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_posts/2025-03-19-Introducing-Conan-Audit-Command.markdown

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+---
+layout: post
+comments: false
+title: "Introducing the conan audit Command for Scanning C++ CVEs"
+meta_title: "Secure Your C++ Builds with the New conan audit Command - Conan Blog"
+description: "Learn how the new conan audit command helps you detect CVEs in your C++ dependencies, ensuring a more secure development workflow."
+permalink: /introducing-conan-audit-command/
+---
+
+Maintaining a secure dependency graph and responding swiftly to security threats is
+critical in modern software development. A recent example that underscores this need is
+[the vulnerability discovered in XZ
+Utils](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XZ_Utils_backdoor) (CVE-2024-3094). While this
+vulnerability had the potential to affect many systems, it was detected before widespread
+deployment, limiting its actual impact. This incident highlights the importance of
+proactive security tools to help identify and mitigate vulnerabilities in dependencies.
+
+At Conan, we have long considered security a priority, continuously implementing
+features to enhance it. Some examples include native support for [generating SBOMs with
+CycloneDX](https://blog.conan.io/2025/02/05/What-is-your-code-made-of-sboms.html) and
+[package signing](https://docs.conan.io/2/reference/extensions/package_signing.html).
+
+Building on this security-focused approach, we are excited to introduce a new experimental
+command in Conan: `conan audit`. Starting with Conan 2.14, this command allows you to
+check for potential CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) within your dependency
+graph.
+
+## Scanning for Vulnerabilities with `conan audit`
+
+The `conan audit` command enables users to scan for potential vulnerabilities in any Conan
+package available in Conan Center. This command connects to a free service powered by
+[JFrog Advanced Security](https://jfrog.com/devops-native-security), which provides
+detailed vulnerability analysis reports.
+
+> **Note:** If you are using packages from Conan Center, some vulnerabilities may have already
+> been mitigated through patches applied in the recipe. To verify if a patch has been
+> applied, check the recipe in Conan Center.
+
+To use the command, users must register and obtain a token that grants access to a limited
+number of scans per day.
+
+### Registering for the Service
+
+Before using `conan audit`, you need to sign up for the free service. Upon registration, you
+will receive a token that must be validated via email.
+
+To register, go to [https://audit.conan.io/register](https://audit.conan.io/register) and
+fill in your details.
+
+<p class="centered">
+    <img src="{{ site.baseurl }}/assets/post_images/2025-03-19/conan-audit-register.png" alt="Conan Audit Registration"/>
+</p>
+
+> **Notes:**  
+> - The `conan audit` service is currently in an experimental phase and may undergo
+>   breaking changes in its APIs, results, and functionality.  
+> - To ensure fair usage and prevent abuse, there is a limit of **100 queries per day**,
+>   which resets every 24 hours.  
+
+After registration, you will receive a token. Please make sure to store it securely as it
+will only be displayed once.
+
+<p class="centered">
+    <img src="{{ site.baseurl }}/assets/post_images/2025-03-19/conan-audit-token.png" alt="Conan Audit Token"/>
+</p>
+
+Next, you will receive an email to validate your token. Once validated, you can start
+using `conan audit`.
+
+<p class="centered">
+    <img src="{{ site.baseurl }}/assets/post_images/2025-03-19/conan-audit-validation.png" alt="Conan Validate Token"/>
+</p>
+
+### Using the `conan audit` Command
+
+The first thing you need to do is update the security provider token for Conan Center. Do
+this by running:
+
+```shell  
+$ conan audit provider auth conancenter --token=<your_token>
+Provider authentication added.
+```
+
+> **Note:** We use `--token` for simplicity, but this may expose your token in shell
+> history. To avoid this, set it as an environment variable matching the provider name in
+> uppercase, e.g., `CONAN_AUDIT_PROVIDER_TOKEN_CONANCENTER`.
+
+Once this is done, you're ready to scan for vulnerabilities in your Conan packages. The
+simplest way to check a specific package reference is by using `conan audit list` like
+this:
+
+```shell  
+$ conan audit list openssl/1.1.1w
+Requesting vulnerability info for: openssl/1.1.1w
+
+******************
+* openssl/1.1.1w *
+******************
+
+2 vulnerabilities found:
+
+- CVE-2023-5678 (Severity: Medium, CVSS: 5.3)
+
+  Issue summary: Generating excessively long X9.42 DH keys or checking
+  excessively long X9.42 DH keys or parameters may be very slow.  Impact summary:
+  Applications that use the functions DH_generate_key() to generate an X9.42 DH
+  key may exper...
+  url: https://git.openssl.org/gitweb/?p=openssl.git;a=commitdiff;h=db925ae2e65d0d925adef429afc37f75bd1c2017
+
+- CVE-2024-0727 (Severity: Medium, CVSS: 5.5)
+
+  Issue summary: Processing a maliciously formatted PKCS12 file may lead OpenSSL
+  to crash leading to a potential Denial of Service attack  Impact summary:
+  Applications loading files in the PKCS12 format from untrusted sources might
+  terminate ...
+  url: https://github.com/alexcrichton/openssl-src-rs/commit/add20f73b6b42be7451af2e1044d4e0e778992b2
+
+Total vulnerabilities found: 2
+
+
+Summary:
+
+- openssl/1.1.1w 2 vulnerabilities found
+
+Vulnerability information provided by JFrog. Please check https://jfrog.com/advanced-security/ for more information.
+
+You can send questions and report issues about the returned vulnerabilities to conan-research@jfrog.com.
+```
+
+To scan the entire dependency graph of a Conan recipe, use the `conan audit scan` command
+and provide the path to the `conanfile`, just as you would with other Conan commands. This
+command calculates the graph based on the specified profiles, taking all transitive
+dependencies into account. For instance, if a Conan recipe depends on `libpng/1.5.30` and
+`openssl/1.1.1w`, running an audit on the recipe would produce a result similar to this:
+
+
+```shell  
+$ conan audit scan .
+```
+
+You will see something similar to this:
+
+<p class="centered">
+    <img  src="{{ site.baseurl }}/assets/post_images/2025-03-19/conan-audit-scan-cli.gif"  align="center"  alt="conan audit scan results"/>
+</p>
+
+The `conan audit scan` command supports different output formats, allowing you to generate
+results in JSON for programmatic analysis or in HTML for a more detailed visual report.
+
+```shell  
+$ conan audit scan . --format=html > report.html
+```  
+
+Now open `report.html` to view the detailed results of the vulnerabilities found,
+presented in a searchable table.
+
+<p class="centered">
+    <img  src="{{ site.baseurl }}/assets/post_images/2025-03-19/cona-audit-scan-html.gif"  align="center"  alt="conan audit scan html render"/>
+</p>
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+If you run into any issues using `conan audit`, please don’t hesitate to reach out for
+support—we're here to help!  
+
+🛠️ **Service Support:** For issues related to the usage of the `conan audit` command,
+please open an issue on our [GitHub issue
+tracker](https://github.com/conan-io/conan/issues).
+
+🔒 **CVE-related Issues:** If you encounter problems with the CVE data returned by the
+command, please report them to the JFrog Security team at
+[conan-research@jfrog.com](mailto:conan-research@jfrog.com).  
+
+## Conclusion
+
+Proactive vulnerability scanning is essential in today's fast-paced development
+environment. By integrating `conan audit` into your workflow, you can detect and mitigate
+potential security issues early, ensuring a more secure dependency graph for your
+projects. We encourage you to try out this experimental tool and share your feedback with
+the community.
+
+Stay secure, and happy coding!