content/get-started/learning-to-code/finding-and-fixing-your-first-dependency-vulnerability.md

---
title: Finding and fixing your first dependency vulnerability
shortTitle: Secure your dependencies
intro: 'Learn how to keep your dependencies secure by enabling {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} and its features in a demo repository.'
versions:
  fpt: '*'
topics:
  - Code Security
  - Dependabot
  - Dependencies
  - Alerts
---

Using pre-written collections of code in your project, called **libraries** or **packages**, is common practice. These code modules save you a ton of time, letting you focus on the new, creative aspects of your work instead of coding large reusable components from scratch. When added to your project, they are called **dependencies**, since your work is dependent on the code they contain.

While using dependencies is perfectly normal, dependencies can contain code vulnerabilities, which would in turn make your project insecure. Luckily, tools like {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} can find dependency vulnerabilities, raise pull requests to fix them, and even prevent them from happening in the future. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to enable and use {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} and its features to keep your dependencies secure.

## Setting up the demo repository

Let's get started by forking a demo project with some dependency vulnerabilities. Since we won't deploy the project, there is **no security risk** in this exercise.

1. Navigate to the [`new2code/dependabot-demo`](https://github.com/new2code/dependabot-demo) repository.
1. In the top right of the page, click {% octicon "repo-forked" aria-hidden="true" %} **Fork**.
1. On the page that appears, click **Create fork**.

## Enabling dependency security features

Now that we've set up the project, let's configure {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} to find and create fixes for insecure dependencies.

1. In the navigation bar for your repository, click {% octicon "shield" aria-hidden="true" %} **Security**.
1. In the "{% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot_alerts %}" row, click **Enable {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot_alerts %}**.
1. In the "{% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %}" section, next to "{% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot_alerts %}", click **Enable**.
1. In the pop up that appears, read the statement about enabling the dependency graph, then click **Enable**.
1. To allow {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} to automatically open pull requests fixing dependency vulnerabilities, next to "{% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot_security_updates %}", click **Enable**.

## Viewing your insecure dependencies

With {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} configured, let's find out which of our dependencies contain vulnerabilities.

1. In the navigation bar for your repository, click {% octicon "shield" aria-hidden="true" %} **Security**.
1. To see the {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot_alerts %} for your repository, in the side navigation, click {% octicon "dependabot" aria-hidden="true" %} **{% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %}**.
1. To see detailed information about an alert, click the alert title. For this exercise, click **Command Injection in hot-formula-parser**.

## Understanding a Dependabot alert

Now that {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} has identified some vulnerabilities in our dependencies, let's break down the information provided in the "Command Injection in hot-formula-parser" alert.

### Fix summary

Below the title of the alert, you can see a short summary of the **fix** for this vulnerability, including the number of alerts it will close and the location of the vulnerability. In our case, the alert tells us that upgrading the `hot-formula-parser` package to version 3.0.1 will fix one {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} alert identified in our `javascript/package-lock.json` file.

This section also tracks {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %}'s progress creating a pull request to fix the vulnerability. Once a fix is available, you'll see a button labeled "{% octicon "dependabot" aria-hidden="true" %} Review security update" linking to the pull request.

![Screenshot of the fix summary section of a {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} alert.](/assets/images/help/dependabot/dependabot-alert-fix-summary.png)

### Vulnerability details

Below the fix details, {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} provides more information about the vulnerability, including:

* The name of the vulnerable package
* The versions of the package that contain the vulnerability
* The version of the package that fixes the vulnerability
* Details on the type of vulnerability and how it can be exploited

![Screenshot of the vulnerability details section of a {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} alert.](/assets/images/help/dependabot/dependabot-alert-vulnerability-details.png)

In this alert, we can see that the `parse` function in the `hot-formula-parser` package doesn't properly check that user input is safe before executing it, which allows attackers to run malicious commands.

> [!TIP] If you don't fully understand the vulnerability details, try [asking {% data variables.copilot.copilot_chat_short %}](https://github.com/copilot) to explain them.

### Timeline

Finally, you can see the timeline of the alert at the bottom of the page. Our timeline currently contains the timestamp when {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} opened the alert, and will be updated automatically when we fix the vulnerability.

![Screenshot of the timeline for a {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} alert.](/assets/images/help/dependabot/dependabot-alert-timeline.png)

## Securing your dependencies

To secure our project quickly and easily, let's apply the fix {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} created.

1. In the alert field with the fix summary, click {% octicon "dependabot" aria-hidden="true" %} **Review security update**.
1. On the pull request page, click {% octicon "file-diff" aria-hidden="true" %} **Files changed** to see {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %}'s changes. After you review the changes, click {% octicon "comment-discussion" aria-hidden="true" %} **Conversation** to return to the pull request overview.
1. To apply the fix, at the bottom of the page, click **Merge pull request**, then click **Confirm merge**.

    Once the pull request merges, the linked {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} alert will close automatically, and the fix time will be added to the timeline.

## Preventing future dependency vulnerabilities

To help avoid insecure dependencies moving forward, let's allow {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} to automatically open pull requests updating your dependencies as new versions are released.

1. In the navigation bar for your repository, click {% octicon "gear" aria-hidden="true" %} **Settings**.
1. In the "Security" section of the sidebar, click {% octicon "codescan" aria-hidden="true" %} **{% data variables.product.prodname_AS %}**.
1. Next to "{% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot_version_updates %}", click **Enable**.

## Next steps

Now that you've tried out {% data variables.product.prodname_dependabot %} and its features on a demo repository, **enable them on your own projects** to easily find, fix, and prevent dependency vulnerabilities.