What Is OWASP Dependency-Check?

OWASP Dependency-Check is a tool for identifying known vulnerabilities in project dependencies, while OWASP Dependency-Track is a platform that manages and tracks software component usage. Dependency-Check scans for vulnerabilities, and Dependency-Track provides a comprehensive view of the organization’s overall dependency landscape.

A software dependency is a component or library that a software application relies on to function properly. Dependencies can include external libraries, frameworks, or modules that need to be integrated into the application for it to work as intended.

To run an OWASP dependency check, you typically install the Dependency-Check tool locally or integrate it into your build process using build automation tools like Maven or Jenkins. Once set up, the tool scans your project’s dependencies, identifies any known vulnerabilities by comparing them against the National Vulnerability Database (NVD), and generates a report highlighting any security issues found.

OWASP Dependency-Check can be integrated into Jenkins for continuous security scanning of project dependencies. Plugins or scripts within Jenkins can trigger OWASP Dependency-Check to analyze and report vulnerabilities in dependencies.

OWASP Dependency-Check supports multiple programming languages commonly used in software development, including Java, JavaScript, Ruby, Python, .NET, and others. It analyzes the dependencies of projects written in these languages to identify any known vulnerabilities in the third-party libraries or frameworks used within the project.