Dependency Audit

Audits project dependencies for known security vulnerabilities across multiple package ecosystems.

Purpose & Scope

• Detect vulnerable dependencies using ecosystem-specific tools
• Support multiple ecosystems: npm, NuGet, pip, Go modules, Bundler, Cargo
• Classify vulnerabilities by severity (Critical/High/Medium/Low)
• Provide fix recommendations with safe auto-fix guidance
• Return normalized report to parent orchestrator (ln-760)

When to Use

• During project bootstrap (via ln-760-security-setup)
• CI/CD pipeline security checks
• Pre-release security validation
• Regular scheduled audits

Workflow

Phase 1: Ecosystem Detection

Step 1: Detect Package Managers

• Check for

  package.json

  /

  package-lock.json

  (npm)
• Check for

  *.csproj

  /

  packages.config

  (.NET)
• Check for

  requirements.txt

  /

  Pipfile

  /

  pyproject.toml

  (Python)
• Check for

  go.mod

  (Go)
• Check for

  Gemfile

  (Ruby),

  Cargo.toml

  (Rust),

  composer.json

  (PHP)

Step 2: Check Tool Availability

• For each detected ecosystem, verify audit tool is available
• If tool missing: log warning, skip ecosystem (do not fail)

Phase 2: Audit Execution

Step 1: Run Ecosystem Audits

• Execute audit command for each detected ecosystem
• Prefer JSON output for parsing (see

  references/audit_commands.md

  )
• Run audits in parallel where possible

Step 2: Parse Results

• Normalize findings to common format: package, version, vulnerability ID, severity
• Extract CVSS score if available

Phase 3: Report Generation

Step 1: Severity Classification

• Map CVSS scores to severity per

  references/severity_mapping.md

• Critical: CVSS 9.0-10.0
• High: CVSS 7.0-8.9
• Medium: CVSS 4.0-6.9
• Low: CVSS 0.1-3.9

Step 2: Group and Sort

• Group by ecosystem
• Sort by severity (Critical first)
• Include vulnerability count summary

Step 3: Build Report

• Include package name, current version, fixed version
• Include vulnerability ID (CVE/GHSA/OSV)
• Do NOT include exploit details

Phase 4: Fix Recommendations

Step 1: Classify Fix Type

• Patch update (safe auto-fix)
• Minor update (usually safe)
• Major update (manual review required)
• No fix available (document and monitor)

Step 2: Generate Recommendations

• For each vulnerability: suggest fix command
• Flag breaking changes if major version bump
• Note if fix requires code changes

Step 3: Return Results

• Return structured report to orchestrator
• Include summary: packages audited, vulnerabilities found, by severity

Critical Rules

1. Never auto-fix major versions - may introduce breaking changes
2. Verify lock file integrity - regenerate if corrupted
3. Respect severity thresholds - per environment (see

   references/severity_mapping.md

   )
4. Document unfixable vulns - add to known issues with review date
5. No exploit code - report IDs only, not exploitation details

Definition of Done

• All detected ecosystems audited
• Findings classified by severity with CVSS mapping
• Fix recommendations provided (safe vs manual)
• Report in normalized format returned
• Critical vulnerabilities prominently flagged
• Lock file integrity verified

Reference Files

references/audit_commands.md

references/severity_mapping.md

references/ci_integration_guide.md

Version: 2.0.0 Last Updated: 2026-01-10