Reviewing Dependencies

Dependency Vulnerability Workflow

Step 1: Gather Alerts

# List all open Dependabot alerts sorted by severity
gh api /repos/{owner}/{repo}/dependabot/alerts --jq '.[] | select(.state == "open") | {number, severity: .security_vulnerability.severity, package: .security_vulnerability.package.name, ecosystem: .security_vulnerability.package.ecosystem, summary: .security_advisory.summary}'

# Filter by severity
gh api "/repos/{owner}/{repo}/dependabot/alerts?severity=critical&state=open"

# Get full details for a specific alert
gh api /repos/{owner}/{repo}/dependabot/alerts/{alert_number}

Step 2: Assess Impact

For each alert, determine:

1. Is the vulnerable code path reachable? — Does the application actually use the vulnerable function/feature of the dependency?
2. Is it a direct or transitive dependency? — Transitive vulnerabilities may be harder to fix but still pose real risk.
3. What is the CVSS score and exploit availability? — A high CVSS with a public exploit needs immediate action. A medium CVSS with no known exploit can be scheduled.
4. What versions are affected and what versions fix it? — Check if updating is a minor bump or a breaking change.

Step 3: Decide on Action

Transitive Dependency Risk

Direct dependencies are visible in package.json or .csproj files, but transitive dependencies (dependencies of dependencies) make up the majority of the dependency tree and are often invisible.

Why transitive dependencies matter:

• A vulnerability in a deeply nested dependency is just as exploitable as one in a direct dependency
• Transitive dependencies are less likely to be actively monitored
• Updating a transitive dependency may require updating the direct dependency that pulls it in

How to investigate:

# npm: Show full dependency tree
npm ls --all

# npm: Find which direct dependency pulls in a vulnerable transitive
npm ls <vulnerable-package>

# .NET: List all vulnerable packages including transitive
dotnet list package --vulnerable --include-transitive

# .NET: Show dependency graph
dotnet list package --include-transitive

Dependency Health Evaluation

When evaluating whether to adopt or keep a dependency, assess:

Grype Integration

Grype scans container images and filesystems for known vulnerabilities:

# Scan a container image
grype <image>:<tag>

# Scan a directory
grype dir:/path/to/project

# Output as JSON for programmatic processing
grype <image> -o json

# Filter by severity
grype <image> --only-fixed --fail-on high

Interpreting Grype output:

• Each finding includes: CVE ID, severity, package name, installed version, fixed version
• Fixed column indicates whether an update is available
• Use --only-fixed to focus on actionable items (vulnerabilities with available fixes)

Platform-Specific Guidance

NuGet (.NET)

# Check for vulnerable packages
dotnet list package --vulnerable

# Include transitive dependencies
dotnet list package --vulnerable --include-transitive

# Check for outdated packages
dotnet list package --outdated

NuGet-specific concerns:

• .NET framework packages may have different vulnerability profiles than .NET Core
• PackageReference in .csproj is preferred over packages.config for better transitive resolution
• Use Directory.Packages.props for centralized version management in multi-project solutions

npm (Node.js)

# Run security audit
npm audit

# Auto-fix where possible
npm audit fix

# Force fixes (may introduce breaking changes)
npm audit fix --force

# Check lockfile integrity
npm ci  # Installs exactly from lockfile, fails if lockfile is out of date

npm-specific concerns:

• package-lock.json must be committed and kept in sync
• Use overrides in package.json to force transitive dependency versions:

  {
    "overrides": {
      "vulnerable-package": ">=2.0.0"
    }
  }
  

• Beware of postinstall scripts in dependencies — they execute arbitrary code during npm install

SBOM Concepts

A Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) is an inventory of all components in a software artifact. Understanding SBOMs helps reason about supply chain risk:

• What it contains: Package names, versions, licenses, relationships (direct vs. transitive)
• Why it matters: Enables rapid response when a new CVE is published — immediately identify which projects are affected
• Standard formats: SPDX, CycloneDX
• GitHub integration: GitHub generates dependency graphs automatically; Dependabot uses this for alerting

Critical Rules

• Never ignore critical/high Dependabot alerts without documented justification. Even if the vulnerable code path seems unreachable, document why.
• Prefer updating over pinning. Pinning a vulnerable version and adding a workaround accumulates tech debt. Update when a fix is available.
• Evaluate the full transitive tree. A direct dependency may be safe, but its transitive dependencies may not be.
• Review new dependencies before adoption. Check health criteria above before adding any new package. More dependencies = more attack surface.
• Lock dependencies. Always commit lockfiles (package-lock.json, packages.lock.json). Use npm ci in CI/CD, not npm install.