what are credentials and how they are used in ServiceNow Discovery

[Hrishabh Kumar]

I need detailed explanation about credentials and their use in ServiceNow discovery. Please cover the following topics in the explanation:

what are credentials?

in which phase of discovery they are used?

how are credentials used in discovery process?

feel free to add additional information!

[Shubham_Jain]

@Hrishabh Kumar here is the details- 

Scanning: This phase uses credentials to identify open ports and services on target devices, which helps determine the type of device and the protocols it supports.

Classification: After scanning, credentials are used to classify devices based on their operating system or other. For example, a classification probe might use credentials to determine if a device is running a specific operating system or has certain software installed. 

Identification: Credentials are used to identify and uniquely identify devices based on their hardware and software configurations. This helps to ensure accurate CI (Configuration Item) creation in the CMDB. 

There are different type of credentials based on protocol. Like WMI, SSH, Cloud, SNMP etc… 

the respective type of devices will discovery based on their respective type of supported protocol and credentials. 

[Shubham_Jain]

@Hrishabh Kumar  Hope my response was useful. 

[Pratiksha]

ServiceNow Discovery, credentials are used during the Classification and Identification phases to access target devices and gather data.

To ensure that a specific MID Server and credential are used during Discovery, you can:

1. MID Server Selection:

   • Use IP Ranges in the Discovery Schedule to map targets to specific MID Servers.

   • Alternatively, configure MID Server capabilities and match them with Discovery Schedule requirements.

2. Credential Assignment:

   • Use Credential Affinity to bind specific credentials to certain IP ranges or CI types.

   • Prioritize credentials in the Credential table or use Credential Alias for better management.

This ensures Discovery uses only the intended MID Server and credentials for specific targets.

[Harish Bainsla]

Hi @Hrishabh Kumar 

In ServiceNow Discovery, credentials are used to securely access and interact with target devices and systems during the discovery process. They represent the authentication information (like usernames, passwords, or SSH keys) that the MID Server uses to connect to devices and retrieve information.

2. In which phase credential is used check below link

https://www.servicenow.com/community/itom-forum/which-phase-of-discovery-are-credentials-required/m-...

for more understand check below video

https://youtu.be/QEJfY9NlVOg?si=5-WRy-wlh8TmrQCv

if my answer helps you mark helpful and accept solution

[AJ-TechTrek]

Hi @Hrishabh Kumar ,

As per my understanding you want to know What are credentials in ServiceNow Discovery?

Credentials are secure records stored in ServiceNow, which Discovery (and other processes) use to log into target devices or applications during the discovery process.

They allow the MID Server to authenticate and collect data without hard-coding passwords or exposing sensitive information.

Common credential types:
* Windows credentials (username + password or certificate)
* SSH credentials (username + password or private key)
* SNMP community strings (for network devices)
* vCenter credentials (for VMware discovery)
* JDBC credentials (for databases)
* Cloud credentials (AWS, Azure, GCP access keys/service principals)

In which phase of discovery are credentials used?

Discovery runs in 4 key phases:

Phase	Purpose	Credentials used?
1. Scanning	Ping / port scan to find active devices	No credentials needed (just network reachability)
2. Classification	Identify device type (Windows, Linux, network device, etc.)	Tries credentials to probe basic info (e.g., SSH banner, WMI query, SNMP sysDescr) but Mainly Credentails used on this Phase of Discovery
3. Identification	Match to existing CI or create new	Needs credentials to fetch identifying attributes (serial number, host name, etc.)
4. Exploration	Collect detailed data: software, CPU, disks, services, etc.	Credentials essential to run patterns, probes and sensors

So:
* Credentials are used from Classification phase onwards (especially heavily in Identification & Exploration).
* No credentials are required just to do network discovery (scan IPs & ports).

How are credentials used in the discovery process?

When Discovery runs:
1. MID Server sees a target IP.
2. It consults the Credential Affinity and Discovery Credentials tables to find applicable credentials.
3. It tries each credential in order (credential affinity optimizes order based on past successes).
4. Once valid credentials are found → the MID Server:
* Connects via SSH / WMI / SNMP / API
* Collects data needed by patterns, probes & sensors.
Credentials are never sent to the ServiceNow instance; they are used locally by the MID Server to connect to target systems.

How are credentials secured?
* Stored encrypted in the Credential table (discovery_credentials).
* MID Server only retrieves and decrypts them at runtime.
* Supports Vault integration (e.g., CyberArk, HashiCorp Vault) to avoid storing credentials directly in ServiceNow.

Extra: why credentials are so central to Discovery success
* Correct credentials = accurate, complete discovery.
* Wrong / missing credentials → incomplete data, missing CIs, failed discovery.
* Best practice: always test credentials using the Credential Test feature.
* Credential Affinity remembers which credentials work best for specific devices → speeds up discovery next time.

Please appreciate the efforts of community contributors by marking appropriate response as Mark my Answer Helpful or Accept Solution this may help other community users to follow correct solution in future.
 

Thank You
AJ - TechTrek with AJ - ITOM Trainer
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