In June 2023, the NSA and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released a pivotal cybersecurity information bulletin addressing the increasing risks associated with CI/CD pipelines. While this bulletin provides essential guidance on mitigating vulnerabilities within CI/CD environments, bulletins from government agencies can often be viewed as overly complex. To bridge the gap between high-level recommendations and practical implementation, OpsMx offers strategies that complement these guidelines, making it easier to achieve compliance with NSA, CISA, and NIST requirements.
Understanding CI/CD Security Threats
CI/CD pipelines face numerous threats. Some of the most pressing include:
- Insecure Code: Code that contains vulnerabilities, whether introduced by developers or through third-party components.
- Poisoned Pipeline Execution: Malicious code or commands injected into the pipeline configuration, potentially compromising the entire build process.
- Insufficient Pipeline Access Controls: Weak access controls that allow unauthorized users to manipulate the pipeline.
- Insecure System Configuration: Misconfigured infrastructure and applications that open doors for attackers.
- Usage of Third-Party Services: Integrating third-party services without proper vetting can introduce vulnerabilities.
- Exposure of Secrets: Compromised credentials and secrets can lead to unauthorized access and exploitation
Key Recommendations from NSA and CISA
To mitigate these threats, NSA and CISA provide several critical recommendations:
Authentication and Access Controls
- Use NSA-recommended Cryptography: Implement strong cryptographic algorithms to protect data, APIs, and keys throughout the CI/CD pipeline. Avoid outdated or weak algorithms that can be easily compromised.
- Minimize the Use of Long-term Credentials: Opt for temporary credentials wherever possible. Use identity federation and phishing-resistant security tokens to obtain temporary keys, especially in cloud environments.
- Implement Least-privilege Policies: Restrict access based on the principle of least privilege. Ensure that only authorized personnel can access specific parts of the CI/CD pipeline. Employ role-based access control (RBAC) to manage permissions.
- Secure User Accounts: Regularly audit administrative accounts and configure access controls to adhere to the principles of least privilege and separation of duties.
Security Integration Throughout the Pipeline
- Integrate Security Scanning: Embed security scanning tools into the CI/CD pipeline. Use static application security testing (SAST) for code analysis, dynamic analysis security testing (DAST) for runtime vulnerabilities, and registry scanning for container images.
- Analyze Committed Code: Regularly review and analyze committed code using automated tools to detect potential vulnerabilities early in the development process.
- Implement Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) and Software Composition Analysis (SCA): Track all third-party and open-source components in the codebase. Use SBOM and SCA to identify and address vulnerabilities in these components.
Additional Hardening Measures
- Maintain Up-to-date Software and Operating Systems: Regularly update all development and CI/CD tools to the latest stable versions to protect against known vulnerabilities.
- Keep CI/CD Tools Up-to-date: Schedule regular updates for CI/CD tools to mitigate the risk of exploitation through known bugs and vulnerabilities.
- Remove Unnecessary Applications: Eliminate any applications that are not essential for daily operations to reduce the attack surface.
- Implement Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) Tools: Utilize EDR tools for enhanced visibility and protection against malicious activities targeting endpoints.
Complementary Strategies from OpsMx
To make the NSA and CISA recommendations more actionable, OpsMx provides practical strategies that help create an environment conducive to implementing these guidelines effectively. These strategies are designed to simplify and enhance the security of your CI/CD pipelines, making compliance more achievable.
Tame Alert Overload
Effective strategies to manage alert overload are crucial. A poor alert management system can cripple security operations, causing critical issues to be ignored due to an overwhelming number of false positives. This leads to missed security threats and undermines the ability to address any critical issues, compromising overall security efficiency promptly.
Empower Developers
Reducing the burden on developers and empowering them is essential for maintaining a secure CI/CD environment. Since CI/CD environments are primarily used by developers, integrating them into the security process is crucial.
Smooth the Shift-Left Transition
Shift-left practices integrate security measures early in the development process. However, if not implemented carefully, they can overwhelm developers and lead to security gaps later in the CI/CD pipeline. To avoid this, it’s important to streamline these practices and provide adequate support to developers. Here is a table outlining effective strategies to minimize developer burden and maximize productivity by integrating security more deeply and seamlessly into the development process.
By smoothing the shift-left transition, organizations can ensure that security practices enhance the CI/CD process without overwhelming developers or increasing the attack surface. This approach fosters a collaborative security culture and ensures robust protection throughout the software development lifecycle.
Consider Open Source
Don’t overlook the benefits of open source. There are numerous reasons to consider integrating open-source security software into your CI/CD environment. Leveraging open-source tools can significantly enhance your security posture while offering flexibility and cost savings.
Advantages of Open Source Security Software
Popular open-source tools such as SonarQube for static application security testing (SAST), OWASP ZAP for dynamic application security testing (DAST), Trivy for container scanning, and OpenVAS for vulnerability management provide comprehensive security coverage and can be integrated seamlessly into your CI/CD pipeline, ensuring your software remains secure throughout its lifecycle.
Implementing an open-source strategy enhances security and provides a scalable, cost-effective solution that aligns with the dynamic needs of modern software development. By integrating these tools, organizations can build a robust security framework that supports the NSA, CISA, and NIST guidelines, making compliance more practical and achievable.
Conclusion
While the NSA and CISA bulletin provides essential guidance for securing CI/CD pipelines, these government requirements and specifications can sometimes be overly complex or difficult to implement. It’s crucial to have an environment optimized for implementing these strategies effectively. By including OpsMx’s recommended strategies, organizations can improve the implementation process, address the gaps, and achieve a secure CI/CD environment. Our approach lets you focus on the critical details necessary for compliance and robust security.
Check out our OpsMx eBooks on NIST and ASPM strategies to learn more. Embracing these additional strategies will lead to more secure and reliable software delivery, protecting both the organization and its customers.
About Us
OpsMx is a leading innovator and thought leader in the Secure Continuous Delivery space. Leading technology companies such as Google, Cisco, Western Union, among others rely on OpsMx to ship better software faster.
OpsMx Secure CD is the industry’s first CI/CD solution designed for software supply chain security. With built-in compliance controls, automated security assessment, and policy enforcement, OpsMx Secure CD can help you deliver software quickly without sacrificing security.
OpsMx Deploy Shield adds DevSecOps to your existing CI/CD tools with application security orchestration, correlation, and posture management.
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