Security Scanning with GitHub Actions

1. Introduction

Security scanning is an essential practice in DevSecOps that helps identify vulnerabilities in your codebase automatically. Integrating security scanning into your CI/CD pipeline using GitHub Actions ensures that your code is continuously monitored for security issues.

2. Key Concepts

2.1 Definitions

• Security Scanning: The process of identifying vulnerabilities in software applications.
• GitHub Actions: A CI/CD service that allows you to automate your workflows directly in your GitHub repository.
• DevSecOps: An approach that integrates security into the DevOps process.

2.2 Types of Security Scanning

• Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
• Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
• Software Composition Analysis (SCA)

3. Setting Up Security Scanning

3.1 Prerequisites

• A GitHub repository.
• Basic knowledge of GitHub Actions.
• Access to a security scanning tool (e.g., Snyk, Trivy, or SonarQube).

3.2 Step-by-Step Setup

Step 1: Create a GitHub Action Workflow

Create a new YAML file in the `.github/workflows` directory of your repository.

name: Security Scanning

on: [push, pull_request]

jobs:
  security-scan:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout Code
        uses: actions/checkout@v2

      - name: Run Snyk to check for vulnerabilities
        uses: snyk/actions/github-action@v1
        env:
          SNYK_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.SNYK_TOKEN }}
        with:
          args: test

Step 2: Configure the Security Tool

Integrate your chosen security tool with GitHub Actions. Ensure that necessary tokens or credentials are stored securely in GitHub Secrets.

Step 3: Run the Workflow

Push your changes to the repository to trigger the workflow and view results in the Actions tab.

4. Best Practices

• Run security scans on each pull request to catch vulnerabilities before merging.
• Regularly update the security scanning tool to leverage the latest vulnerability databases.
• Monitor and address alerts generated by the security scans promptly.
• Incorporate security training for developers to enhance awareness of common vulnerabilities.

5. FAQ