{"id":97154,"date":"2024-08-06T06:23:11","date_gmt":"2024-08-06T06:23:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.checkmarx.com\/?post_type=learn&p=97154"},"modified":"2024-11-11T12:56:54","modified_gmt":"2024-11-11T12:56:54","slug":"iac-security-best-practices-how-to-secure-infrastructure-as-code","status":"publish","type":"learn","link":"https:\/\/checkmarx.com\/learn\/iac-security\/iac-security-best-practices-how-to-secure-infrastructure-as-code\/","title":{"rendered":"Iac Security Best Practices – how to secure infrastructure as code"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is IaC Security?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

IaC (Infrastructure as Code) is the management and provisioning of IT infrastructure through code, rather than through manual processes. It is about using scripts to set up, provision and manage hardware, operating systems, configurations, Kubernetes clusters, third-party services and more. With IaC, developers can automate processes, track versions and reuse code. This results in higher scalability and efficiency.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"IaC<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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However, IaC brings new security challenges. These include misconfigurations, poor handling of Secrets, drift, unauthorized access, vulnerabilities and more. IaC security is the practice of securing the IaC codebase and the resources managed using IaC, to prevent breaches.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Implement Infrastructure as Code<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are two primary methods for developing IaC, according to infrastructure as code principles:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. \n Declarative (Functional) Configuration<\/b> – Specifying the desired state of infrastructure without explicitly listing the steps to achieve it. It’s about defining the end goal, like how many servers should run, which applications should be installed, or which services should be active. Then, the underlying system or tool is responsible for figuring out how to achieve that state. This approach often simplifies management and interpretation of IaC configurations. Popular tools that support this approach include Terraform, AWS CloudFormation and Kubernetes configuration files.<\/span>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. \n Imperative (Procedural) Configuration <\/b>– Specifying the sequence of commands or actions to reach the desired state. It\u2019s about detailing the ‘how’ and providing a step-by-step guide for setting up the infrastructure. This method offers more control over the provisioning process but can become complex, especially in large environments or when changes to the infrastructure are frequent. Ansible, Chef and Puppet are examples of tools that can be used for imperative IaC.<\/span>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Common Infrastructure as Code Risks<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    IaC offers developer productivity benefits, but also security risks. These include:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n