dependency-track: intelligent Software Composition Analysis platform

by ddos · August 20, 2024

Dependency-Track

Modern applications leverage the availability of existing components for use as building blocks in application development. By using existing components, organizations can dramatically decrease time-to-market. Reusing existing components, however, comes at a cost. Organizations that build on top of existing components assume the risk for the software they did not create. Vulnerabilities in third-party components are inherited by all applications that use those components. The OWASP Top Ten (2013 and 2017) both recognize the risk of using components with known vulnerabilities.

Dependency-Track is a Software Composition Analysis (SCA) platform that keeps track of all third-party components used in all the applications an organization creates or consumes. It integrates with multiple vulnerability databases including the National Vulnerability Database (NVD), Node Security Platform (NSP), and VulnDB from Risk Based Security. Dependency-Track monitors all applications in its portfolio in order to proactively identify vulnerabilities in components that are placing your applications at risk. Use of Dependency-Track can play a vital role in an overall Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) program by providing many of the recommendations outlined in the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.

Dependency-Track is designed to be used in an automated DevOps environment where Dependency-Check results or specific BOM (Bill of Material) formats are automatically ingested during CI/CD. Use of the Dependency-Check Jenkins Plugin is highly recommended for this purpose and is well suited for use in Jenkins Pipeline. In such an environment, Dependency-Track enables your DevOps teams to accelerate while still keeping tabs on component usage and any inherited risk.

Dependency-Track can also be used to monitor vulnerabilities in COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) software.

Features

Increases visibility into the use of vulnerable and outdated components
Flexible data model supporting an unlimited number of projects and components

Tracks vulnerabilities and inherited risk
- by component
- by project
- across entire portfolio
Tracks usage of out-of-date components
Includes a comprehensive auditing workflow for triaging results

Configurable notifications supporting Slack, Microsoft Teams, Webhooks, and Email
Supports standardized SPDX license ID’s and tracks license use by component
Supports CycloneDX and SPDX bill-of-material formats