How we use Dependabot to secure GitHub

GitHub's internal rollout of Dependabot, a tool for maintaining up-to-date dependencies, serves as a case study in integrating security features within an organization's development workflow. Managed by the Product Security Engineering Team, the rollout was executed in three stages: measuring the current state of dependency alerts, incrementally enabling Dependabot across repositories, and focusing on remediating identified vulnerabilities. The process emphasized minimizing disruption to engineering teams while maximizing security benefits, using a staged approach and clear communication strategies. By incorporating Dependabot into the Engineering Fundamentals program, GitHub increased the number of services with zero alerts from 68% to 81% in three months, demonstrating the effectiveness of prioritizing and managing dependency upgrades. This initiative not only enhanced GitHub's security posture but also informed the design of features like the Security Overview for GitHub Enterprise users, reflecting the company's commitment to leveraging internal experiences to improve its offerings.