labels. You can use this option to retrieve controls from Qualys based on their specified criticality label.	Key: criticality_labels Value: CRITICAL,URGENT. This key and value combination only retrieves controls with the specified criticality labels.
	criticality_values	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	A comma-separated list of criticality values. You can use this option to retrieve controls from Qualys based on their specified criticality value.	Key: criticality_values Value: 4,5. This key and value combination only retrieves controls with the specified criticality values.
	host_ids	Any Qualys host ID	A comma-separated list of host IDs. You can use this option to retrieve controls that are associated with specific hosts in Qualys.	Key: host_ids Value: 12345,67890. This key and value combination only retrieves controls associated with the specified host IDs.
	ids	Any Qualys control ID	A comma-separated list of control IDs. You can use this option to retrieve specific controls from Qualys by their unique identifiers.	Key: ids Value: C101,C202. This key and value combination only retrieves controls with the specified control IDs.
	ips	Any IP addresses or ranges	You can use this option to retrieve controls associated with specific IP addresses or ranges in Qualys.	Key: ips Value: 192.168.1.1,10.0.0.1-10.0.0.10. This key and value combination only retrieves controls associated with the specified IP addresses or ranges.
	status	active, closed, open, reopened	You can use this option to retrieve controls based on the specified status.	Key: status Value: active. This key and value combination only retrieves active controls.

Host

Table 6: Host operation options

Connector Object	Option	All Possible Values	Description	Example
Host	ag_ids	Any Qualys asset group ID	You can use this option to retrieve hosts with the specified Qualys asset group IDs. You can use either a comma-separated list or specify a range with a dash.	Key: ag_ids Value: 386941-386945. This key and value combination only retrieves hosts associated with the specified asset group IDs.
	ag_titles	Any Qualys asset group title	A comma-separated list of asset group titles. You can use this option to retrieve hosts with the specified Qualys asset group title.	Key: ag_titles Value: AssetGroup1,AssetGroup2. This key and value combination only retrieves hosts associated with the specified asset group titles.
	ars_max	Any asset risk score (ARS) value	You can use this option to only retrieve hosts with an ARS value less than or equal to the specified ARS max value.	Key: ars_max Value: 100. This key and value combination only retrieves host records with an ARS value of 100 or less.
	ars_min	Any ARS value	You can use this option to only retrieve hosts with an ARS value greater than or equal to the specified ARS min value.	Key: ars_min Value: 50. This key and value combination only retrieves hosts with an ARS value of 50 or more.
	host_metadata	all, azure, ec2, google	Retrieve host metadata for all cloud providers (Azure, EC2, Google) or only the specified cloud providers.	Key: host_metadata Value: all. This key and value combination retrieves metadata for hosts from all your cloud providers.
	host_metadata_fields	Any host metadata field attribute	A comma-separated list of host metadata field attributes. The connector retrieves only the specified host metadata field attributes.	Key: host_metadata_fields Value: instance_id,region. This key and value combination only retrieves the instance_id and region host metadata attributes.
	id_max	Any Qualys host ID	You can use this option to retrieve hosts up to and including the specified host ID value.	Key: id_max Value: H500. This key and value combination retrieves hosts with ID values up to and including H500.
	id_min	Any Qualys host ID	You can use this option to retrieve hosts starting from and including the specified host ID value.	Key: id_min Value: H100. This key and value combination retrieves hosts with ID values starting from and including H100.
	ids	Any Qualys host IDs	You can use this option to retrieve specific hosts from Qualys by their unique identifiers. You can use either a comma-separated list or specify a range with a dash.	Key: ids Value: H101,H202. This key and value combination only retrieves controls with the specified control IDs.
	ips	Any IP addresses or ranges	You can use this option to retrieve specific hosts from Qualys by the specified IP addresses. You can use either a comma-separated list or specify a range with a dash.	Key: ips Value: 10.10.10.1-10.10.10.100. This key and value combination only retrieves hosts associated with the specified range of IP addresses.
	network_ids	Any Qualys custom network IDs	A comma-separated list of custom network IDs. You can use this option to only retrieve hosts associated with the specified network IDs.	Key: network_ids Value: N101,N202. This key and value combination only retrieves hosts associated with the specified custom network IDs.
	os_pattern	Any regular expression that matches an operating system.	You can use this option to retrieve hosts with operating systems that match a specific regular expression.	Key: os_pattern Value: ^Windows.*. This key and value combination only retrieves hosts with operating systems starting with Windows.
	show_ars	0, 1	You can use this option to determine whether the ARS value is retrieved. Specify 1 to display the ARS value or 0 to omit it.	Key: show_ars Value: 1. This key and value combination displays the ARS value in the output.
	show_ars_factors	0, 1	You can use this option to determine whether the ARS contributing factors associated with each host displays in the output. Specify 1 to show the factors or 0 to omit them.	Key: show_ars_factors Value: 1. This key and value combination displays the ARS contributing factors for each host record retrieved.
	tag_exclude_selector	any, all	You can this option to determine how hosts are excluded based on tag matching. Set to any to exclude hosts that match at least one of the selected tags, or set to all to exclude hosts that match all of the selected tags.	Key: tag_exclude_selector Value: any. This key and value combination excludes hosts that match at least one of the selected tags.
	tag_include_selector	any, all	You can use this option to determine how hosts are included based on tag matching. Set to any to retrieve hosts that match at least one of the selected tags, or set to all to retrieve hosts that match all of the selected tags.	Key: tag_include_selector Value: all. This key and value combination only retrieves hosts that match all of the selected tags.
	tag_set_by	id, name	You can use this option to determine how the tag set for hosts are retrieved. Set to id to retrieve tag sets by providing tag IDs, or set to name to retrieve tag sets by providing tag names.	Key: tag_set_by Value: name. This key and value combination only retrieves tag sets for hosts based on tag names.
	tag_set_exclude	Tag name or IDs	You can use this option to specify a set of tags for exclusion. Hosts matching these tags will be excluded from the results. Provide the tag names or IDs for identification, with multiple entries separated by commas.	Key: tag_set_exclude Value: TagName1,TagName2. This key and value combination excludes hosts that match the specified tag names.
	tag_set_include	Tag name or IDs	You can use this option to specify a set of tags for inclusion. Hosts matching these tags will be included in the results. Provide the tag names or IDs for identification, with multiple entries separated by commas.	Key: tag_set_include Value: TagName1,TagName2. This key and value combination only retrieves hosts that match the specified tag names.
	use_tags	0, 1	You can use this option to indicate how hosts are retrieved. Set to 0 to retrieve hosts based on IP addresses/ranges and/or asset groups, or set to 1 to retrieve hosts based on asset tags.	Key: use_tags Value: 1. This key and value combination only retrieves hosts based on asset tags.

Violation

Table 7: Violation operation options

Connector Object	Option	All Possible Values	Description	Example
Violation	asset_group_ids	Any Qualys asset group ID	A comma-separated list of asset group IDs. You can use this option to retrieve violations associated with specific Qualys asset groups.	Key: asset_group_ids Value: 101,202. This key and value combination only retrieves violations associated with the specified asset group IDs.
	control_ids	Any Qualys control ID	A comma-separated list of control IDs. You can use this option to retrieve violations associated to specific controls in Qualys.	Key: control_ids Value: C101,C202. This key and value combination only retrieves violations associated the specified control IDs.
	criticality_labels	MINIMAL, MEDIUM, SERIOUS, CRITICAL, URGENT	A comma-separated list of criticality labels. You can use this option to retrieve violations based on their criticality labels in Qualys.	Key: criticality_labels Value: CRITICAL,URGENT. This key and value combination only retrieves violations with the specified criticality labels.
	criticality_values	1, 2, 3, 4, 5	A comma-separated list of criticality values. You can use this option to retrieve violations from Qualys based on their specified criticality value.	Key: criticality_values Value: 4,5. This key and value combination only retrieves violations with the specified criticality values.
	host_ids	Any Qualys host ID	A comma-separated list of host IDs. You can use this option to retrieve violations that are associated with specific hosts in Qualys.	Key: host_ids Value: 12345,67890. This key and value combination only retrieves violations associated with the specified host IDs.
	ids	Any Qualys violation ID	A comma-separated list of violation IDs. You can this option to retrieve specific violations from Qualys by their unique identifiers.	Key: ids Value: V101,V202. This key and value combination only retrieves violations with the specified violation IDs.
	ips	Any IP addresses or ranges	You can use this option to retrieve violations associated with specific IP addresses or ranges in Qualys.	Key: ips Value: 192.168.1.1,10.0.0.1-10.0.0.10. This key and value combination only retrieves violations associated with the specified IP addresses or ranges.
	policy_id	Any valid Qualys policy ID	The connector retrieves only the violations associated with the specified Qualys policy ID.	Key: policy_id Value: 445832. This key and value combination only retrieves violation information associated with policy ID 445832.
	policy_ids	Any valid Qualys policy IDs	A comma-separated list of valid Qualys policy IDs. The connector retrieves only violations associated with the specified Qualys policy IDs.	Key: policy_ids Value: 445832,445736. This key and value combination only retrieves violation information associated with policy IDs 445832 and 445736.
	status	active, closed, open, reopened	You can use this option to retrieve violations based on the specified status.	Key: status Value: closed. This key and value combination only retrieves closed violations.

note

The option keys and values are case-sensitive as they are shown in this documentation.

APIs

The Qualys Policy Compliance connector uses the Qualys PC API v2. Specifically, it uses the following endpoints:

Table 8: Qualys PC API v2 Endpoints

Connector Object	API Endpoint
Control	GET /api/2.0/fo/compliance/control/
	GET /api/2.0/fo/compliance/policy/
Host	GET /api/2.0/fo/asset/host/
Violation	GET api/2.0/fo/compliance/posture/info
	GET /api/2.0/fo/compliance/policy/

Changelog

The Qualys Policy Compliance connector has undergone the following changes:

Table 9: Qualys PC connector changelog

Version	Description
5.3.9	No change.
5.3.8	No change.
5.3.7	No change.
5.3.6	No change.
5.3.5	No change.
5.3.4	No change.
5.3.3	No change.
5.3.2	No change.
5.2.4	No change.
5.2.3	No change.
5.1.13	Added the following API parameters: cause_of_failure show_extended_evidence
5.1.11	Updated dependencies.
5.1.9	Fixed an issue where syncing of the Control or Violation objects would intermittently fail.
5.1.8	Added asset risk score (ARS) related operation options such as ars_max, ars_min, show_ars, and show_ars_factors in the Host connector object.
5.1.7	Initial Integration+ release.