You are likely exposed if you cannot list the versions of every component, including nested ones, if anything is unsupported, if you do not scan regularly, if fixes wait for a quarterly window, or if you do not test updates. OWASP gives these as its signs. Five yes or no tests follow.
Where the tests come from
The OWASP Top 10 entry for Vulnerable and Outdated Components (2021 edition) describes when you are likely vulnerable. The OWASP cheat sheet on third-party JavaScript points to the later Top 10:2025 category, A03 Software Supply Chain Failures, for the same problem. The checks below follow the older text I fetched.
For a store, "components" covers more than the platform. It includes theme libraries, checkout extensions, front-end packages, server-side modules and the analytics code you load.
The five tests
| # | Test | Pass looks like |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Do you know the versions of every component, client side and server side, including nested dependencies? | A current inventory per storefront and per service |
| 2 | Is anything vulnerable, unsupported or out of date, including the operating system, web server, database, frameworks and libraries? | No unsupported items, or a dated plan for each |
| 3 | Do you scan for vulnerabilities regularly and follow security bulletins for the components you use? | A scheduled scan and a named person who reads bulletins |
| 4 | Do you fix or upgrade platforms, frameworks and dependencies in a risk-based, timely way? | Severity and exposure drive the timeline |
| 5 | Do developers test the compatibility of updated or patched libraries? | Updates go through staging with checkout tests |
Any "no" is a gap. OWASP says the risk grows in environments where patching is a monthly or quarterly task under change control, which leaves organizations open to days or months of unnecessary exposure to fixed vulnerabilities.
Fixing each gap
Test 1. Generate a software bill of materials from each build, and add a separate list for scripts that load at run time. Our post on whether a web app SBOM should list CDN scripts covers the second list.
Test 2. Sort the inventory by support status. Plan replacement for anything the maintainer has stopped patching. OWASP also advises monitoring for unmaintained libraries and those that do not produce patches for older versions.
Test 3. Schedule scans and route results to an owner. A report nobody reads is the same as no report.
Test 4. Agree timelines by severity and by whether the vulnerable code is reachable in your app. A critical fix on the checkout path should not wait for the next window.
Test 5. Keep a short regression checklist for checkout, login and payment, and run it on every update.
What OWASP says to do
The prevention advice is practical: remove unused dependencies, features and files; inventory components continuously; monitor sources such as CVE and the National Vulnerability Database; use software composition analysis to automate this; take components only from official sources over secure links; prefer signed packages; and, where patching is not possible, consider a virtual patch to monitor, detect or protect against the issue.
Try it yourself
Click through it at your own pace, or open it full screen. Look at how findings are grouped and prioritized rather than listed flat.
Where Safeguard fits
Safeguard's SBOM and dependency scanning answers test 1 and test 3 for the packages in your repositories, and reachability analysis helps with test 4. Autonomous remediation with fix PRs is off by default and every category starts on Manual. A free scan is at gold.safeguard.sh/scan.
Quick check
Does a clean scan pass all five tests?
No. A scan helps with tests 1 to 3, but you also need timelines for fixing and a way to test updates.
Do the tests apply to a hosted platform?
Yes, for the parts you control: your theme, your apps, your code and your scripts. The platform provider owns the rest.
Sources
- OWASP Top 10:2021 A06 Vulnerable and Outdated Components
- OWASP Third Party JavaScript Management Cheat Sheet
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
