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Cloud Security Podcast

Is your CI/CD Pipeline your Biggest Security Risk?

Sep 13, 2024
Mike Ruth, a Senior Staff Security Engineer at Rippling, discusses the hidden vulnerabilities in CI/CD pipelines during a live segment from BlackHat 2024. He reveals how tools like GitHub Actions and Terraform can pose serious security risks, such as bypassing code reviews and unauthorized command execution. Mike emphasizes the importance of granular access control and offers actionable strategies to mitigate these vulnerabilities, enhancing security in cloud environments and safeguarding against insider and external threats.
29:55

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The podcast emphasizes that CI/CD tools like GitHub Actions can inadvertently allow unauthorized changes, posing serious security risks due to insufficient code review processes.
  • It highlights the necessity for granular access control and mitigation strategies, such as branch affinities and push rule sets, to strengthen CI/CD pipeline security.

Deep dives

Understanding GitHub Actions and Security Gaps

The discussion highlights the significant gaps in security practices when using GitHub Actions, especially regarding how secrets and configurations are managed within repositories. The ability to modify configuration files through pull requests without necessary oversight poses risks, as unauthorized changes can lead to potential exploitation. It is noted that many users operate under the assumption that code review adequately secures their actions, neglecting the reality that changes can be made without thorough checks. This leads to vulnerabilities, as anyone with access to push PRs can inadvertently or maliciously alter vital configuration, making it crucial to establish safeguards.

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