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docs: add transitive dependencies section to Security and risk management #2676

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docs: add transitive dependencies section to Security and risk manage…
LipeGheno May 22, 2026
d5bb99c
docs: update transitive dependency chain description to match UI
LipeGheno Jun 2, 2026
e5f7cd0
docs: update fixed version example and workaround clarification
LipeGheno Jun 2, 2026
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40 changes: 40 additions & 0 deletions docs/organizations/managing-security-and-risk.md
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Expand Up @@ -585,6 +585,46 @@

The dependency overview page offers a quick bird's-eye view of that particular dependency. You'll be able to see all different versions that are being used, including which repository is using them, the oldest and most recent versions you're leveraging, as well as the highest criticality of security issues, the license <a href="#license-scanning"><sup>5</sup></a> applied to any particular version of that dependency, and the [OSSF Scorecard](#ossf-scorecard) security assessment.

### Transitive dependencies {: id="transitive-dependencies"}

A **transitive dependency** is a package your repository doesn't import directly — it's pulled in through another package you depend on. When a vulnerability lives in a transitive dependency, the package you need to upgrade is often *not* the vulnerable one itself, but an ancestor higher up the chain that has a patched release available.

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[vale] reported by reviewdog 🐶
[Microsoft.Dashes] Remove the spaces around ' — '.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[Microsoft.Dashes] Remove the spaces around ' — '.", "location": {"path": "docs/organizations/managing-security-and-risk.md", "range": {"start": {"line": 590, "column": 81}}}, "severity": "ERROR"}

Codacy surfaces the full import chain for every finding caused by a transitive dependency, so you can see exactly which package to bump.

#### Where you see it

Open the **Findings** tab under **Security and risk management**. Findings caused by a transitive dependency are labelled **Transitive Dependency** in the header.
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@codacy-production codacy-production Bot May 22, 2026

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⚪ LOW RISK

Nitpick: Use the American English spelling for consistency with the rest of the documentation.

Suggested change
Open the **Findings** tab under **Security and risk management**. Findings caused by a transitive dependency are labelled **Transitive Dependency** in the header.
Open the **Findings** tab under **Security and risk management**. Findings caused by a transitive dependency are labeled **Transitive Dependency** in the header.


![Security and risk management transitive dependency finding](images/security-risk-management-transitive-chain.png)
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@codacy-production codacy-production Bot May 22, 2026

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🟡 MEDIUM RISK

The image 'security-risk-management-transitive-chain.png' is referenced but not included in the PR, which will result in a broken image in the rendered documentation.


When you expand a transitive finding, the import chain appears at the top of the finding card. It shows every hop from the first affected dependency down to the vulnerable package.

#### Reading the chain

The chain reads left to right:

- **Transitive** — the icon and label that identifies this as a transitive dependency finding.
- **Intermediate segments** — the packages in the resolution path, connected by arrows (`→`). Each one is a dependency that pulls in the next.
- **Last segment** — the vulnerable package and version, shown in bold.
- **Fixed version** — when a patched release is available, a **Fixed version *x.x.x*** label appears at the end of the chain. This is the version to target when upgrading to resolve the vulnerability.

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[Vale.Repetition] 'x' is repeated!

Raw Output:
{"message": "[Vale.Repetition] 'x' is repeated!", "location": {"path": "docs/organizations/managing-security-and-risk.md", "range": {"start": {"line": 609, "column": 79}}}, "severity": "ERROR"}

For example:

```
Transitive → peft@0.11.1 → accelerate@0.31.0 → Torch@2.4.0 Fixed version 2.4.1
```

In this example, `Torch@2.4.0` is the vulnerable package, and upgrading to the indicated fixed version resolves the vulnerability across this dependency path.
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🟡 MEDIUM RISK

Suggestion: The relationship between the 'Fixed version' and the packages in the chain is unclear. In the example provided, '1.1.1' appears to be a version downgrade for 'Torch@2.4.0', which is confusing. It should be explicitly stated that the fixed version refers to the root dependency (peft), which is the package the user actually manages.

Suggested improvement:
'In this example, Torch@2.4.0 is the vulnerable package, and upgrading the root dependency (peft) to the indicated fixed version (1.1.1) resolves the vulnerability across this dependency path.'


#### When no fixed version is available

If no patched release exists yet, the chain is shown without a **Fixed version** label. In that case the vulnerability cannot be resolved by a version bump alone; you may need to wait for an upstream fix, apply a workaround (such as explicitly setting the version of the transitive dependency), or accept the risk per your organization's policy.

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[Microsoft.Contractions] Use 'can't' instead of 'cannot'.

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{"message": "[Microsoft.Contractions] Use 'can't' instead of 'cannot'.", "location": {"path": "docs/organizations/managing-security-and-risk.md", "range": {"start": {"line": 621, "column": 120}}}, "severity": "ERROR"}

#### Limitations

- The import chain is shown only for findings that come from dependency scanning. Findings from other scan types (container scanning, app scanning) do not show a chain.

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[vale] reported by reviewdog 🐶
[Microsoft.Contractions] Use 'don't' instead of 'do not'.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[Microsoft.Contractions] Use 'don't' instead of 'do not'.", "location": {"path": "docs/organizations/managing-security-and-risk.md", "range": {"start": {"line": 625, "column": 149}}}, "severity": "ERROR"}
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@gemini-code-assist gemini-code-assist Bot May 22, 2026

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medium

To maintain consistency with the "Scan types" table (line 338) and other sections of the documentation (e.g., line 184), use the formal term "Software Composition Analysis (SCA)" instead of "dependency scanning".

Suggested change
- The import chain is shown only for findings that come from dependency scanning. Findings from other scan types (container scanning, app scanning) do not show a chain.
- The import chain is shown only for findings that come from Software Composition Analysis (SCA). Findings from other scan types (container scanning, app scanning) do not show a chain.

- Each finding shows a single representative path. If a repository reaches the same vulnerable package through more than one chain, only one is displayed.

### OSSF Scorecard {: id="ossf-scorecard"}

The **OSSF Scorecard** feature provides additional security insights for your dependencies by displaying security assessment data from the Open Source Security Foundation (OSSF) Scorecard project.
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