Securing CI/CD Pipelines
Last updated
Last updated
The Challenge: Supply Chain Vulnerabilities in CI/CD
Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines are critical infrastructure for modern software development, automating the build, test, and deployment processes. However, they have also become prime targets for attackers aiming to inject malicious code, steal credentials, or otherwise compromise the software supply chain.
Common threats in CI/CD pipelines include:
Compromised Dependencies: Malicious code hidden in third-party libraries or build tools.
Build Process Manipulation: Attackers modifying build scripts or configurations to inject malware or weaken security.
Credential Theft: Stealing API keys, tokens, or service account credentials exposed during the build process.
Malicious Network Activity: Build steps making unexpected outbound connections to Command & Control (C2) servers for data exfiltration or to download further malicious payloads (e.g., crypto miners).
The Garnet Solution: Proactive Security in your Pipeline
Garnet, through its Jibril sensor and Garnet Platform, provides robust security directly within your CI/CD pipeline, particularly with its GitHub Actions integration.
Integration: Deploy Jibril seamlessly as a step in your GitHub Actions workflow (see ).
Low-Overhead Monitoring: Jibril monitors every step of the build job (dependency installation, compilation, testing, packaging) with minimal performance impact, ensuring your pipelines remain fast and efficient.
Behavioral Detection & Blocking During Build: Garnet doesn't just rely on static scanning; it observes runtime behaviors during the CI process. It can detect and actively block anomalies such as:
Unexpected Network Connections: Identifies and can block connections to suspicious IPs/domains, OAST (Out-of-Band Application Security Testing) domains, known C2 servers, or crypto mining pools. This is critical for preventing data exfiltration and malware downloads.
Suspicious Process Execution: Flags or blocks the execution of unexpected or unauthorized processes (e.g., a build tool suddenly spawning a shell or a known crypto miner).
Anomalous File Access: Detects attempts to read sensitive files (e.g., secrets, private keys) or write to unexpected locations during the build.
Actionable Alerts in Developer Workflow: Detections and alerts are surfaced directly within the GitHub environment (e.g., as PR comments) and in the Garnet Platform dashboard. This provides immediate, actionable feedback to developers, allowing them to address security issues before code is merged or deployed.
Key Advantages of Garnet for CI/CD Security:
Early Threat Prevention: By detecting and blocking threats during the CI/CD process, Garnet helps prevent compromised code from ever reaching staging or production environments. This is a crucial shift-left security practice.
Focus on Runtime Behavior: Complements static analysis security testing (SAST) by looking at what code does when it runs during the build, catching threats that static analysis might miss.
Performance: Its low-overhead nature means security doesn't come at the cost of significantly slower build times, a common concern with some CI security tools.
Automated Blocking: The ability to automatically block high-confidence threats (like connections to known C2s or execution of crypto miners) based on policy provides a strong preventative control, reducing the window of opportunity for attackers.
By integrating Garnet into your CI/CD pipelines, you significantly strengthen your software supply chain security, reducing the risk of shipping vulnerable or malicious code.