/vulnerability-scanner

name: vulnerability-scanner
description: "Advanced vulnerability analysis principles. OWASP 2025, Supply Chain Security, attack surface mapping, risk prioritization."
risk: unknown
source: community
date_added: "2026-02-27"

Vulnerability Scanner

> Think like an attacker, defend like an expert. 2025 threat landscape awareness.

🔧 Runtime Scripts

**Execute for automated validation:**

| Script | Purpose | Usage | |--------|---------|-------| | `scripts/security_scan.py` | Validate security principles applied | `python scripts/security_scan.py <project_path>` |

📋 Reference Files

| File | Purpose | |------|---------| | [checklists.md](checklists.md) | OWASP Top 10, Auth, API, Data protection checklists |

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1. Security Expert Mindset

Core Principles

| Principle | Application | |-----------|-------------| | **Assume Breach** | Design as if attacker already inside | | **Zero Trust** | Never trust, always verify | | **Defense in Depth** | Multiple layers, no single point | | **Least Privilege** | Minimum required access only | | **Fail Secure** | On error, deny access |

Threat Modeling Questions

Before scanning, ask: 1. What are we protecting? (Assets) 2. Who would attack? (Threat actors) 3. How would they attack? (Attack vectors) 4. What's the impact? (Business risk)

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2. OWASP Top 10:2025

Risk Categories

| Rank | Category | Think About | |------|----------|-------------| | **A01** | Broken Access Control | Who can access what? IDOR, SSRF | | **A02** | Security Misconfiguration | Defaults, headers, exposed services | | **A03** | Software Supply Chain 🆕 | Dependencies, CI/CD, build integrity | | **A04** | Cryptographic Failures | Weak crypto, exposed secrets | | **A05** | Injection | User input → system commands | | **A06** | Insecure Design | Flawed architecture | | **A07** | Authentication Failures | Session, credential management | | **A08** | Integrity Failures | Unsigned updates, tampered data | | **A09** | Logging & Alerting | Blind spots, no monitoring | | **A10** | Exceptional Conditions 🆕 | Error handling, fail-open states |

2025 Key Changes

2021 → 2025 Shifts:
├── SSRF merged into A01 (Access Control)
├── A02 elevated (Cloud/Container configs)
├── A03 NEW: Supply Chain (major focus)
├── A10 NEW: Exceptional Conditions
└── Focus shift: Root causes > Symptoms

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3. Supply Chain Security (A03)

Attack Surface

| Vector | Risk | Question to Ask | |--------|------|-----------------| | **Dependencies** | Malicious packages | Do we audit new deps? | | **Lock files** | Integrity attacks | Are they committed? | | **Build pipeline** | CI/CD compromise | Who can modify? | | **Registry** | Typosquatting | Verified sources? |

Defense Principles

• Verify package integrity (checksums)
• Pin versions, audit updates
• Use private registries for critical deps
• Sign and verify artifacts

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4. Attack Surface Mapping

What to Map

| Category | Elements | |----------|----------| | **Entry Points** | APIs, forms, file uploads | | **Data Flows** | Input → Process → Output | | **Trust Boundaries** | Where auth/authz checked | | **Assets** | Secrets, PII, business data |

Prioritization Matrix

Risk = Likelihood × Impact

High Impact + High Likelihood → CRITICAL
High Impact + Low Likelihood  → HIGH
Low Impact + High Likelihood  → MEDIUM
Low Impact + Low Likelihood   → LOW

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5. Risk Prioritization

CVSS + Context

| Factor | Weight | Question | |--------|--------|----------| | **CVSS Score** | Base severity | How severe is the vuln? | | **EPSS Score** | Exploit likelihood | Is it being exploited? | | **Asset Value** | Business context | What's at risk? | | **Exposure** | Attack surface | Internet-facing? |

Prioritization Decision Tree

Is it actively exploited (EPSS >0.5)?
├── YES → CRITICAL: Immediate action
└── NO → Check CVSS
         ├── CVSS ≥9.0 → HIGH
         ├── CVSS 7.0-8.9 → Consider asset value
         └── CVSS <7.0 → Schedule for later

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6. Exceptional Conditions (A10 - New)

Fail-Open vs Fail-Closed

| Scenario | Fail-Open (BAD) | Fail-Closed (GOOD) | |----------|-----------------|---------------------| | Auth error | Allow access | Deny access | | Parsing fails | Accept input | Reject input | | Timeout | Retry forever | Limit + abort |

What to Check

• Exception handlers that catch-all and ignore
• Missing error handling on security operations
• Race conditions in auth/authz
• Resource exhaustion scenarios

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7. Scanning Methodology

Phase-Based Approach

1. RECONNAISSANCE
   └── Understand the target
       ├── Technology stack
       ├── Entry points
       └── Data flows

2. DISCOVERY
   └── Identify potential issues
       ├── Configuration review
       ├── Dependency analysis
       └── Code pattern search

3. ANALYSIS
   └── Validate and prioritize
       ├── False positive elimination
       ├── Risk scoring
       └── Attack chain mapping

4. REPORTING
   └── Actionable findings
       ├── Clear reproduction steps
       ├── Business impact
       └── Remediation guidance

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8. Code Pattern Analysis

High-Risk Patterns

| Pattern | Risk | Look For | |---------|------|----------| | **String concat in queries** | Injection | `"SELECT * FROM " + user_input` | | **Dynamic code execution** | RCE | `eval()`, `exec()`, `Function()` | | **Unsafe deserialization** | RCE | `pickle.loads()`, `unserialize()` | | **Path manipulation** | Traversal | User input in file paths | | **Disabled security** | Various | `verify=False`, `--insecure` |

Secret Patterns

| Type | Indicators | |------|-----------| | API Keys | `api_key`, `apikey`, high entropy | | Tokens | `token`, `bearer`, `jwt` | | Credentials | `password`, `secret`, `key` | | Cloud | `AWS_`, `AZURE_`, `GCP_` prefixes |

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9. Cloud Security Considerations

Shared Responsibility

| Layer | You Own | Provider Owns | |-------|---------|---------------| | Data