Guide to DevSecOps

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Firefighting: Incident Response and Prevention ​

This guide provides practical scenarios for handling common DevSecOps incidents. Each scenario outlines immediate response steps, actions to contain and eradicate the issue, and preventative measures for the future.

Core Principles of DevSecOps Incident Response ​

  • Preparation: Have an incident response plan (IRP) in place. Know roles, responsibilities, and communication channels.
  • Identification: Quickly detect and validate the incident.
  • Containment: Limit the scope and impact of the incident. Isolate affected systems.
  • Eradication: Remove the root cause of the incident.
  • Recovery: Restore affected systems and services to normal operation.
  • Lessons Learned (Post-Mortem): Analyze the incident to improve defenses and processes. This is crucial for prevention.

Firefighting Scenarios ​

Here are common DevSecOps incidents and how to approach them:

Scenario 1: Active Production Vulnerability Exploit (e.g., Log4Shell, SQL Injection) ​

  • Immediate Response (First 5-30 minutes):
    1. Confirm Exploit: Verify the exploit is active and not a false positive. Check logs (WAF, IDS/IPS, application logs, server logs).
    2. Isolate Affected Systems: If possible, take the affected application/service offline or restrict access (e.g., block offending IPs, restrict to internal IPs).
    3. Notify Stakeholders: Alert the incident response team, security team, relevant developers, and operations.
    4. Gather Initial Data: Collect logs, network traffic captures, and any immediate indicators of compromise (IoCs).
  • Handling & Avoiding Further Issues (Containment & Eradication):
    1. Patch/Mitigate:
      • If a patch is available, apply it immediately to a staging environment, test, and then deploy to production.
      • If no patch, apply virtual patching (e.g., WAF rules to block exploit patterns, modify application input validation).
    2. Identify Scope: Determine the full extent of the compromise. Check for lateral movement, data exfiltration, or persistence mechanisms.
    3. Remove Attacker Access: If backdoors or compromised accounts are found, disable them.
    4. Forensic Analysis (if needed): Preserve evidence and conduct a deeper investigation if significant impact is suspected.
  • Future Prevention:
    1. Strengthen Vulnerability Management: Implement robust SAST, DAST, and SCA scanning in CI/CD. Prioritize critical vulnerabilities.
    2. Improve Patch Management: Establish clear SLAs for patching critical vulnerabilities. Automate patching where possible.
    3. Enhance WAF/RASP: Ensure WAF rules are up-to-date. Consider Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) for more granular protection.
    4. Security Training: Regularly train developers on secure coding practices and common vulnerabilities.
    5. Regular Penetration Testing: Conduct periodic penetration tests to proactively find and fix such vulnerabilities.

Scenario 2: Hardcoded Secrets Leaked to a Public Repository ​

  • Immediate Response:
    1. Revoke Secrets: Immediately revoke the exposed credentials (API keys, passwords, tokens). This is the absolute first priority.
    2. Remove from History: Remove the secret from the Git history. This is complex and may involve git filter-repo or BFG Repo-Cleaner. Caution: This rewrites history and can be disruptive.
    3. Verify Revocation: Confirm that the revoked secrets no longer grant access.
  • Handling & Avoiding Further Issues:
    1. Audit Access: Check logs for any unauthorized access using the leaked credentials.
    2. Rotate Related Secrets: If the leaked secret could grant access to other systems or secrets, rotate those as well.
    3. Communicate: Inform relevant teams about the leak and the actions taken.
  • Future Prevention:
    1. Secrets Scanning: Implement pre-commit hooks (e.g., git-secrets, trufflehog) and CI pipeline scans to detect secrets before they reach repositories.
    2. Secrets Management: Use a dedicated secrets management solution (e.g., HashiCorp Vault, Azure Key Vault, AWS Secrets Manager).
    3. Developer Training: Educate developers on the dangers of hardcoding secrets and how to use secrets management tools.
    4. Principle of Least Privilege: Ensure API keys and service accounts have only the minimum necessary permissions.

Scenario 3: Denial of Service (DoS/DDoS) Attack Overwhelming Services ​

  • Immediate Response:
    1. Identify Attack Type: Determine if it's a volumetric, protocol, or application-layer attack. Check network traffic, server load, and WAF logs.
    2. Engage DDoS Mitigation Provider: If you have one (e.g., Cloudflare, AWS Shield, Azure DDoS Protection), ensure it's active or escalate to them.
    3. Rate Limiting/Blocking: Implement or tighten rate limiting. Block known malicious IPs or IP ranges at the firewall or WAF.
  • Handling & Avoiding Further Issues:
    1. Scale Resources (if applicable): Temporarily scale up resources if the attack is volumetric and your architecture supports it (be mindful of cost).
    2. Traffic Scrubbing: Route traffic through scrubbing centers if available.
    3. Analyze Traffic Patterns: Identify characteristics of the attack traffic to refine blocking rules.
  • Future Prevention:
    1. DDoS Mitigation Service: Subscribe to and properly configure a DDoS mitigation service.
    2. Robust Network Architecture: Design for resilience (e.g., load balancers, auto-scaling, CDNs).
    3. Rate Limiting & Throttling: Implement robust rate limiting at various layers (API gateway, load balancer, application).
    4. WAF Configuration: Use WAF to block common DoS attack vectors and bot traffic.
    5. Incident Response Playbook: Have a specific playbook for DDoS attacks.

Scenario 4: Ransomware Attack on Development/Staging Systems ​

  • Immediate Response:
    1. Isolate Affected Systems: Immediately disconnect infected machines from the network (unplug Ethernet, disable Wi-Fi) to prevent spread.
    2. Identify Ransomware Strain: If possible, identify the type of ransomware to understand its behavior and potential decryptors (though relying on public decryptors is rare for new strains).
    3. Notify Security Team & Leadership: Escalate immediately.
    4. Do NOT Pay Ransom (General Advice): Follow organizational policy. Paying doesn't guarantee data recovery and funds criminal activity.
  • Handling & Avoiding Further Issues:
    1. Preserve Evidence: Take forensic images of affected systems if required for investigation.
    2. Restore from Backups: Identify the last known good backup and begin restoration to clean, isolated hardware or VMs.
    3. Identify Attack Vector: Determine how the ransomware entered (e.g., phishing email, vulnerable software, compromised credentials).
    4. Scan Entire Environment: Scan all other systems for signs of infection or the initial attack vector.
  • Future Prevention:
    1. Regular Backups & Offline Storage: Implement robust, frequent backup strategy. Ensure some backups are offline/immutable. Test restoration regularly.
    2. Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR): Deploy EDR solutions on all endpoints.
    3. Email Security: Use advanced email filtering to block malicious attachments and links.
    4. Patch Management: Keep OS and applications patched, especially for known exploited vulnerabilities.
    5. User Training: Educate users on phishing, malicious attachments, and safe browsing.
    6. Network Segmentation: Segment networks to limit the blast radius of an attack.

Scenario 5: CI/CD Pipeline Compromise (e.g., Malicious Code Injected into Build) ​

  • Immediate Response:
    1. Halt Pipelines: Immediately stop all CI/CD pipelines.
    2. Isolate Build Agents/Runners: Take build infrastructure offline or isolate it.
    3. Identify Scope: Determine which builds/artifacts might be affected.
  • Handling & Avoiding Further Issues:
    1. Audit Pipeline Configuration: Check for unauthorized changes to pipeline scripts, build configurations, or credentials used by the pipeline.
    2. Inspect Source Code & Artifacts: Look for malicious code injected into source control or build artifacts.
    3. Revoke Pipeline Credentials: Change any secrets or credentials used by the CI/CD system.
    4. Rebuild from Known Good State: Once the compromise is understood and eradicated, rebuild artifacts from a verified, clean version of the source code on a clean build environment.
  • Future Prevention:
    1. Secure Pipeline Configuration: Treat pipeline configurations as code (Jenkinsfile, gitlab-ci.yml, GitHub Actions workflows) and apply version control, reviews, and scanning.
    2. Least Privilege for Pipeline: Ensure the CI/CD system and its agents have only the minimum necessary permissions.
    3. Dependency Pinning & Verification: Pin dependency versions and verify their integrity (checksums).
    4. Artifact Signing & Verification: Sign build artifacts and verify signatures before deployment.
    5. Regular Audits: Periodically audit CI/CD configurations and access controls.
    6. Secure Build Agents: Harden build agent images, keep them patched, and monitor them.

Scenario 6: Sensitive Data Exposure in Logs ​

  • Immediate Response:
    1. Stop Data Ingestion (if possible): Temporarily halt logging to the affected system or modify log configurations to stop logging the sensitive data.
    2. Identify Scope: Determine what sensitive data was logged, for how long, and who had access to the logs.
    3. Restrict Access to Logs: Limit access to the logs containing sensitive data.
  • Handling & Avoiding Further Issues:
    1. Purge Sensitive Data: If feasible and compliant with data retention policies, purge the sensitive data from log files and log management systems. This can be complex and risky.
    2. Fix Logging Code: Modify application code or logging configurations to prevent sensitive data from being logged.
    3. Assess Impact: Determine if the exposure constitutes a data breach and follow breach notification procedures if necessary.
  • Future Prevention:
    1. Secure Logging Practices: Train developers on what not to log (PII, secrets, financial data).
    2. Log Masking/Scrubbing: Implement mechanisms to automatically mask or scrub sensitive data from logs before they are stored.
    3. Code Reviews & SAST: Include checks for improper logging in code reviews and SAST scans.
    4. Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Tools: Consider DLP tools that can detect sensitive data in logs.
    5. Log Access Control: Implement strict access controls and audit trails for log management systems.

Scenario 7: Misconfigured Cloud Resource Exposing Data (e.g., Public S3 Bucket) ​

  • Immediate Response:
    1. Correct Misconfiguration: Immediately change the resource configuration to private (e.g., make S3 bucket private, restrict security group).
    2. Identify Exposed Data: Determine what data was exposed and for how long.
    3. Check Access Logs: Analyze access logs for the resource to see if the data was accessed by unauthorized parties.
  • Handling & Avoiding Further Issues:
    1. Assess Impact: Determine if a data breach occurred and follow notification procedures.
    2. Scan for Other Misconfigurations: Use Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) tools or scripts to find other similar misconfigurations.
  • Future Prevention:
    1. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Scanning: Scan IaC templates (Terraform, CloudFormation) for misconfigurations before deployment using tools like checkov, tfsec.
    2. CSPM Tools: Implement CSPM tools (e.g., Azure Security Center, AWS Security Hub, Prisma Cloud) for continuous monitoring of cloud configurations.
    3. Automated Remediation: Set up automated remediation for common misconfigurations (e.g., a Lambda function to make public S3 buckets private).
    4. Principle of Least Privilege: Apply least privilege to cloud resource permissions.
    5. Regular Audits: Conduct regular audits of cloud configurations.

Scenario 8: Compromised Developer Account or Workstation ​

  • Immediate Response:
    1. Disable Account: Immediately disable the suspected compromised user account.
    2. Isolate Workstation: Disconnect the developer's workstation from the network.
    3. Revoke Sessions & Tokens: Force logout from all active sessions and revoke any access tokens associated with the account.
  • Handling & Avoiding Further Issues:
    1. Forensic Analysis: Analyze the workstation and account activity for signs of compromise, malware, and lateral movement.
    2. Password Reset: Force a password reset for the user (after the machine is cleaned).
    3. Audit Access: Review logs for actions performed by the compromised account.
    4. Clean/Reimage Workstation: Thoroughly clean or reimage the workstation.
  • Future Prevention:
    1. Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Enforce MFA for all user accounts, especially privileged ones.
    2. Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR): Deploy EDR on all developer workstations.
    3. Strong Password Policies: Enforce strong, unique passwords.
    4. Security Awareness Training: Train developers on phishing, malware, and social engineering.
    5. Principle of Least Privilege: Ensure developer accounts have only necessary permissions.
    6. Regular Workstation Patching: Keep OS and software on workstations up-to-date.

Scenario 9: Malicious Dependency Injected into a Package Manager (e.g., npm, PyPI) ​

  • Immediate Response:
    1. Identify Malicious Package: Confirm which dependency is malicious and its versions.
    2. Remove from Project: Remove the malicious package from package.json, requirements.txt, etc.
    3. Block at Network Level (if possible): If the package communicates with a C2 server, block its known domains/IPs.
    4. Audit Systems: Check systems where the package was installed/run for signs of compromise.
  • Handling & Avoiding Further Issues:
    1. Clean Build Environments: Ensure build environments are clean and rebuild applications without the malicious package.
    2. Notify Users/Customers (if affected): If the malicious package led to a compromise of user data or application integrity, notify accordingly.
    3. Report to Package Manager: Report the malicious package to the respective package manager (npm, PyPI).
  • Future Prevention:
    1. Software Composition Analysis (SCA): Use SCA tools that check for known malicious packages and typosquatting.
    2. Dependency Pinning: Pin exact versions of dependencies.
    3. Vet Dependencies: Carefully vet new dependencies, especially from less known authors. Check download counts, issues, and community feedback.
    4. Use Private Registries/Proxies: Consider using a private package registry or a proxy that can vet/cache approved packages.
    5. Sandboxing/Isolated Builds: Explore running builds in isolated environments to limit the impact of a malicious build-time script.

Scenario 10: Insider Threat (Malicious or Accidental Data Leak/Sabotage) ​

  • Immediate Response:
    1. Confirm Incident: Validate the alert or report. Gather initial evidence discreetly if malicious intent is suspected.
    2. Restrict Access: If malicious, revoke the insider's access to systems and data. If accidental, work with the user to understand and contain.
    3. Preserve Evidence: Secure logs, affected systems, and any communication records.
    4. Engage HR/Legal: Involve Human Resources and Legal departments as per organizational policy, especially for malicious incidents.
  • Handling & Avoiding Further Issues:
    1. Investigate: Conduct a thorough investigation to understand the scope, intent (if any), and impact.
    2. Data Recovery/Remediation: If data was deleted or altered, restore from backups. If data was leaked, assess the exposure.
    3. Containment: Ensure the insider can no longer cause harm.
  • Future Prevention:
    1. Principle of Least Privilege: Strictly enforce least privilege for all users.
    2. Separation of Duties: Implement separation of duties for critical tasks.
    3. User Activity Monitoring (UAM): Deploy UAM tools to monitor access to sensitive systems and data.
    4. Data Loss Prevention (DLP): Implement DLP solutions to detect and prevent unauthorized data exfiltration.
    5. Regular Access Reviews: Periodically review user access rights and remove unnecessary permissions.
    6. Security Awareness Training: Include training on data handling policies and insider threat awareness.
    7. Offboarding Process: Have a robust offboarding process that ensures timely revocation of access when an employee leaves.

Disclaimer: This guide provides general advice. Always follow your organization's specific incident response plan and consult with legal and compliance teams as necessary.