How to Automate Slack Qualys Vulnerability Reporting?
Description
Run vulnerability scans from Slack and keep your team informed without chasing dashboards. Security and IT teams use this to launch a Qualys scan, wait for results, and share a clear summary in the same Slack channel. It turns a manual task into a simple, guided flow.
It starts when a parent workflow calls it or when you test it by hand. The flow posts a receipt in Slack, saves the message timestamp, and launches a scan in Qualys with a POST request. The XML response is converted to JSON so the status can be read easily. A five minute loop then checks the Qualys summary endpoint, looks for a finished status, and repeats until done. When complete, the receipt is removed and a final Slack message shares the summary and a link to the report.
Basic setup needs Slack access and a Qualys API login, plus your Qualys platform URL set in the variables node. Expect fewer status checks and faster handoffs, since the loop handles scans that often take 40 minutes or more. Ideal for SecOps and IT teams that want clear, timely updates inside Slack with no extra clicks.
Tools Required
What this workflow does?
- Starts from a parent workflow with an execute trigger, plus a manual test trigger for safe testing
- Launches a Qualys VM scan via an HTTP POST with form data and action set to launch
- Converts XML responses from Qualys into JSON for easy status checks
- Uses a five minute wait loop to poll the Qualys summary endpoint until the scan is finished
- Routes logic with a status check so the loop stops as soon as the scan completes
- Sends a Slack receipt and a waiting note, then deletes the receipt when posting final results
- Merges branches to keep actions in order and avoid duplicate work
- Stores global settings like platform URL and Slack channel ID in a single variables node
- Saves the Slack message timestamp to reference when removing the initial receipt
What are the benefits?
- Reduce manual follow ups from 40 minutes of checks to 0 minutes per scan
- Automate 100% of scan status tracking and Slack updates
- Improve update accuracy by removing missed pings and human error
- Connect Slack and Qualys in one place for clear team visibility
- Free engineers to focus on fixes instead of polling dashboards
How to set this up?
- Import the template into n8n: Create a new workflow in n8n > Click the three dots menu > Select 'Import from File' > Choose the downloaded JSON file.
- You'll need accounts with Slack and Qualys. See the Tools Required section above for links to create accounts with these services.
- In the n8n credentials manager, create a Qualys credential: double click the Qualys HTTP Request nodes, choose 'Credential to connect with', click 'Create new credential', then follow the on screen instructions. Enter your Qualys username, password, and platform URL.
- Create Slack credentials: double click any Slack node, click 'Create new credential', then follow the on screen steps to connect your Slack workspace. Ensure the app has permission to post to the target channel.
- Open the node named Global Variables & Slack Channel and set your platformurl and the Slack channel ID used by all Slack nodes.
- Check the Start VM Scan in Qualys node. Confirm the action is launch and headers include X-Requested-With set to n8n.
- Verify the Convert XML to JSON nodes point to the correct data fields so the scan_reference and status can be read later.
- Review the Wait 5 Min node and confirm the wait time matches your needs. Five minutes works well for most scans.
- If you plan to run tests, disable the Execute Workflow Trigger so only the manual test trigger runs and you do not fire it twice.
- Run a manual test. You should see a Slack receipt message, then a waiting message. In Qualys, confirm a new scan was launched.
- Wait for completion. The flow will poll every five minutes. When finished, the receipt is deleted and a final summary with a link is posted to Slack.
- Troubleshoot common issues: a 401 from Qualys means invalid credentials or platform URL, missing Slack permissions prevent posting or deleting messages, and a bad channel ID stops messages from appearing.
Need help or want to customize this?
Ask in the Free Futurise Community.
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