Dependency Scan

Overview

This skill focuses on identifying security vulnerabilities, outdated packages, and license compliance issues in project dependencies. It covers multiple package ecosystems (JavaScript/Node.js, Python, Rust, Go, Ruby, Java, .NET, PHP) and provides remediation guidance, SBOM generation, and supply chain security analysis.

When to Use

• Scanning dependencies for CVEs and security advisories
• Checking for outdated or unmaintained packages
• Generating Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)
• Verifying license compliance and compatibility
• Analyzing supply chain risks and transitive dependencies
• Setting up automated dependency updates (Dependabot, Renovate, Snyk)
• Investigating security alerts from GitHub/GitLab
• Auditing dependencies before production deployment

Instructions

1. Identify Dependencies

• Parse manifest files (package.json, requirements.txt, etc.)
• Build complete dependency tree
• Identify direct vs transitive dependencies
• Check for phantom dependencies

2. Vulnerability Scanning

• Check against CVE databases
• Identify severity levels
• Find affected versions
• Check for available patches

3. Assess Risks

• Evaluate exploitability
• Check for active exploitation
• Assess impact on application
• Prioritize remediations

4. Report and Remediate

• Document all findings
• Provide upgrade paths
• Suggest alternatives
• Create remediation plan

5. Language-Specific Scanning

JavaScript/Node.js:

• Use

  npm audit

  or

  yarn audit

  for vulnerability scanning
• Check

  package-lock.json

  or

  yarn.lock

  for reproducibility
• Consider

  npm-check-updates

  for upgrade analysis
• Use

  license-checker

  for license compliance

Python:

• Use

  pip-audit

  or

  safety

  for CVE scanning
• Check

  requirements.txt

  and

  Pipfile.lock

• Use

  pip-compile

  with

  --generate-hashes

  for integrity
• Consider

  pipdeptree

  for dependency visualization

Rust:

• Use

  cargo audit

  for RustSec advisories
• Check

  Cargo.lock

  for reproducible builds
• Use

  cargo outdated

  for version analysis
• Consider

  cargo deny

  for policy enforcement

Go:

• Use

  govulncheck

  for vulnerability scanning
• Check

  go.sum

  for module integrity
• Use

  go list -m all

  to enumerate dependencies
• Consider

  nancy

  for OSS Index checking

6. SBOM Generation

Generate Software Bill of Materials for supply chain transparency:

CycloneDX:

• npm install -g @cyclonedx/cyclonedx-npm && cyclonedx-npm --output-file sbom.json

• cargo install cargo-cyclonedx && cargo cyclonedx

• pip install cyclonedx-bom && cyclonedx-py

SPDX:

• Use

  syft

  (universal tool):

  syft . -o spdx-json > sbom.spdx.json

• Use

  trivy

  for container images:

  trivy image --format spdx-json myimage:tag

Purpose: Track all components for vulnerability management, license compliance, and incident response.

7. License Compliance Checking

Ensure all dependencies have compatible licenses:

Automated Tools:

• Node.js:

  npx license-checker --onlyAllow 'MIT;Apache-2.0;BSD-2-Clause;BSD-3-Clause;ISC'

• Rust:

  cargo deny check licenses

• Python:

  pip-licenses

• Universal:

  fossology

  ,

  scancode-toolkit

License Categories:

• Permissive: MIT, Apache-2.0, BSD (generally safe)
• Weak Copyleft: MPL, LGPL (check linking requirements)
• Strong Copyleft: GPL, AGPL (may require source disclosure)
• Unknown/Missing: Investigate before use

Best Practices

1. Regular Scanning: Automate daily/weekly scans
2. Lock Files: Use lockfiles for reproducibility
3. Minimal Dependencies: Only include what's needed
4. Verify Sources: Use trusted registries
5. Review Updates: Don't blindly update
6. License Compliance: Ensure compatible licenses
7. SBOM: Maintain software bill of materials

Examples

Example 1: Scanning Commands by Ecosystem

# JavaScript/Node.js
npm audit
npm audit --json > audit-report.json
npm outdated
npx npm-check-updates

# Python
pip-audit
safety check
pip list --outdated
pip-compile --generate-hashes

# Rust
cargo audit
cargo outdated
cargo deny check

# Go
go list -m all | nancy sleuth
govulncheck ./...

# Ruby
bundle audit
bundle outdated

# Java/Maven
mvn dependency-check:check
mvn versions:display-dependency-updates

# .NET
dotnet list package --vulnerable
dotnet list package --outdated

# PHP
composer audit
composer outdated

Example 2: GitHub Actions Dependency Scanning

name: Dependency Scanning

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]
  schedule:
    - cron: "0 6 * * *" # Daily at 6 AM

jobs:
  dependency-scan:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Run Trivy vulnerability scanner
        uses: aquasecurity/trivy-action@master
        with:
          scan-type: "fs"
          scan-ref: "."
          format: "sarif"
          output: "trivy-results.sarif"
          severity: "CRITICAL,HIGH"

      - name: Upload Trivy scan results
        uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@v2
        with:
          sarif_file: "trivy-results.sarif"

      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: "20"

      - name: Run npm audit
        run: |
          npm ci
          npm audit --audit-level=high

      - name: Check for outdated packages
        run: npm outdated || true

      - name: License check
        run: npx license-checker --onlyAllow 'MIT;Apache-2.0;BSD-2-Clause;BSD-3-Clause;ISC'

  snyk-scan:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Run Snyk to check for vulnerabilities
        uses: snyk/actions/node@master
        env:
          SNYK_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SNYK_TOKEN }}
        with:
          args: --severity-threshold=high

Example 3: Dependency Analysis Report Template

# Dependency Security Report

**Generated:** 2024-01-15
**Project:** my-application
**Total Dependencies:** 245 (42 direct, 203 transitive)

## Summary

| Severity | Count | Status             |
| -------- | ----- | ------------------ |
| Critical | 2     | Action Required    |
| High     | 5     | Action Required    |
| Medium   | 12    | Review Recommended |
| Low      | 8     | Monitor            |

## Critical Vulnerabilities

### CVE-2024-1234 - Remote Code Execution in lodash

- **Package:** lodash@4.17.20
- **Severity:** Critical (CVSS 9.8)
- **Affected Versions:** < 4.17.21
- **Fixed Version:** 4.17.21
- **Path:** my-app > express > lodash
- **Description:** Prototype pollution vulnerability allowing RCE
- **Remediation:** `npm update lodash`

### CVE-2024-5678 - SQL Injection in sequelize

- **Package:** sequelize@6.28.0
- **Severity:** Critical (CVSS 9.1)
- **Affected Versions:** < 6.29.0
- **Fixed Version:** 6.29.0
- **Path:** my-app > sequelize
- **Description:** SQL injection via raw query methods
- **Remediation:** `npm update sequelize`

## License Compliance

| License      | Count | Compliance           |
| ------------ | ----- | -------------------- |
| MIT          | 180   | Approved             |
| Apache-2.0   | 45    | Approved             |
| BSD-3-Clause | 15    | Approved             |
| GPL-3.0      | 3     | Review Required      |
| Unknown      | 2     | Investigation Needed |

## Recommendations

1. **Immediate:** Update lodash and sequelize to fix critical vulnerabilities
2. **Short-term:** Review GPL-licensed dependencies for compatibility
3. **Ongoing:** Enable Dependabot/Renovate for automated updates

Example 4: Renovate Configuration

{
  "$schema": "https://docs.renovatebot.com/renovate-schema.json",
  "extends": ["config:base", ":semanticCommits", ":preserveSemverRanges"],
  "schedule": ["before 6am on Monday"],
  "vulnerabilityAlerts": {
    "enabled": true,
    "labels": ["security"]
  },
  "packageRules": [
    {
      "matchUpdateTypes": ["major"],
      "labels": ["major-update"],
      "automerge": false
    },
    {
      "matchUpdateTypes": ["minor", "patch"],
      "matchCurrentVersion": "!/^0/",
      "automerge": true,
      "automergeType": "pr",
      "platformAutomerge": true
    },
    {
      "matchPackagePatterns": ["^@types/"],
      "automerge": true,
      "groupName": "type definitions"
    },
    {
      "matchDepTypes": ["devDependencies"],
      "automerge": true,
      "groupName": "dev dependencies"
    }
  ],
  "prConcurrentLimit": 5,
  "prHourlyLimit": 2
}