What is IaC Scanning?

IaC scanning refers to the process of automatically analyzing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) templates for security vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and potential compliance issues. IaC, like Terraform or CloudFormation, defines infrastructure using code, allowing for automated provisioning and configuration management. IaC scanning helps ensure that the infrastructure deployed from these templates is secure and adheres to best practices.

Benefits of Implementing IaC Scanning:

• Improved Security Posture: By identifying security vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in IaC templates, IaC scanning helps prevent these issues from being deployed into production environments.
• Enhanced Compliance: IaC scanning can help organizations ensure their IaC templates comply with internal security policies and external regulations.
• Early Detection and Remediation: IaC scanning allows for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations to be identified early in the development process, before they can cause problems in production.
• Reduced Risk of Downtime: By proactively addressing security issues, IaC scanning can help prevent security incidents that could lead to system downtime.
• Faster Infrastructure Provisioning: Automated IaC scanning can streamline the infrastructure provisioning process by identifying issues early, reducing the need for manual review and rework.

Use Cases of IaC Scanning:

• Identifying Security Vulnerabilities: IaC scanning tools can detect vulnerabilities in infrastructure configurations defined within IaC templates. This could include insecure access controls, open ports, or outdated software versions.
• Checking for Misconfigurations: IaC scanning can identify misconfigurations in IaC templates that could lead to security risks or operational problems. This might include incorrect resource settings or improper access permissions.
• Enforcing Compliance: IaC scanning can help organizations ensure their IaC templates adhere to internal security policies and external compliance regulations. For example, scanning could identify templates that violate data privacy regulations.
• Shifting Left Security: IaC scanning allows security considerations to be integrated earlier in the development lifecycle, promoting a “shift left” security approach where security is addressed from the beginning.
• Continuous Monitoring: IaC scanning can be integrated into the CI/CD pipeline to ensure security and compliance throughout the infrastructure provisioning process.

List of Tools and Services for IaC Scanning (Including Open-Source Tools):

• Aqua Security CloudSploit: A popular IaC scanning tool that identifies security vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and compliance issues in IaC templates.
• Terraform Cloud with Terraform Enterprise: Terraform Cloud, the paid version of Terraform, offers built-in IaC scanning capabilities for security and compliance checks.
• Cloud Conformity: A cloud security platform that provides IaC scanning for various cloud providers, identifying security risks and compliance violations.
• Snyk IaC scan: Snyk offers IaC scanning as part of its cloud native application security platform, detecting vulnerabilities in IaC templates.
• Open-Source Tools:
  • Checkov: A popular open-source IaC scanning tool that identifies security vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in IaC templates for multiple cloud providers.
  • Trivy: An open-source tool that can scan IaC templates for vulnerabilities in container images and infrastructure configurations.
  • TFSec: Another open-source tool specifically designed for scanning Terraform configurations for security vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.

List of Tools and Services for IaC Scanning including Open Source Tools

Several tools are available for IaC scanning, each offering unique features tailored to different needs:

• Checkov: An open-source tool that specializes in identifying misconfigurations in Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, among other IaC frameworks. It provides a comprehensive library of policies for best practices and compliance​ (Geekflare)​.
• Tfsec: Another open-source tool focused on scanning Terraform code. It is known for its speed and simplicity, providing rapid feedback on security issues​ (Geekflare)​.
• Terrascan: Supports multiple IaC platforms and enforces compliance policies across cloud platforms. It is also open-source and can be extended with custom policies using the Open Policy Agent (OPA)​ (Geekflare)​.
• CloudDefense.AI: A commercial tool that offers an automated IaC security scanning to keep DevOps workflows safe and integrates seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines​ (CloudDefense.AI)​.
• Trivy: Known for its versatility, Trivy scans not only IaC configurations but also containers and other software dependencies for vulnerabilities​ (Hackernoon)​.