diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 27d7dfa4..61960496 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -34,45 +34,45 @@
     "test": "mocha -R spec"
   },
   "dependencies": {
-    "debug": "~0.7.4",
-    "express": "~3.4.8",
-    "strong-remoting": "~1.3.1",
+    "debug": "~0.8.1",
+    "express": "~3.5.0",
+    "strong-remoting": "~1.4.0",
     "inflection": "~1.3.5",
     "passport": "~0.2.0",
-    "passport-local": "~0.1.6",
-    "nodemailer": "~0.6.0",
-    "ejs": "~0.8.5",
+    "passport-local": "~1.0.0",
+    "nodemailer": "~0.6.5",
+    "ejs": "~1.0.0",
     "bcryptjs": "~0.7.12",
     "underscore.string": "~2.3.3",
     "underscore": "~1.6.0",
     "uid2": "0.0.3",
-    "async": "~0.2.10"
+    "async": "~0.9.0"
   },
   "peerDependencies": {
     "loopback-datasource-juggler": ">=1.4.0 <1.6.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "loopback-datasource-juggler": ">=1.4.0 <1.6.0",
-    "mocha": "~1.17.1",
+    "mocha": "~1.18.0",
     "strong-task-emitter": "0.0.x",
-    "supertest": "~0.9.0",
-    "chai": "~1.9.0",
+    "supertest": "~0.12.1",
+    "chai": "~1.9.1",
     "loopback-testing": "~0.1.2",
-    "browserify": "~3.41.0",
-    "grunt": "~0.4.2",
-    "grunt-browserify": "~1.3.1",
-    "grunt-contrib-uglify": "~0.3.2",
-    "grunt-contrib-jshint": "~0.8.0",
-    "grunt-contrib-watch": "~0.5.3",
+    "browserify": "~4.1.5",
+    "grunt": "~0.4.5",
+    "grunt-browserify": "~2.1.0",
+    "grunt-contrib-uglify": "~0.4.0",
+    "grunt-contrib-jshint": "~0.10.0",
+    "grunt-contrib-watch": "~0.6.1",
     "karma-script-launcher": "~0.1.0",
-    "karma-chrome-launcher": "~0.1.2",
+    "karma-chrome-launcher": "~0.1.3",
     "karma-firefox-launcher": "~0.1.3",
     "karma-html2js-preprocessor": "~0.1.0",
-    "karma-phantomjs-launcher": "~0.1.2",
-    "karma": "~0.10.9",
+    "karma-phantomjs-launcher": "~0.1.4",
+    "karma": "~0.12.16",
     "karma-browserify": "~0.2.0",
-    "karma-mocha": "~0.1.1",
-    "grunt-karma": "~0.6.2"
+    "karma-mocha": "~0.1.3",
+    "grunt-karma": "~0.8.3"
   },
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/test/acl.test.js b/test/acl.test.js
index ce75a12b..d928840d 100644
--- a/test/acl.test.js
+++ b/test/acl.test.js
@@ -14,10 +14,13 @@ function checkResult(err, result) {
   assert(!err);
 }
 
-describe('security scopes', function () {
+var ds = null;
+before(function() {
+  ds = loopback.createDataSource({connector: loopback.Memory});
+});
 
+describe('security scopes', function () {
   beforeEach(function() {
-    var ds = this.ds = loopback.createDataSource({connector: loopback.Memory});
     testModel = loopback.Model.extend('testModel');
     ACL.attachTo(ds);
     Role.attachTo(ds);
@@ -156,7 +159,6 @@ describe('security ACLs', function () {
   });
 
   it("should honor defaultPermission from the model", function () {
-    var ds = this.ds;
     var Customer = ds.createModel('Customer', {
       name: {
         type: String,
@@ -188,7 +190,6 @@ describe('security ACLs', function () {
   });
 
   it("should honor static ACLs from the model", function () {
-    var ds = this.ds;
     var Customer = ds.createModel('Customer', {
       name: {
         type: String,
@@ -226,7 +227,6 @@ describe('security ACLs', function () {
   it("should check access against LDL, ACL, and Role", function () {
     // var log = console.log;
     var log = function() {};
-    var ds = this.ds;
 
     // Create
     User.create({name: 'Raymond', email: 'x@y.com', password: 'foobar'}, function (err, user) {