Dependency Audit

Skill: Dependency Audit

When to load

When adding/updating dependencies, handling security findings, preparing releases, or reviewing supply-chain risk in PRs.

Objective

Produce a dependency risk decision based on exploitability and business impact, not scanner output alone.

Audit Workflow

1. Inventory

   • Identify direct and transitive dependencies changed in PR/release.
   • Record package source (registry), maintainer trust indicators, and version deltas.

2. Scan

   • Run ecosystem-native audit tools + repository policy checks.
   • Capture High/Critical findings with package path and affected components.

3. Exploitability Triage

   • Determine runtime reachability (is vulnerable code path invoked?).
   • Evaluate exposure (public endpoint, privileged process, internal-only).
   • Assess mitigations (WAF, sandbox, feature flags, auth boundaries).

4. Classify each finding

   • exploitable-now → block release, fix immediately.
   • not-reachable → document evidence and add VEX status.
   • accepted-risk → temporary exception with owner + expiry.

5. Remediation Plan

   • Prefer upgrade to patched version.
   • If upgrade is breaking: isolate vulnerability, add compensating controls, schedule upgrade milestone.

Supply-Chain Red Flags

• Maintainer transfer shortly before suspicious release.
• Sudden dependency graph expansion unrelated to package purpose.
• install/postinstall scripts performing unexpected network activity.
• Obfuscated source in runtime package.
• Package source not in approved registries.

Output Template (required)

• Dependency name and version delta
• Severity and advisory source
• Reachability evidence
• Classification (exploitable-now / not-reachable / accepted-risk)
• Decision and next action
• Owner and deadline