Managing Rapid7

---
name: managing-rapid7
description: |
  Use when working with Rapid7 — rapid7 InsightVM vulnerability management,
  asset discovery, risk scoring, and remediation tracking. Covers vulnerability
  scanning, asset inventory, risk prioritization, scan scheduling, and
  compliance reporting. Use when reviewing vulnerability scan results, analyzing
  asset risk posture, tracking remediation progress, or managing Rapid7
  InsightVM scan configurations.
connection_type: rapid7
preload: false
---

# Rapid7 InsightVM Management Skill

Manage and analyze Rapid7 InsightVM vulnerabilities, assets, scans, and risk scores.

## API Conventions

### Authentication
All API calls use Basic Auth via `Authorization: Basic $RAPID7_AUTH` -- injected automatically. Never hardcode credentials.

### Base URL
`https://$RAPID7_HOST:3780/api/3`

### Core Helper Function

```bash
#!/bin/bash

r7_api() {
    local method="$1"
    local endpoint="$2"
    local data="${3:-}"

    if [ -n "$data" ]; then
        curl -s -X "$method" \
            -H "Authorization: Basic $RAPID7_AUTH" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            "https://${RAPID7_HOST}:3780/api/3${endpoint}" \
            -d "$data"
    else
        curl -s -X "$method" \
            -H "Authorization: Basic $RAPID7_AUTH" \
            -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
            "https://${RAPID7_HOST}:3780/api/3${endpoint}"
    fi
}
```

## Output Rules
- **TOKEN EFFICIENCY**: Extract only needed fields with `jq`
- Target <=50 lines per script output
- Always filter by relevant time range to avoid huge response sets
- Never dump full API responses

## Discovery Phase

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Asset Summary ==="
r7_api GET "/assets?size=1" | jq '"Total assets: \(.page.totalResources)"' -r

echo ""
echo "=== Vulnerability Summary ==="
r7_api GET "/vulnerabilities?size=1" | jq '"Total known vulns: \(.page.totalResources)"' -r

echo ""
echo "=== Scan Engines ==="
r7_api GET "/scan_engines" | jq -r '.resources[] | "\(.name)\t\(.status)\t\(.address)"' | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Sites ==="
r7_api GET "/sites?size=50" | jq -r '.resources[] | "\(.id)\t\(.name)\t\(.riskScore)"' | column -t | head -15
```

## Analysis Phase

### Vulnerability Overview

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Critical Vulnerabilities ==="
r7_api GET "/vulnerabilities?size=20&sort=severity,DESC&page=0" \
    | jq -r '.resources[] | select(.severity == "Critical") | "\(.id)\t\(.severity)\tCVSS:\(.cvss.v3 // .cvss.v2 // "N/A")\t\(.title[0:60])"' \
    | column -t | head -15

echo ""
echo "=== Vulnerability Count by Severity ==="
for sev in Critical Severe Moderate; do
    COUNT=$(r7_api GET "/vulnerabilities?size=1&filter=severity=$sev" | jq '.page.totalResources')
    echo "$sev: $COUNT"
done

echo ""
echo "=== Exploitable Vulnerabilities ==="
r7_api GET "/vulnerabilities?size=10&sort=severity,DESC&filter=exploits%3E0" \
    | jq -r '.resources[] | "\(.severity)\texploits:\(.exploits)\t\(.title[0:60])"' | column -t
```

### Asset Risk Analysis

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Highest Risk Assets ==="
r7_api GET "/assets?size=15&sort=riskScore,DESC" \
    | jq -r '.resources[] | "\(.riskScore)\t\(.ip)\t\(.hostName // "N/A")\t\(.os // "Unknown" | .[0:30])"' \
    | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Assets by OS ==="
r7_api GET "/assets?size=500" \
    | jq -r '[.resources[].osFingerprint.description // "Unknown"] | group_by(.) | map({os: .[0][0:40], count: length}) | sort_by(.count) | reverse | .[:10][] | "\(.count)\t\(.os)"' \
    | column -t
```

### Scan Status

```bash
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Recent Scans ==="
r7_api GET "/scans?size=15&sort=endTime,DESC&active=false" \
    | jq -r '.resources[] | "\(.endTime[0:16])\t\(.status)\t\(.assets)\t\(.vulnerabilities.total)\t\(.scanName[0:40])"' \
    | column -t

echo ""
echo "=== Active Scans ==="
r7_api GET "/scans?active=true" \
    | jq -r '.resources[] | "\(.startTime[0:16])\t\(.status)\t\(.scanName[0:40])"' | column -t
```

## Output Format

Present results as a structured report:
```
Managing Rapid7 Report
══════════════════════
Resources discovered: [count]

Resource       Status    Key Metric    Issues
──────────────────────────────────────────────
[name]         [ok/warn] [value]       [findings]

Summary: [total] resources | [ok] healthy | [warn] warnings | [crit] critical
Action Items: [list of prioritized findings]
```

Target ≤50 lines of output. Use tables for multi-resource comparisons.

## Anti-Hallucination Rules

1. **NEVER assume resource names** — always discover via CLI/API in Phase 1 before referencing in Phase 2.
2. **NEVER fabricate metric names or dimensions** — verify against the service documentation or `--help` output.
3. **NEVER mix CLI commands between service versions** — confirm which version/API you are targeting.
4. **ALWAYS use the discovery → verify → analyze chain** — every resource referenced must have been discovered first.
5. **ALWAYS handle empty results gracefully** — an empty response is valid data, not an error to retry.

## Counter-Rationalizations

| Shortcut | Counter | Why |
|----------|---------|-----|
| "I'll skip discovery and check known resources" | Always run Phase 1 discovery first | Resource names change, new resources appear — assumed names cause errors |
| "The user only asked for a quick check" | Follow the full discovery → analysis flow | Quick checks miss critical issues; structured analysis catches silent failures |
| "Default configuration is probably fine" | Audit configuration explicitly | Defaults often leave logging, security, and optimization features disabled |
| "Metrics aren't needed for this" | Always check relevant metrics when available | API/CLI responses show current state; metrics reveal trends and intermittent issues |
| "I don't have access to that" | Try the command and report the actual error | Assumed permission failures prevent useful investigation; actual errors are informative |

## Common Pitfalls

- **Pagination**: Uses `page` (0-indexed) and `size` parameters -- check `page.totalPages`
- **Filter syntax**: URL-encode filters -- use `%3E` for `>`, `%3D` for `=`
- **Self-signed certs**: On-prem installs often use self-signed certs -- add `-k` to curl if needed
- **Rate limits**: Console API has no published rate limits but throttles under heavy load
- **Asset vs vulnerability**: Assets have vulns linked -- query `/assets/{id}/vulnerabilities` for per-asset detail