> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://cortex-docs.paloaltonetworks.com/application-security/software-supply-chain-security/visibililty-and-inventory/supply-chain-assets/software-packages-as-assets/understand-software-package-assets.md).

# Understand software package assets

## Prerequisites

Before viewing and managing software package assets, verify the following:

| Prerequisite        | Description                                                                                                              |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **License**         | An active Cortex Cloud license with Application Security entitlements                                                    |
| **RBAC role**       | The AppSec Admin or SOC Analyst role, or an equivalent custom role with asset inventory and issue management permissions |
| **VCS integration** | At least one Version Control System (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps) integrated and active                      |
| **SCA scanner**     | The SCA scanner enabled for the target repositories                                                                      |
| **Completed scan**  | At least one completed periodic scan or PR scan that includes SCA scanning results                                       |

## How to access software package assets

To access software package assets, under **Inventory**, select **All Assets** → **Code** → **Software Packages**.

The Software Packages assets page includes a dashboard and an inventory.

## Software package dashboard

The dashboard includes two widgets:

* **Package Managers:** A breakdown showing the package managers (such as npm and pip) in your environment, and the number of software packages found in each package manager
* **Dependency Types:** A breakdown showing the amount of direct and transitive (indirect) software packages

Selecting an item in either widget filters the software package asset inventory accordingly.

## Software package asset inventory

The following table describes the default exposed properties of the Software package asset table. Select the column picker to view additional hidden properties.

| Property            | Description                                                                                                    |
| ------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Name**            | The name of the software package serving as the primary identifier                                             |
| **Version**         | The version of the software package                                                                            |
| **Licenses**        | The license types associated with the package displayed as a comma-separated list                              |
| **Dependency Type** | Whether the package is a Direct or Transitive dependency                                                       |
| **Provider**        | The VCS provider hosting the parent repository                                                                 |
| **File Path**       | The path to the dependency manifest file containing the package declaration, including the affected line range |
| **First Seen**      | The timestamp when the software package was first discovered in the asset inventory                            |

## Filter and prioritize software packages

The Software Packages page displays a table of all dependencies. Use the search bar to find packages by name, or apply filters to narrow results based on operational and security metadata.

### High-priority filtering workflows

To effectively reduce the organization supply chain risk surface, apply the following filter combinations to prioritize remediation efforts:

* **Target critical business applications with high severity vulnerabilities**: Filter packages associated with your most sensitive workloads by using the **Business Application Names** filter to select the specific business applications you know are critical, and then reviewing the affected packages for high-severity issues
* **Identify deprecated packages:** Filter by **Operational Risk** indicators to surface deprecated packages that represent a structural supply chain risk regardless of current CVE status and should be replaced
* **Find restrictive licenses:** Use the **Licenses** column filter to identify packages with strong copyleft licenses or non-permissive licenses that may violate organizational compliance policies
* **Isolate transitive risk:** Filter by **Dependency Type = Transitive** to identify indirect dependencies that introduce risk without direct developer control

### Learn more

Learn how to [investigate software package assets and security issues](/application-security/software-supply-chain-security/visibililty-and-inventory/supply-chain-assets/software-packages-as-assets/investigate-software-package-assets-and-security-issues.md).


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