What term is used to describe the modular updates for the Nessus vulnerability scanning application?

The term "Plug-ins" is used to describe the modular updates for the Nessus vulnerability scanning application. Nessus employs a plug-in architecture, allowing users to enhance its capabilities by adding new features, scanning methods, and detection algorithms without altering the core application. Each plug-in targets specific vulnerabilities or compliance checks, thereby enabling Nessus to scan for a wide array of security issues effectively.

This modular design provides significant flexibility, as users can enable or disable plug-ins depending on their specific scanning needs, and it allows for rapid updates in response to newly discovered vulnerabilities. As a result, the term "plug-ins" succinctly captures the idea of modular extensions that augment the primary functionalities of Nessus, contributing to its robustness as a vulnerability assessment tool.