PASTA Stage 5: Vulnerability Analysis
Identify specific weaknesses in code and configuration that could be exploited by Stage 4 threats. This is the core code analysis stage of PASTA. Map each finding to CWE identifiers and correlate with the threat catalog.
Supported Flags
Read ../../shared/schemas/flags.md for the full flag specification. Key behaviors:
| Flag | Stage 5 Behavior |
|---|---|
--scope | Default changed. Analyzes source code, configs, and infrastructure files. |
--depth quick | Scanners + grep patterns only, no manual code review. |
--depth standard | Full code read, local data-flow analysis, CWE mapping. |
--depth deep | Standard + cross-file taint analysis, entry-to-sink tracing, dependency CVE scan. |
--depth expert | Deep + exploitability scoring, proof-of-concept path assessment. |
--severity | Filter output by severity. |
--fix | Generate fix suggestions for each vulnerability found. |
Framework Context
Read ../../shared/frameworks/pasta.md, Stage 5 section. PASTA is SEQUENTIAL. Stage 5 consumes Stages 1-4 output and feeds Stage 6.
Prerequisites
Required: Stage 4 output -- threat catalog with MITRE ATT&CK mappings and threat-to-component mapping. Also needs: entry points (Stage 2), components and trust boundaries (Stage 3), business-critical assets (Stage 1). If unavailable, warn and assume.
Workflow
Step 1: Determine Scope
Parse --scope flag (default: changed). Filter to code and config file types. Prioritize files in components targeted by Stage 4 threats.
Step 2: Check for Scanners
| Scanner | Detect | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| semgrep | which semgrep | Injection, auth, crypto, SSRF, XSS |
| bandit | which bandit | Python: injection, crypto, subprocess |
| gosec | which gosec | Go: injection, crypto, file handling |
| brakeman | which brakeman | Rails: injection, XSS, mass assignment |
| npm audit | which npm | Node.js dependency vulnerabilities |
| trivy | which trivy | Container and dependency vulnerabilities |
| gitleaks | which gitleaks | Secrets and credentials in code |
Step 3: Run Scanners
Run available scanners, normalize output to ../../shared/schemas/findings.md.
Step 4: Manual Code Analysis
- Trace data flows: User input from entry points through components to sinks.
- Check sanitization: Validation, encoding, parameterization between source and sink.
- Review auth/authz: Authentication enforcement and authorization consistency.
- Check crypto: Secure algorithms, key management, TLS enforcement.
- Review configs: Default credentials, debug modes, security headers.
- Check secrets: Hardcoded credentials, API keys, tokens in source.
Step 5: Correlate with Threats
Map each vulnerability to Stage 4 threat(s) it enables: which actor exploits it, which ATT&CK technique it supports, which business asset it endangers.
Step 6: Assess Exploitability
Evaluate: attack complexity, prerequisite access, mitigating controls, and chaining potential with other vulnerabilities.
Analysis Checklist
- Are parameterized queries used everywhere, or are there dynamic query paths?
- Are there deserialization points accepting untrusted input?
- Do all endpoints enforce authentication and authorization?
- Are secrets hardcoded or in configuration files within the repository?
- Are input validation and output encoding applied consistently?
- Are cryptographic algorithms and key lengths secure and current?
- Are dependencies up to date with no known CVEs?
- Are security headers configured (CSP, HSTS, X-Frame-Options)?
Output Format
Stage 5 produces a Vulnerability Inventory with CWE Mappings. ID prefix: PASTA (e.g., PASTA-001).
Each finding includes: id, title, severity, location (file, line, function, snippet), description, impact, fix, and references (CWE, MITRE ATT&CK, OWASP).
## PASTA Stage 5: Vulnerability Analysis
### Vulnerability Inventory
| ID | Vulnerability | CWE | Severity | Component | Enables Threat |
|----|--------------|-----|----------|-----------|---------------|
| PASTA-001 | SQL injection in search | CWE-89 | Critical | C-02 API | T-01 |
| PASTA-002 | Missing auth on export | CWE-862 | High | C-04 Admin | T-03 |
### Vulnerability-Threat Correlation
| Vulnerability | Threats Enabled | Complexity | Existing Controls |
|--------------|----------------|------------|-------------------|
| PASTA-001 | T-01, T-05 | Low | None |
### Scanner Coverage
| Scanner | Status | Findings |
|---------|--------|----------|
| semgrep | Available / Not found | N findings |Findings follow ../../shared/schemas/findings.md with:
references.cwe: CWE identifier,references.mitre_attck: linked technique,references.owasp: OWASP categorymetadata.tool:"pasta-vulns",metadata.framework:"pasta",metadata.category:"Stage-5"
Next Stage
Stage 6: Attack Simulation (pasta-attack-sim). Pass the Vulnerability Inventory and threat correlations. Stage 6 constructs exploit chains and scores each attack scenario by exploitability and impact.