Define a specific set of URLs within your target to scan

Define a specific set of URLs within your target to scan

Rather than scanning the entire target, specify a subset of URLs within your target to scan by defining a Reduced Scope in your target settings. This is particularly useful when you want to focus on specific areas of your application, such as new features or high-risk areas.

## Benefits

* **Faster Feedback:** Get faster feedback on the security of your code changes. This is especially helpful in CI/CD pipelines, where you need to deliver code changes quickly and reliably.
* **Reduced Scan Time:** Scanning a smaller subset of your target can significantly reduce the overall scan time.
* **Focused Scans:** Focus your scans on specific areas of your target that are most important or that have undergone recent changes.
* **Reduced Noise:** Reduce the number of vulnerabilities reported, making it easier to focus on the most critical issues.

## Using a Reduced Scope Partial Scan


1. Go to your target’s settings.
2. In the Scanner tab, locate the **Reduced Scope** section.
3. Add the URLs you want to include in your partial scan.
   * Use wildcards (`*`) to include all sub-pages of a specific URL. For example, `https://www.example.com/blog/*`

     would include all pages within the blog section.
4. Add and enable as many URLs as you need to define the intended reduced scope. ![](https://brainfish-storage-prod.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/uploads/e1eb5d82-35e0-4c9f-bde1-0baec07941c1/90e99424-644e-4e31-b5c0-8720491d8d00/image.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAUPPN5IL3RGDMDL76%2F20260420%2Fus-east-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260420T085741Z&X-Amz-Expires=3000&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEE4aCXVzLWVhc3QtMiJIMEYCIQDOUGb8aacXWINcbUis6O3RncUjn%2FKjp4vTgFz6PyrjBAIhAK0FyOMr8fJsRpevyE6MHGnw8i6QOiOF6o7tVbygWfU0Kt0FCBcQAhoMMzA4MTI1OTc1Mjg3Igz%2Fk4%2BGWqHMpq4idLEqugW5PmkOsx0FVLZ%2BWS6hRLwQd%2FBmUunUtii9mm4TXMj1b6tQ0Vf8QNklJe1RKuQ1PmjmkWpgojFVmgu76TfLzZMwPm1b%2FZ8IRVvdvWg%2BmT0LzA7zJrTIAHciWLYAuM76m%2BEKrZg7gW6sXwOFIEAzS4cz2lTqSfzUAeKz%2Fq%2B%2BqHGJ10c2Z4vnuaklSkSXLybWsbwqBvlnXjMWqcTJRx4QljLWGrs6lDNmHH9OCm5i9b1iQTkDnzWoYFPx1hAIkUvLMsjhEJK3PfIUt8USFrfD9y7HY5B7hO2i8OtXbyejF64O8fam4KSqN8DsaRn6piXAkj8%2F%2FV2XokBWNrt8sp%2BWmQv5UE2svNIaVOy4vQ23dNlJk2ivv3Hl%2F5uG6C%2BJSyrZH48DRYzNrTQHYRWoG7gXGSAK1cciqILZ92UTjht%2BatbxFi7jDfr%2B2MbOMsdD%2FUm%2FiBaLIX%2Bh9OhbBG5mB5KKeLjNUEffH%2FPnkEJcLSEvXGGEnihMWK%2F1og5Pf2lj4N6xob9sJIGTD%2Bd0EGzHKUr95v7EaolgMJOqClpda%2BMnhrgJeLq8rFKR13mVSw23P9i5W1S6bNnqXKwWAGyHTQlQhChxAsrf6te4M428VV0RDmSVnp%2BtWZ2x2OrghiTtPoe6xpHk%2B7rA8qGyOFnTB5PQOQdCfw8E0HwClsjmisX7zdJRqQhUyeYaga7dEj1PtfAs6tIh90qzyzICAa4GfsMqg5MNfWUPlxth1005hfNT9yA1J5G4DlEqdaVVd6uxoBU0sbFO1CWFGBRywgigLjFiSdzz19OCYn7K7bQSDTb50eOKGEhQQrRq2AyOROvCKDE2yBPP92VUJUlhPUVs6piHsTXvC13lJBqqmda%2BSeXhwaCxeatpbpeueLEb42klKuFQ5Ay8JDWX2LTp%2FcM6zARJZCdp%2FcGh%2BGQsBBM7WDCLhZfPBjqPAQW7QJA%2B3EuhvJJaXFsWsPorc47Q1FQusjBoSrmn37ni5WuUZENehKdxP58QIDMcxeEMN56Kn1F8LTYNfcTEkFYxPL%2FoQ1qS2pKFXrX45CawY5I%2FPMD8s2ON9H56RfU3WtNj7elUD1gaYYDpExuItXQWGM2TJDW0rTqNMGjfuMZUtKBjhmNACZremKWSAN%2BC&X-Amz-Signature=031e3ab426ae9d809e89d9748fa346be91afd4d53f6290407ec8bf6451984834&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=attachment " =768x459")
5. Save your changes.
6. Select **Scan Now** for the target to start a Partial Scan. ![](https://brainfish-storage-prod.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/uploads/e1eb5d82-35e0-4c9f-bde1-0baec07941c1/bae4d0c8-f5cc-4a46-9191-d755afb627a9/image.png?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAUPPN5IL3RGDMDL76%2F20260420%2Fus-east-2%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20260420T085741Z&X-Amz-Expires=3000&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEE4aCXVzLWVhc3QtMiJIMEYCIQDOUGb8aacXWINcbUis6O3RncUjn%2FKjp4vTgFz6PyrjBAIhAK0FyOMr8fJsRpevyE6MHGnw8i6QOiOF6o7tVbygWfU0Kt0FCBcQAhoMMzA4MTI1OTc1Mjg3Igz%2Fk4%2BGWqHMpq4idLEqugW5PmkOsx0FVLZ%2BWS6hRLwQd%2FBmUunUtii9mm4TXMj1b6tQ0Vf8QNklJe1RKuQ1PmjmkWpgojFVmgu76TfLzZMwPm1b%2FZ8IRVvdvWg%2BmT0LzA7zJrTIAHciWLYAuM76m%2BEKrZg7gW6sXwOFIEAzS4cz2lTqSfzUAeKz%2Fq%2B%2BqHGJ10c2Z4vnuaklSkSXLybWsbwqBvlnXjMWqcTJRx4QljLWGrs6lDNmHH9OCm5i9b1iQTkDnzWoYFPx1hAIkUvLMsjhEJK3PfIUt8USFrfD9y7HY5B7hO2i8OtXbyejF64O8fam4KSqN8DsaRn6piXAkj8%2F%2FV2XokBWNrt8sp%2BWmQv5UE2svNIaVOy4vQ23dNlJk2ivv3Hl%2F5uG6C%2BJSyrZH48DRYzNrTQHYRWoG7gXGSAK1cciqILZ92UTjht%2BatbxFi7jDfr%2B2MbOMsdD%2FUm%2FiBaLIX%2Bh9OhbBG5mB5KKeLjNUEffH%2FPnkEJcLSEvXGGEnihMWK%2F1og5Pf2lj4N6xob9sJIGTD%2Bd0EGzHKUr95v7EaolgMJOqClpda%2BMnhrgJeLq8rFKR13mVSw23P9i5W1S6bNnqXKwWAGyHTQlQhChxAsrf6te4M428VV0RDmSVnp%2BtWZ2x2OrghiTtPoe6xpHk%2B7rA8qGyOFnTB5PQOQdCfw8E0HwClsjmisX7zdJRqQhUyeYaga7dEj1PtfAs6tIh90qzyzICAa4GfsMqg5MNfWUPlxth1005hfNT9yA1J5G4DlEqdaVVd6uxoBU0sbFO1CWFGBRywgigLjFiSdzz19OCYn7K7bQSDTb50eOKGEhQQrRq2AyOROvCKDE2yBPP92VUJUlhPUVs6piHsTXvC13lJBqqmda%2BSeXhwaCxeatpbpeueLEb42klKuFQ5Ay8JDWX2LTp%2FcM6zARJZCdp%2FcGh%2BGQsBBM7WDCLhZfPBjqPAQW7QJA%2B3EuhvJJaXFsWsPorc47Q1FQusjBoSrmn37ni5WuUZENehKdxP58QIDMcxeEMN56Kn1F8LTYNfcTEkFYxPL%2FoQ1qS2pKFXrX45CawY5I%2FPMD8s2ON9H56RfU3WtNj7elUD1gaYYDpExuItXQWGM2TJDW0rTqNMGjfuMZUtKBjhmNACZremKWSAN%2BC&X-Amz-Signature=1d958cc13bbaf4df9c25f59b019aca755139e0c69c9111082d386f694ba2b3d3&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=attachment " =768x430")
   * When starting a scan, you can temporarily enable or disable individual URLs within your Reduced Scope through the checkbox next to each URL.

## Other Considerations

* **Target Hostname and Extra Hosts**: Only the target’s hostname and defined extra hosts are allowed in the reduced scope.
* **Inaccessible Endpoints**: If you want to test endpoints that are not accessible through your target’s root, you will need to add them to the Seeds List module in your target settings.
* **Unreachable Sub-Scopes**: It is possible that some of the sub-scopes (URLs) defined in the reduced scope may not be found during the scan. This can happen if the URLs are no longer valid or if they are not accessible to the scanner.
* **Root URL Always Scanned**: The root of your target will always be visited by the crawler to find possible valid endpoints, even if it is not explicitly included in the reduced scope.
* **Full Scans Still Recommended**: While reduced scope scans are useful for targeted testing, it is still recommended to perform full scans on a regular basis to ensure the overall security of your application.




Partial Scans: Reduced Scope

DAST Scanner Overview

Best Practices

Integrations

Scans

Sequence recorder

Targets

Target Authentication

Extra Hosts

Blackout Period

DAST Scanner

How to get started with Cobalt

Getting Started

Risk Advisories

Assets are what we pentest

Asset Types

Create an Asset

Assets

Pentests

Overview

Asset Details

Pentest Details

Scope & Test Period

Preparation

Create a Pentest

Pentest Process

Pentest States

Coverage Checklist

Pentest Expectations

Set Up an In-House Pentest

Complete an In-House Pentest (For Pentesters)

In House Pentests

Severity Levels

Finding States

Remediate Findings

Findings

Customize Your Report

Co-branded Reports

Contents of a Pentest Report

Reports

Engagements Overview

Digital Risk Assessment

Secure Code Review

Engagements

Insights

Planning

Cobalt Methodologies Overview

Web Methodologies

API Methodologies

External Network Methodologies

Internal Network Methodologies

Mobile Methodologies

Cloud Configuration Review Methodologies

Cloud Pentest Methodology

Desktop Methodologies

AI/LLM Methodologies

Digital Risk Assessment Methodology

Secure Code Review Methodologies

Methodologies

Attack Surface Monitoring (ASM)

Attack Surface

Account Overview

Account Settings

Password Best Practices

Sign In to Cobalt

Troubleshoot Sign-in Issues

User Account

Collaboration Overview

Collaborate on Pentests

Groups

Manage Pentest Collaborators

Manage Notifications

User Roles and Permissions

Collaboration

Organization Overview

Manage Users

Your Cobalt Contract

How to Configure SAML 2.0 for Cobalt 

SAML Migration: Update Your Configuration

Configure SAML SSO

SCIM Provisioning Setup Guide

Configure Organization Settings

Organization

Cobalt Credits

Track Your Credits

Cobalt PtaaS Tiers

Credits

Cobalt Integrations Overview

Connect your applications

Create GitHub tickets for Findings

Send MS Teams notifications for Findings

Create Azure DevOps Work Item for Findings

Create Jira tickets for Findings

Send email notifications for Findings from Outlook

Create GitLab tickets for Findings

HTTP Connector

Import Assets from Google Sheets

Map Cobalt Pentest Finding Severity to Jira Issue Priority

Modify Jira Issue Summary to contain Pentest Title

How to Guides

Troubleshooting

Integration Builder

Jira Data Center Integration

Push Cobalt Findings to Jira

Switching to a New Jira Instance

Jira Cloud Integration

Troubleshoot Your Jira Integration

Synchronize Cobalt Severity Levels with Jira

Integrate Jira with Cobalt

Slack

Microsoft Teams

Webhooks

DefectDojo

Kenna Security

Vanta

Carried Over Findings

Create Test Finding

Cobalt API Overview

Partner Integrations

API Versions

Events

Errors

Subscription

Introduction

Authentication

EU Data Center

Organizations

Engagement Findings

DAST Targets

DAST Scans

DAST Scheduled Scans

DAST Findings

External Ticket References

Tokens

Pagination

Idempotency

Rate Limits

Create a Personal Cobalt API Token

Changelog

Get an Organization Token

Revoke Your Personal Cobalt API Tokens

Create or Modify an Asset

Import Findings to Google Sheets

Cobalt API

Glossary

March 2026

February 2026

January 2026

November 2025 

August 2025

July 2025

June 2025

May 2025

April 2025

March 2025

January 2025

December 2024

November 2024

October 2024

September 2024

August 2024

July 2024

June 2024

May 2024

April 2024

March 2024

January 2024

What's New

Guide

Cobalt Product Documentation

Partial Scans: Reduced Scope

Share

Share

Partial Scans: Reduced Scope

Share

Share