Summary
Implement an Attack Path Correlation & Visualization engine that connects related findings across scanners to identify potential attack chains and visually demonstrate how multiple vulnerabilities could be exploited together.
Motivation
PatchPilot currently displays findings as independent security issues.
However, attackers rarely exploit vulnerabilities in isolation. Real-world breaches often involve a sequence of weaknesses that combine into a complete attack path.
For example:
Hardcoded AWS Secret
↓
Cloud Access
↓
Vulnerable Dependency
↓
Remote Code Execution
↓
Sensitive Data Exposure
While each finding may be reported separately, security teams need visibility into how findings interact and contribute to larger attack scenarios.
Without attack path correlation, users may underestimate the impact of seemingly unrelated findings and struggle to prioritize remediation effectively.
Proposed solution
Introduce an Attack Path Engine that builds relationships between findings and generates visual attack chains.
Inputs
SAST findings
Dependency vulnerabilities
Secrets findings
Dependency graph
Affected files
Reachability data
Risk scores
Correlation Flow
Finding Collection
↓
Relationship Mapping
↓
Attack Chain Construction
↓
Attack Path Visualization
Example Output
{
"attack_path_id": "AP-001",
"risk_score": 95,
"steps": [
"Hardcoded AWS Secret",
"Compromised Cloud Access",
"Privilege Escalation",
"Sensitive Data Exposure"
]
}Backend
- Build attack graph generation service.
- Correlate findings across scanners.
- Generate attack chains and path scores.
- Persist attack path metadata.
Frontend
- Interactive attack path graph.
- Expand/collapse attack chains.
- Highlight critical attack paths.
- Visualize attack progression.
Evidence Pack Integration
Include:
attack-paths.json
attack-path-summary.txt
attack-graph-report.json
in generated evidence packs.
ML tier (if applicable)
Alternatives considered
-
Treat findings independently.
- Rejected because real-world attacks often chain multiple vulnerabilities together.
-
Prioritize only by severity.
- Rejected because attack impact depends on relationships between findings, not just severity.
-
Static attack templates.
- Rejected because dynamic correlation can identify project-specific attack chains.
Acceptance criteria
Additional context
Modern security platforms increasingly focus on attack-path analysis rather than isolated vulnerability reporting. This feature would help PatchPilot move beyond traditional scanners and provide security teams with actionable insights into how vulnerabilities interact within a real attack scenario.
Summary
Implement an Attack Path Correlation & Visualization engine that connects related findings across scanners to identify potential attack chains and visually demonstrate how multiple vulnerabilities could be exploited together.
Motivation
PatchPilot currently displays findings as independent security issues.
However, attackers rarely exploit vulnerabilities in isolation. Real-world breaches often involve a sequence of weaknesses that combine into a complete attack path.
For example:
While each finding may be reported separately, security teams need visibility into how findings interact and contribute to larger attack scenarios.
Without attack path correlation, users may underestimate the impact of seemingly unrelated findings and struggle to prioritize remediation effectively.
Proposed solution
Introduce an Attack Path Engine that builds relationships between findings and generates visual attack chains.
Inputs
Correlation Flow
Example Output
{ "attack_path_id": "AP-001", "risk_score": 95, "steps": [ "Hardcoded AWS Secret", "Compromised Cloud Access", "Privilege Escalation", "Sensitive Data Exposure" ] }Backend
Frontend
Evidence Pack Integration
Include:
in generated evidence packs.
ML tier (if applicable)
Alternatives considered
Treat findings independently.
Prioritize only by severity.
Static attack templates.
Acceptance criteria
Additional context
Modern security platforms increasingly focus on attack-path analysis rather than isolated vulnerability reporting. This feature would help PatchPilot move beyond traditional scanners and provide security teams with actionable insights into how vulnerabilities interact within a real attack scenario.