terrascan - Enhancing Infrastructure Security through Static Code Analysis

Introduction to Terrascan

Terrascan is an open-source tool designed to enhance security for Infrastructure as Code (IaC). It functions as a static code analyzer, which means it checks code to ensure it follows security best practices and remains free of vulnerabilities before deployment. Developed by Tenable, Terrascan is equipped to handle various IaC frameworks and can be integrated into continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines for automated security checks.

What Terrascan Does

Terrascan's primary functions are:

Misconfiguration Detection: It scans and identifies any configuration errors in cloud infrastructure codes that could lead to security vulnerabilities.
Posture Monitoring: Terrascan monitors deployed cloud infrastructure to detect and address configuration changes that might compromise security posture.
Violation and Vulnerability Detection: It identifies both security vulnerabilities and compliance violations to mitigate risks before deploying infrastructure.
Flexibility in Usage: Users can run Terrascan locally or integrate it with their CI/CD systems to secure infrastructure throughout the development lifecycle.

Key Features

Terrascan offers a plethora of features to cater to diverse security needs:

Comprehensive Policy Library: With over 500 policies, it adheres to industry best practices for security.
Wide Range of Supported Formats: The tool scans Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, Azure Resource Manager, Kubernetes (including Helm and Kustomize), and Dockerfiles.
Cloud Provider Support: It supports AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, Dockerfile, and GitHub, ensuring broad applicability.
Docker Image Vulnerability Scanning: Terrascan can integrate with vulnerability scanners for registries like AWS, Azure, GCP, and Harbor.

Getting Started with Terrascan

Installation

Terrascan can be installed in several ways:

As a native executable using curl for different operating systems.
Via the ArchLinux / Manjaro AUR.
Using brew on macOS.
Through a Docker image for containerization.

Scanning Code

To scan a codebase, users simply execute the terrascan scan command. The tool will then check for any security issues, automatically exiting with a code indicating the result of the scan—whether no issues were found, there are errors, or violations exist.

CI/CD Integration

Terrascan can be seamlessly integrated into CI/CD pipelines, thus enforcing security checks at every stage of development and deployment. Comprehensive documentation is available to guide users through the integration process.

Customizing Scans

Terrascan offers customization options to tailor scans according to specific needs:

Policy Exclusion: Users can exclude particular policies during scans by annotating the IaC files.
Resource-Specific Policies: It allows specifying which resources to include or exclude in scans for more granular control.

Development and Contribution

Developers interested in contributing to Terrascan can build the project locally using Go and gcc. They are encouraged to follow the contributing guide and the project's code of conduct, fostering an open and welcoming community.

Licensing

Terrascan is released under the Apache 2.0 License, allowing for free use and modification by the community.

In summary, Terrascan is a vital tool for proactive security management of Infrastructure as Code, offering powerful functionality and flexibility to safeguard cloud infrastructures.