Many businesses use Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipelines for their daily operations. It brings a smooth integration and automation of several manual tasks that keep delivery processes consistent. With its help, you can focus on developing codes rather than worrying about their deployment.

However, CI/CD pipelines tend to face security vulnerabilities. They may be proficient in speeding up your processes but not with security. This is where DevSecOps can come in to accelerate security delivery within your software.

It can develop your infrastructure and applications securely right from their ideation to its deployment. You can read more here. DevSecOps are beneficial to your development operations. You can secure CI/CD pipelines with DevSecOps in the following ways:

Analysis of Pre-Source Code Commitment

Many businesses grant high levels of power and trust to CI/CD for efficient outcomes. Developers tend to provide codes into CI/CD pipelines. However, it is essential to check these codes thoroughly within the pipelines before sending them to your code repository.

Ensure that your DevSecOps team leverages Static Analysis Security Testing (SAST) tools to analyze the codes. It allows you to identify any mismatch in the coding. In this way, you can avoid importing any third-party materials that are mostly not secure.

Your security team can rectify the issue before sending the source code. Automation of manual tasks becomes more effortless. However, make sure that the SAST tools are compatible with the code’s programming language.

Analysis of Source Code Commitment

With DevSecOps, these checks apply whenever you execute any changes within the code repository. The automated security tests will give you a quick result of which changes are necessary. By implementing this analysis, you can create essential processes that secure the CI/CD pipelines with regular security checks.

Additionally, it assists you in resolving any issues that are potentially risky to your projects. You may apply the SAST tools according to the application type. It helps you prioritize the gravest security issues within your applications.

You can also take up extra measures to secure CI/CD pipelines. You may use the results from these automated results to identify the vulnerable areas. With the help of this analysis, ensure to make the required changes in the coding styles to prevent similar security issues.

Advanced Security Tests

Advanced checks can help secure CI/CD pipelines. You can use them when the SAST tools prove to be incompatible with the codes. Failure of unit tests also calls for advanced security tests.

These tests detect vulnerabilities immediately. It buys you enough time to resolve the issue without hampering your overall productivity. It is best to schedule running advanced security tests automatically.

The analysis usually includes the following:

  • Threat detection from the source
  • Security tests for risk-detection
  • Enabling secure transfers to the repositories

Evaluate Micro-Services

CI/CD is not an omni-service. It comprises several micro-services. It is essential to evaluate these micro-services to locate any security threats. You can evaluate each of them to check if it has adequate and appropriate security controls.

Ensure to understand these microservices to know if they are capable of introducing any security flaws. This step helps you to reduce the overall security risks.

Another effective method is to put on the attacker’s hat and think like them for a moment. It allows you to detect any vulnerable areas that make it easier to break into your systems.

You can start by pondering over the below questions:

  • Are the credentials accessible and viewable in plaintext?
  • Can anonymous developers receive easy permissions to run codes on your projects?
  • Can anyone view sensitive variables of your projects?
  • Is the infrastructure easily susceptible to attacks?
  • Can anonymous developers delete data from your projects with ease?
  • Which of your services do CI/CD trust and use?
  • Can you exploit any of the bugs within the CI/CD to enter into your software?
  • Is it easy for attackers to check in their malicious codes?

Identify Compromising Credentials

There could be instances of human error when dealing with credentials and other secrets within the CI/CD pipelines. It can lead to incompatibilities and unchecked exposure. You can use the automated security tests of DevSecOps to scan them regularly.

It allows you to identify any credentials that were unintentionally committed to the wrong code repository. Such timely identification can help you to avoid the hassle that it can cause within your workflow.

You can also identify other vulnerabilities caused by the exposure to various code infrastructures and libraries.

Since your infrastructure and software get access to several resources in the CI/CD pipelines, it faces security risks. With DevSecOps, you can implement rigorous security measures into it. Discovering and resolving any vulnerability becomes easier when you secure CI/CD pipelines with DevSecOps.