How to Set Up Vulnerability Scanning
Implement automated vulnerability scanning for your application dependencies, containers, and infrastructure.
What You'll Learn
This intermediate-level guide walks you through how to set up vulnerability scanning step by step. Estimated time: 10 min.
Step 1: Choose scanning tools
Select Snyk for dependencies, Trivy for containers, and Dependabot for automated dependency updates.
Step 2: Configure dependency scanning
Set up automated scanning of package manifests to detect known vulnerabilities in third-party libraries.
Step 3: Add container image scanning
Scan Docker images for OS-level vulnerabilities, outdated packages, and hardcoded secrets before deployment.
Step 4: Implement in CI/CD
Add scanning steps to your CI pipeline that block deployments when critical or high-severity vulnerabilities are detected.
Step 5: Manage vulnerability remediation
Triage findings by severity, create remediation tickets, track fix timelines, and set SLAs for different severity levels.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which vulnerability scanner should I use?▾
Snyk for the best developer experience and fix suggestions. Trivy for free, comprehensive container scanning. GitHub Dependabot for basic dependency updates.
How do I prioritize vulnerabilities?▾
Focus on critical and high severity first, especially those with known exploits. Consider reachability — a vulnerability in unused code is lower priority.
How often should I scan?▾
Scan on every PR and deployment. Run full scans daily to catch newly discovered vulnerabilities in existing dependencies.