Building Vulnerability Dashboard with DefectDojo

Overview

DefectDojo is an open-source application vulnerability management platform that aggregates findings from 200+ security tools, deduplicates results, tracks remediation progress, and provides executive dashboards. It serves as a central hub for vulnerability management, integrating with CI/CD pipelines, Jira for ticketing, and Slack for notifications. DefectDojo supports OWASP-based categorization and provides REST API for automation.

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose
• 4GB+ RAM, 2+ CPU cores, 20GB+ disk
• PostgreSQL 12+ (included in Docker deployment)
• Python 3.9+ for API integration scripts
• Jira instance (optional, for ticket integration)

Deployment

Docker Compose Deployment

# Clone DefectDojo repository
git clone https://github.com/DefectDojo/django-DefectDojo.git
cd django-DefectDojo

# Start with Docker Compose (production mode)
./dc-up-d.sh

# Alternative: manual Docker Compose
docker compose up -d

# Check service status
docker compose ps

# View initial admin credentials
docker compose logs initializer 2>&1 | grep "Admin password"

# Access DefectDojo at http://localhost:8080

Environment Configuration

# Key environment variables in docker-compose.yml
DD_DATABASE_ENGINE=django.db.backends.postgresql
DD_DATABASE_HOST=postgres
DD_DATABASE_PORT=5432
DD_DATABASE_NAME=defectdojo
DD_DATABASE_USER=defectdojo
DD_DATABASE_PASSWORD=<secure_password>
DD_ALLOWED_HOSTS=*
DD_SECRET_KEY=<random_64_char_key>
DD_CREDENTIAL_AES_256_KEY=<random_128_bit_key>
DD_SOCIAL_AUTH_GOOGLE_OAUTH2_ENABLED=True

Organizational Structure

Hierarchy

Product Type (Business Unit)
  └── Product (Application/Service)
       └── Engagement (Assessment/Sprint)
            └── Test (Scanner Run)
                 └── Finding (Individual Vulnerability)

Setup via API

import requests

DD_URL = "http://localhost:8080/api/v2"
API_KEY = "your_api_key_here"
HEADERS = {"Authorization": f"Token {API_KEY}", "Content-Type": "application/json"}

# Create Product Type
resp = requests.post(f"{DD_URL}/product_types/", headers=HEADERS, json={
    "name": "Web Applications",
    "description": "Customer-facing web application portfolio"
})
product_type_id = resp.json()["id"]

# Create Product
resp = requests.post(f"{DD_URL}/products/", headers=HEADERS, json={
    "name": "Customer Portal",
    "description": "Main customer-facing web application",
    "prod_type": product_type_id,
    "sla_configuration": 1,
})
product_id = resp.json()["id"]

# Create Engagement
resp = requests.post(f"{DD_URL}/engagements/", headers=HEADERS, json={
    "name": "Q1 2024 Security Assessment",
    "product": product_id,
    "target_start": "2024-01-01",
    "target_end": "2024-03-31",
    "engagement_type": "CI/CD",
    "status": "In Progress",
})
engagement_id = resp.json()["id"]

Scanner Integration

Import Scan Results via API

# Upload Nessus scan results
curl -X POST "${DD_URL}/reimport-scan/" \
  -H "Authorization: Token ${API_KEY}" \
  -F "scan_type=Nessus Scan" \
  -F "file=@nessus_report.csv" \
  -F "product_name=Customer Portal" \
  -F "engagement_name=Q1 2024 Security Assessment" \
  -F "auto_create_context=true" \
  -F "deduplication_on_engagement=true"

# Upload OWASP ZAP results
curl -X POST "${DD_URL}/reimport-scan/" \
  -H "Authorization: Token ${API_KEY}" \
  -F "scan_type=ZAP Scan" \
  -F "file=@zap_report.xml" \
  -F "product_name=Customer Portal" \
  -F "engagement_name=Q1 2024 Security Assessment" \
  -F "auto_create_context=true"

# Upload Trivy container scan
curl -X POST "${DD_URL}/reimport-scan/" \
  -H "Authorization: Token ${API_KEY}" \
  -F "scan_type=Trivy Scan" \
  -F "file=@trivy_results.json" \
  -F "product_name=Customer Portal" \
  -F "engagement_name=Q1 2024 Security Assessment" \
  -F "auto_create_context=true"

Supported Scanner Types (Partial List)

Scanner	Type String	Format
Nessus	Nessus Scan	CSV/XML
OpenVAS	OpenVAS CSV	CSV
Qualys	Qualys Scan	XML
OWASP ZAP	ZAP Scan	XML/JSON
Burp Suite	Burp XML	XML
Trivy	Trivy Scan	JSON
Semgrep	Semgrep JSON Report	JSON
Snyk	Snyk Scan	JSON
SonarQube	SonarQube Scan	JSON
Checkov	Checkov Scan	JSON

CI/CD Integration (GitHub Actions)

# .github/workflows/security-scan.yml
name: Security Scan
on: [push]
jobs:
  scan:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Run Semgrep
        run: |
          pip install semgrep
          semgrep --config auto --json -o semgrep_results.json .
      - name: Upload to DefectDojo
        run: |
          curl -X POST "${{ secrets.DD_URL }}/api/v2/reimport-scan/" \
            -H "Authorization: Token ${{ secrets.DD_API_KEY }}" \
            -F "scan_type=Semgrep JSON Report" \
            -F "file=@semgrep_results.json" \
            -F "product_name=${{ github.event.repository.name }}" \
            -F "engagement_name=CI/CD" \
            -F "auto_create_context=true"

Jira Integration

# Configure Jira integration in DefectDojo settings
jira_config = {
    "url": "https://company.atlassian.net",
    "username": "jira-bot@company.com",
    "password": "jira_api_token",
    "default_issue_type": "Bug",
    "critical_mapping_severity": "Blocker",
    "high_mapping_severity": "Critical",
    "medium_mapping_severity": "Major",
    "low_mapping_severity": "Minor",
    "finding_text": "**Vulnerability**: {{ finding.title }}\n**Severity**: {{ finding.severity }}\n**CVE**: {{ finding.cve }}\n**Description**: {{ finding.description }}",
    "accepted_mapping_resolution": "Done",
    "close_status_key": 6,
}

Metrics and Dashboards

Key Metrics API Queries

# Get finding counts by severity
resp = requests.get(f"{DD_URL}/findings/?limit=0&active=true",
                    headers=HEADERS)
findings = resp.json()

# Get SLA breach counts
resp = requests.get(f"{DD_URL}/findings/?limit=0&active=true&sla_breached=true",
                    headers=HEADERS)

# Get product-level metrics
resp = requests.get(f"{DD_URL}/products/{product_id}/",
                    headers=HEADERS)
product_data = resp.json()

Verification Criteria

Confirm successful execution by validating:

• [ ] All prerequisite tools and access requirements are satisfied
• [ ] Each workflow step completed without errors
• [ ] Output matches expected format and contains expected data
• [ ] No security warnings or misconfigurations detected
• [ ] Results are documented and evidence is preserved for audit

Compliance Framework Mapping

This skill supports compliance evidence collection across multiple frameworks:

• SOC 2: CC7.1 (Monitoring), CC8.1 (Change Management)
• ISO 27001: A.12.6 (Technical Vulnerability Management)
• NIST 800-53: RA-5 (Vulnerability Scanning), SI-2 (Flaw Remediation), CM-6 (Configuration Settings)
• NIST CSF: ID.RA (Risk Assessment), PR.IP (Information Protection)

Claw GRC Tip: When this skill is executed by a registered agent, compliance evidence is automatically captured and mapped to the relevant controls in your active frameworks.

Deploying This Skill with Claw GRC

Agent Execution

Register this skill with your Claw GRC agent for automated execution:

# Install via CLI
npx claw-grc skills add building-vulnerability-dashboard-with-defectdojo

# Or load dynamically via MCP
grc.load_skill("building-vulnerability-dashboard-with-defectdojo")

Audit Trail Integration

When executed through Claw GRC, every step of this skill generates tamper-evident audit records:

• SHA-256 chain hashing ensures no step can be modified after execution
• Evidence artifacts (configs, scan results, logs) are automatically attached to relevant controls
• Trust score impact — successful execution increases your agent's trust score

Continuous Compliance

Schedule this skill for recurring execution to maintain continuous compliance posture. Claw GRC monitors for drift and alerts when re-execution is needed.

References

• DefectDojo GitHub
• DefectDojo Documentation
• DefectDojo REST API
• OWASP DefectDojo Project
• DefectDojo Integrations