Usually not in full. A pen test targets the behavior of your system within an agreed scope. A tester may exploit a vulnerable library if it is reachable and in scope, but a complete inventory and ongoing check of your dependencies is work for software composition analysis, not a time boxed test.
Why the gap exists
A pen test is limited by time, resources and skills, as NIST SP 800-53 notes. A typical application pulls in hundreds of packages, directly and through other packages. No tester can review each one by hand in a normal engagement.
Testers do use dependency information in practice. NIST says organizations can use vulnerability analysis results to support penetration testing, and its guidance describes pre test identification of potential vulnerabilities followed by testing to confirm exploitability. So the better your inventory, the better the tester's starting point.
Who covers what
| Task | Pen tester | Dependency scanning |
|---|---|---|
| List every direct and transitive package | Not the aim | Yes |
| Spot known vulnerable versions | Sometimes, if visible | Yes, continuously |
| Prove that a vulnerable library is exploitable in your app | Yes, if in scope | Limited, reachability analysis helps |
| Find a malicious or suspicious package | Rarely | Possible, depends on data sources |
| Check licenses | No | Yes |
| Re-check after each new advisory | No | Yes |
How to split the work
- Generate an SBOM before the test and share it with the tester under the confidentiality terms of your agreement.
- Scan and fix first. Remove obvious known vulnerable versions so the tester's time goes elsewhere.
- Mark candidates. Flag libraries that sit on the internet facing path, such as parsers, templating, auth and file handling.
- Put exploit attempts in scope for those candidates if you want proof of impact.
- Keep scanning after the test. New advisories arrive daily, and a test report cannot know about them.
What to put in the scope document
- Whether known vulnerable components found by the tester should be reported even if not exploited.
- Whether the tester may attempt exploitation of a library flaw in a staging copy.
- Whether supply chain vectors such as the build pipeline are in or out of scope.
Try it yourself
Open the demo and see how an inventory turns a project into a list of packages and known issues. Think about which entries a tester would want to look at first.
Click through it at your own pace, or open it full screen.
Quick check
If my pen test is clean, are my dependencies safe?
No. The test only covered what was in scope during the test window. Dependencies change and new advisories appear after the report is written.
Should I give the tester my SBOM?
Often yes, under your confidentiality agreement. It gives the tester a map of components to focus on.
Safeguard produces SBOMs and scans dependencies continuously, with reachability analysis to show which flaws your code can actually reach. Try the free scan.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
