What is Dependency Scanning?
Dependency scanning refers to the practices and tools used to effectively scan for software dependencies throughout the software lifecycle. By scanning dependencies properly, teams can ensure their software remains secure, up-to-date, and efficient while reducing risks associated with third-party code.
Dependency scanning is important because it helps identify known security vulnerabilities, outdated components, and license compliance issues in the third-party libraries your software depends on. Modern applications often rely heavily on open source packages, which can introduce hidden risks if not properly monitored. By scanning these dependencies regularly, especially as part of the development pipeline, you can catch and address problems early, reduce software supply chain risks, and ensure your application remains secure, compliant, and reliable.
What are Software Dependencies?
Software dependencies are external libraries, frameworks, or components that a software project relies on to function. These dependencies are essential for speeding up development by allowing developers to reuse existing code rather than building everything from scratch. However, managing these dependencies comes with challenges. Keeping track of versions, ensuring compatibility, addressing security vulnerabilities, and adhering to licensing requirements are crucial aspects of maintaining a healthy codebase.
Dependency Scanning Best Practices
Dependency scanning is the process of automatically checking software, systems, or networks for known security issues. To get the most out of scanning, it’s important to follow best practices that improve accuracy and reduce risk:
- Scan regularly: Run scans on a consistent schedule, weekly, monthly, or as part of your CI/CD pipeline, to catch new vulnerabilities as they emerge.
- Keep scanners up to date: Make sure your scanning tools are always using the latest vulnerability databases to detect newly discovered threats.
- Use both authenticated and unauthenticated scans: Authenticated scans provide deeper insights by logging in as a user, while unauthenticated scans show what an outsider might find.
- Prioritize and act on results: Not all vulnerabilities are equally serious. Focus on high-risk issues first and assign them to the right teams for patching or mitigation.
- Scan all environments: Don’t just scan production, include development, testing, and staging environments too, since vulnerabilities can exist anywhere in the software lifecycle.
- Document and track issues: Keep a record of findings, actions taken, and resolutions. This helps with audits, compliance, and improving your overall security program.
Following these best practices helps organizations reduce exposure to cyberattacks and maintain a strong security posture over time.
How Revenera Code Insight Can Help
Revenera Code Insight helps organizations manage software dependencies. With automated scanning and real-time monitoring, it identifies vulnerabilities in open source and third-party components, ensuring that security risks are addressed promptly.
Key Features:
- Automated Discovery: Scans your codebase to detect all dependencies and any associated security vulnerabilities.
- Real-Time Vulnerability Alerts: Monitors your dependencies against known vulnerability databases, alerting you to risks in real-time.
- Remediation Guidance: Provides actionable insights to prioritize and address vulnerabilities, helping teams apply fixes quickly.
- License Compliance: Ensures that all open-source components comply with legal obligations, avoiding risks related to improper licensing.
By integrating dependency scanning into the development process, Revenera Code Insight helps secure software and maintain compliance with industry standards.
Resources
White Paper
Risky OSS: How Regulated Industries Can Secure the Software Supply Chain
This whitepaper reviews the state of OSS, four management use cases, and best practices and solutions to help security and legal teams in highly regulated industries. Access now to learn how you can confidently mitigate rising supply chain risk.
Data Sheet
OSS Inspector Plugin
Ensure your code is secure and compliant by effortlessly managing open source dependencies directly in your IDE.
Webinar
The Beginner’s Guide to Managing Open Source Software
Join this beginner’s guide to OSS, SCA, OSPOs, and SBOMs to get started on your open source journey. In this productive webinar session by Revenera’s open source expert, Alex Rybak.
Webinar
Setting up your OSS Management process
Join our expert team as they walk you through how to setup a comprehensive OSS Management program to address both software supply chain security and legal compliance, in this live webinar.
Webinar
Mitigating Risks in Open Source and Software Supply Chains: A Global Outlook
Learn about the latest regulation changes in the US and EU. Particularly what’s changing in the world of Open Source and how to navigate their legal rights and responsibilities in this Revenera webinar.
Webinar
2024 Software Security and Compliance Predictions
It’s time to discuss the hottest trends for 2024 in software composition analysis and software supply chain security. Register and attend this must-watch webinar and get a jumpstart on what to prepare for in the year ahead.
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