The Top 10 CI/CD Security Risks and Modern Software Engineering

CI/CD environments, processes, and systems play a critical role in modern software engineering. They facilitate the swift delivery of code from a developer’s workstation to production, enabling faster, more flexible, and diverse software delivery. With the rise of the DevOps discipline and microservice architectures, CI/CD systems and processes have reshaped the engineering ecosystem. However, this transformation has also expanded the attack surface, providing new avenues for potential attackers to exploit.

These attackers, irrespective of their level of sophistication, are increasingly targeting CI/CD environments, recognizing them as efficient paths to access an organization’s valuable assets. Consequently, there has been a notable surge in the frequency and magnitude of incidents and attack vectors focusing on exploiting vulnerabilities within the CI/CD ecosystem.

While attackers adapt their techniques to these new realities, defenders are still early in their efforts to effectively detect, understand, and manage the risks associated with CI/CD environments. Balancing optimal security with engineering velocity is a challenge, as security teams seek the most effective controls to ensure agile engineering without compromising security.

The OWASP Top 10 CI/CD Security Risks document addresses these challenges by helping defenders identify focus areas for securing their CI/CD ecosystem. It is the result of extensive research into attack vectors associated with CI/CD, and the analysis of high profile breaches and security flaws. This collaborative effort involved industry experts across multiple verticals and disciplines to ensure its relevance to today’s threat landscape, risk surface, and the challenges faced by defenders.

Top 10 CI/CD Security Risks

The following are the top 10 CI/CD security risks identified in the OWASP document:

Insufficient Flow Control Mechanisms
Inadequate Identity and Access Management
Dependency Chain Abuse
Poisoned Pipeline Execution (PPE)
Insufficient PBAC (Pipeline-Based Access Controls)
Insufficient Credential Hygiene
Insecure System Configuration
Ungoverned Usage of 3rd Party Services
Improper Artifact Integrity Validation
Insufficient Logging and Visibility

The list underscores the need for robust security measures in CI/CD environments to address these specific risks.

Modern Software Engineering and CI/CD Security

Modern software engineering heavily relies on CI/CD systems and processes, with platforms like GitHub, GitLab, and others playing a pivotal role. These platforms enable seamless integration and continuous delivery of code, empowering developers to collaborate effectively and release software at an unprecedented pace.

However, the very nature of these platforms and processes introduces security risks if not carefully managed. Hence, it is crucial for security experts, DevOps engineers, and programmers to actively engage in addressing the identified CI/CD security risks. Their collaboration and contributions are essential to creating a more secure CI/CD ecosystem.

To that end, OWASP encourages the community to get involved in addressing these critical security risks. The OWASP Top 10 CI/CD Security Risks project is open for participation and contributions, welcoming suggestions and comments from all interested parties. The project is hosted on the Top 10 CI/CD Security Risks GitHub repository, providing a platform for collaborative efforts to enhance CI/CD security.

By coming together, the community can leverage collective wisdom to enhance software security around the world, and contribute to keeping the software engineering ecosystem resilient and secure.

To learn more and get involved, visit OWASP Top 10 CI/CD Security Risks