Package Audit Skill

This skill helps you scan for and fix security vulnerabilities in npm dependencies.

When to Use This Skill

Scanning for security vulnerabilities
Before production deployments
Resolving CVE alerts
Regular security audits
Dependency health checks
Compliance requirements
Pre-commit security checks

Security Audit Tools

pnpm audit

Built-in vulnerability scanner:

bash

# Run audit
pnpm audit

# Output example:
# ┌───────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
# │ moderate      │ Prototype Pollution in lodash                                │
# ├───────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
# │ Package       │ lodash                                                       │
# ├───────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
# │ Vulnerable    │ <4.17.21                                                     │
# ├───────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
# │ Patched in    │ >=4.17.21                                                    │
# ├───────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
# │ Path          │ lodash                                                       │
# └───────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Snyk

Advanced vulnerability scanning:

bash

# Install Snyk CLI
pnpm add -g snyk

# Authenticate
snyk auth

# Test for vulnerabilities
snyk test

# Monitor project
snyk monitor

# Fix vulnerabilities
snyk fix

Running Audits

Basic Audit

bash

# Audit all packages
pnpm audit

# Audit specific workspace
pnpm -F @sgcarstrends/api audit

# Audit production dependencies only
pnpm audit --prod

# Get JSON output
pnpm audit --json > audit-report.json

Severity Levels

bash

# Only show high/critical
pnpm audit --audit-level=high

# Audit levels:
# - info
# - low
# - moderate
# - high
# - critical

Automated Fix

bash

# Automatically fix vulnerabilities
pnpm audit --fix

# Dry run (preview fixes)
pnpm audit --fix --dry-run

Understanding Audit Results

Vulnerability Report

┌───────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ High          │ Regular Expression Denial of Service                        │
├───────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Package       │ semver                                                       │
├───────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Vulnerable    │ <5.7.2 || >=6.0.0 <6.3.1 || >=7.0.0 <7.5.2                  │
├───────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Patched in    │ >=5.7.2 <6.0.0 || >=6.3.1 <7.0.0 || >=7.5.2                 │
├───────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ More info     │ https://github.com/advisories/GHSA-c2qf-rxjj-qqgw           │
└───────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key Information:

Severity: critical, high, moderate, low, info
Package: Affected package name
Vulnerable: Vulnerable version range
Patched in: Fixed version range
Path: Dependency path (direct or transitive)

JSON Report Analysis

bash

# Generate JSON report
pnpm audit --json > audit.json

# Parse with jq
cat audit.json | jq '.vulnerabilities | length'
cat audit.json | jq '.vulnerabilities | group_by(.severity)'

# Filter critical vulnerabilities
cat audit.json | jq '.vulnerabilities[] | select(.severity == "critical")'

Fixing Vulnerabilities

Direct Dependencies

bash

# Step 1: Identify vulnerable package
pnpm audit

# Step 2: Check available versions
pnpm view package-name versions

# Step 3: Update catalog
# pnpm-workspace.yaml
catalog:
  lodash: ^4.17.21  # Updated from ^4.17.19

# Step 4: Install
pnpm install

# Step 5: Verify fix
pnpm audit

Transitive Dependencies

bash

# Step 1: Identify dependency chain
pnpm why vulnerable-package

# Output:
# parent-package 1.0.0
# └─┬ intermediate-package 2.0.0
#   └── vulnerable-package 3.0.0

# Step 2: Update parent package
catalog:
  parent-package: ^2.0.0  # Newer version with fixed dependency

# Step 3: Or use overrides (last resort)
{
  "pnpm": {
    "overrides": {
      "vulnerable-package": "^3.1.0"
    }
  }
}

Using Overrides

json

// package.json
{
  "pnpm": {
    "overrides": {
      // Fix specific vulnerability
      "lodash": "^4.17.21",

      // Fix across all dependencies
      "semver@<7.5.2": "^7.5.2",

      // Fix in specific dependency
      "some-package>vulnerable-dep": "^2.0.0"
    }
  }
}

Snyk Integration

Setup

bash

# Install Snyk
pnpm add -g snyk

# Authenticate
snyk auth

# Test project
snyk test

# Monitor for new vulnerabilities
snyk monitor

Snyk Commands

bash

# Test for vulnerabilities
snyk test

# Test with severity threshold
snyk test --severity-threshold=high

# Test specific file
snyk test --file=package.json

# Ignore specific vulnerabilities
snyk ignore --id=SNYK-JS-LODASH-1018905

# Generate HTML report
snyk test --json | snyk-to-html -o snyk-report.html

Snyk Configuration

yaml

# .snyk
version: v1.25.0
ignore:
  # Ignore low severity
  'SNYK-JS-LODASH-1018905':
    - '*':
        reason: Low severity, no fix available
        expires: 2024-12-31

  # Ignore specific path
  'SNYK-JS-AXIOS-1234567':
    - 'dev-dependency > axios':
        reason: Dev dependency only
        expires: never

CI Integration

GitHub Actions

yaml

# .github/workflows/security.yml
name: Security Audit

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  pull_request:
    branches: [main]
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 0 * * 1'  # Weekly on Monday

jobs:
  audit:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: pnpm/action-setup@v2
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 20
          cache: "pnpm"

      - run: pnpm install
      - run: pnpm audit --audit-level=moderate

      # Fail on high/critical vulnerabilities
      - name: Check for high/critical vulnerabilities
        run: |
          AUDIT_OUTPUT=$(pnpm audit --json)
          HIGH=$(echo $AUDIT_OUTPUT | jq '.metadata.vulnerabilities.high // 0')
          CRITICAL=$(echo $AUDIT_OUTPUT | jq '.metadata.vulnerabilities.critical // 0')

          if [ $HIGH -gt 0 ] || [ $CRITICAL -gt 0 ]; then
            echo "High or critical vulnerabilities found!"
            exit 1
          fi

  snyk:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: snyk/actions/setup@master
      - uses: pnpm/action-setup@v2
      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: 20
          cache: "pnpm"

      - run: pnpm install

      - name: Snyk test
        run: snyk test --severity-threshold=high
        env:
          SNYK_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SNYK_TOKEN }}

      - name: Snyk monitor
        run: snyk monitor
        env:
          SNYK_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SNYK_TOKEN }}

Automated Dependency Updates

Dependabot

yaml

# .github/dependabot.yml
version: 2
updates:
  - package-ecosystem: "npm"
    directory: "/"
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"
    open-pull-requests-limit: 10

    # Auto-merge security patches
    groups:
      security:
        patterns:
          - "*"
        update-types:
          - "patch"

    # Ignore major versions
    ignore:
      - dependency-name: "*"
        update-types: ["version-update:semver-major"]

Renovate

json

// renovate.json
{
  "extends": ["config:base"],
  "vulnerabilityAlerts": {
    "enabled": true,
    "automerge": true
  },
  "packageRules": [
    {
      "matchUpdateTypes": ["patch"],
      "matchCurrentVersion": "!/^0/",
      "automerge": true,
      "automergeType": "branch"
    },
    {
      "matchDepTypes": ["devDependencies"],
      "matchUpdateTypes": ["minor", "patch"],
      "automerge": true
    }
  ]
}

Best Practices

1. Regular Audits

bash

# ❌ Only audit before deployment
pnpm audit  # Once every few months

# ✅ Regular schedule
# - Daily: Automated CI checks
# - Weekly: Manual review
# - Before deployment: Final check

2. Prioritize Fixes

bash

# ❌ Try to fix everything at once
pnpm audit --fix

# ✅ Prioritize by severity
# 1. Critical: Fix immediately
# 2. High: Fix within 1 week
# 3. Moderate: Fix within 1 month
# 4. Low: Fix when convenient

3. Verify Fixes

bash

# ❌ Just update and deploy
pnpm audit --fix
git push

# ✅ Test after fixing
pnpm audit --fix
pnpm test          # Run tests
pnpm build         # Build check
pnpm dev           # Manual testing
git commit && git push

4. Document Decisions

yaml

# .snyk
ignore:
  'SNYK-JS-LODASH-1018905':
    - '*':
        reason: >
          Low severity prototype pollution.
          Package only used in dev scripts.
          No fix available yet.
          Monitoring for updates.
        expires: 2024-12-31
        created: 2024-01-15

Handling Common Scenarios

No Fix Available

bash

# Issue: Vulnerability with no fix

# Options:
# 1. Wait for fix (monitor regularly)
snyk monitor

# 2. Find alternative package
pnpm remove vulnerable-package
pnpm add alternative-package

# 3. Accept risk (document decision)
# Add to .snyk with expiration date

Breaking Changes in Fix

bash

# Issue: Fix requires major version upgrade

# Solution:
# 1. Review breaking changes
pnpm view package-name changelog

# 2. Create migration branch
git checkout -b upgrade/package-name

# 3. Update and test
catalog:
  package-name: ^2.0.0  # Major version
pnpm install
pnpm test

# 4. Fix breaking changes
# 5. Commit and merge

False Positives

bash

# Issue: Vulnerability doesn't affect your code

# Solution: Ignore with justification
# .snyk
ignore:
  'SNYK-ID':
    - 'package-name':
        reason: >
          False positive.
          Vulnerable code path not used in our application.
          Only affects feature X which we don't use.
        expires: never

Security Audit Checklist

Run pnpm audit regularly
Fix critical and high vulnerabilities immediately
Monitor for new vulnerabilities (Snyk/Dependabot)
Document ignored vulnerabilities
Review security patches before applying
Test thoroughly after fixes
Keep audit logs for compliance
Update security policy as needed

References

pnpm Audit: https://pnpm.io/cli/audit
Snyk: https://snyk.io
npm Security Advisories: https://github.com/advisories
OWASP Dependency Check: https://owasp.org/www-project-dependency-check
Related files:
- .snyk - Snyk configuration
- .github/dependabot.yml - Dependabot config
- Root CLAUDE.md - Security guidelines

Best Practices Summary

Regular Audits: Run audits daily in CI, weekly manually
Prioritize Severity: Fix critical/high first, then moderate/low
Automate Security: Use Dependabot or Renovate
Test Fixes: Always test after applying security patches
Document Decisions: Explain ignored vulnerabilities
Monitor Continuously: Use Snyk monitor for ongoing tracking
Review Dependencies: Regularly review and remove unused packages
Stay Informed: Subscribe to security advisories for key packages

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Install this agent skill to your Project

SKILL.md

Package Audit Skill

When to Use This Skill

Security Audit Tools

pnpm audit

Snyk

Running Audits

Basic Audit

Severity Levels

Automated Fix

Understanding Audit Results

Vulnerability Report

JSON Report Analysis

Fixing Vulnerabilities

Direct Dependencies

Transitive Dependencies

Using Overrides

Snyk Integration

Setup

Snyk Commands

Snyk Configuration

CI Integration

GitHub Actions

Automated Dependency Updates

Dependabot

Renovate

Best Practices

1. Regular Audits

2. Prioritize Fixes

3. Verify Fixes

4. Document Decisions

Handling Common Scenarios

No Fix Available

Breaking Changes in Fix

False Positives

Security Audit Checklist

References

Best Practices Summary