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Core concepts and terms

Every screen in Vulinder rests on a handful of concepts. Once you grasp these five (organization -> service -> analysis -> finding -> triage), everything else reads naturally. Word definitions are gathered separately in the Glossary.

Organization

The top-level boundary for all data. Services, members, results, and settings are isolated per organization, and you cannot access another organization's data. A single user can belong to multiple organizations and holds a role (administrator / manager / member) within each. (Members and Roles)

Service

Represents a single analysis target. A service has a type, and the type determines which analyses can be run.

  • Source code : A Git repository. SAST, SCA, Secret, IaC, SBOM / License.
  • Container image : Registry / uploaded images. SCA, SBOM, image hardening.
  • Web service : A running web URL. DAST (after domain ownership verification).
  • Server / host : A server connected over SSH. OS / package SCA, infrastructure checks (K8s / CIS), runtime monitoring.
  • SBOM upload : An uploaded SBOM (CycloneDX / SPDX). Component SCA / License.

Analysis (scan type)

An individual security analysis run against a service. Analyses are divided by "what they look at."

TypeWhat it looks atService types it is mainly used with
SASTCode-level vulnerabilities in source code (static analysis)Source code
SCAKnown CVEs in open-source dependenciesSource, image, host, SBOM
DASTDynamic vulnerabilities in a running web serviceWeb service
SBOM · LicenseComponent inventory and license riskSource, image, SBOM
IaCConfiguration flaws in infrastructure code such as Terraform / K8s / DockerfileSource code
SecretHardcoded keys / tokens / passwordsSource code

SCA and SBOM span multiple service types, so they are covered in each type's section in the appropriate context. (For example, Image SCA, Host OS vulnerabilities)

Scan run

A single analysis run against a service at a specific point in time. Each run leaves a result snapshot, and when you rescan, resolved / recurring / new items are calculated automatically against the previous run. This lets you track "are we getting better than last week."

Finding

A single vulnerability discovered by an analysis. It has a severity, location, description, references (CVE / CWE), and more. Severity is shown with six fixed-color levels.

CRITICAL HIGH MEDIUM LOW INFO KEV

KEV is a separate axis from severity, marking vulnerabilities with "confirmed active exploitation." Even at the same severity, handle KEV-tagged items first.

Triage

The work of reviewing a finding and deciding its status. Vulinder simplifies closing into two options.

  • False Positive : Not a real risk. Permanently suppressed by fingerprint, so it does not reappear in the next scan.
  • Accepted Risk : The risk is acknowledged, but you have decided not to address it now.

Items you do not process remain open, and if they are not rediscovered after remediation, they are counted as resolved. For details, see Triage.

Security score and compliance

  • Security score quantifies the security posture of your organization / service by aggregating discovered risks and tracks the trend.
  • Compliance maps findings to standards such as OWASP / CWE / KISA to show your compliance status.

Next steps