There is a plethora of JavaScript libraries for use on the Web and in Node.JS apps out there. This greatly simplifies development,but we need to stay up-to-date on security fixes. "Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities" is now a part of the OWASP Top 10 list of security risks and insecure libraries can pose a huge risk to your Web app. The goal of Retire.js is to help you detect the use of JS-library versions with known vulnerabilities.

Retire.js can be used in many ways:

1. As command line scanner
2. As a grunt plugin
3. As a gulp task
4. As a Chrome extension
5. As a Firefox extension - Deprecated Let us know if you want to maintain and undeprecate it.
6. As a Burp Extension or OWASP ZAP Add-on

Scan a web app or node app for use of vulnerable JavaScript libraries and/or Node.JS modules. If you haven't already, you need to install node/npm first. In the source code folder of the application folder run:

$ npm install -g retire
$ retire

retire.js can generate SBOMs in the CycloneDX-format:

$ retire --outputformat cyclonedx

By default retire.js will exit with code 13 if it finds vulnerabilities. This can be overridden with --exitcode 0.

A Grunt task for running Retire.js as part of your application's build routine, or some other automated workflow.

An example of a Gulp task which can be used in your gulpfile to watch and scan your project files automatically. You can modify the watch patterns and (optional) Retire.js options as you like.

const c = require("ansi-colors");

var gulp = require("gulp");
var beeper = require("beeper");
var log = require("fancy-log");
var spawn = require("child_process").spawn;

gulp.task("retire:watch", ["retire"], function (done) {
  // Watch all javascript files and package.json
  gulp.watch(["js/**/*.js", "package.json"], ["retire"]);
});

gulp.task("retire", function () {
  // Spawn Retire.js as a child process
  // You can optionally add option parameters to the second argument (array)
  var child = spawn("retire", [], { cwd: process.cwd() });

  child.stdout.setEncoding("utf8");
  child.stdout.on("data", function (data) {
    log(data);
  });

  child.stderr.setEncoding("utf8");
  child.stderr.on("data", function (data) {
    log(c.red(data));
    beeper();
  });
});

Scans visited sites for references to insecure libraries, and puts warnings in the developer console. An icon on the address bar displays will also indicate if vulnerable libraries were loaded.

@h3xstream has adapted Retire.js as a plugin for the penetration testing tools Burp and OWASP ZAP.

The OWASP ZAP team officially supports a Retire.js add-on which is available via the ZAP Marketplace and is included by default in the ZAP weekly releases: https://www.zaproxy.org/docs/desktop/addons/retire.js/

Donations will be used to fund the maintainance of the tool and vulnerability repo.