tfsec

A security scanner for Terraform configurations that identifies potential vulnerabilities through static analysis.

Multi-Cloud Open Source Self Hosted + Cloud Options
Category DevSecOps & Pipeline Security
Community Stars 6738
Last Commit 2 weeks ago
Last page update 19 days ago
Pricing Details Free and open-source.
Target Audience DevOps engineers, security professionals, and developers working with Terraform.

tfsec is designed for identifying potential vulnerabilities in Terraform configurations through static analysis. This tool integrates into CI/CD pipelines, leveraging the official HCL parser to scrutinize Terraform templates for security issues before infrastructure changes are applied.

Technically, tfsec uses a developer-friendly approach, providing detailed and documented checks that help in quick detection and remediation of security risks. It supports multiple cloud providers and platforms, including Kubernetes, and can be run locally or as part of automated workflows. The tool offers various installation methods, such as using brew, choco, scoop, or directly via Go, and can also be executed within Docker containers for added flexibility.

Operationally, tfsec can be configured to run as a GitHub Action, allowing it to scan repositories on push and pull requests, and even comment on pull requests where security checks fail. This is achieved through customizable workflows that can specify the working directory, version of tfsec, and output formats such as JSON, CSV, or SARIF. The soft_fail option allows the action to comment on failures without breaking the build.

Key considerations include the need to manage version compatibility, especially for older Terraform versions using HCL v1, where support is limited. Additionally, the extensive number of arguments and formats available for tfsec can be tailored to fit specific pipeline requirements, but this also introduces complexity in configuration and maintenance. Overall, tfsec provides robust security scanning capabilities, but its effectiveness depends on proper integration and configuration within the development workflow.

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