Cybersecurity Alert: New Vulnerabilities in Infrastructure-as-Code Tools Exposed
Recent disclosures from cybersecurity researchers reveal alarming vulnerabilities in infrastructure-as-code (IaC) and policy-as-code (PaC) tools, specifically targeting HashiCorp’s Terraform and Styra’s Open Policy Agent (OPA). These findings suggest that attackers are leveraging specialized domain-specific languages (DSLs) to infiltrate cloud platforms and exfiltrate sensitive data, raising significant concerns for organizations that utilize these technologies.
Shelly Raban, a senior security researcher at Tenable, highlighted that while DSLs are designed with enhanced security in mind, they are not infallible. In a technical report released last week, she emphasized that “more secure does not mean bulletproof,” noting the potential for abuse if these tools are not properly safeguarded.
OPA is widely employed as an open-source policy engine, enabling organizations to enforce governance across cloud-native environments such as microservices, CI/CD pipelines, and Kubernetes clusters. Policies within OPA are expressed using a query language called Rego, which the engine evaluates to determine compliance and make critical decisions.
The newly identified attack method primarily focuses on the supply chain. Attackers could exploit a compromised access key to introduce malicious Rego policies into an OPA server. Such policies could facilitate unauthorized activities during the policy decision-making phase, including credential theft enabled by a built-in function called “http.send.”
Even in scenarios where the use of http.send is restricted, researchers noted an alternate route through a function dubbed “net.lookup_ip_addr,” which could enable data exfiltration via DNS tunneling. Raban urged organizations to consider curtailing access to such functions as part of broader security protocols.
Similarly, Terraform presents its own set of risks. The IaC tool is designed to streamline the configuration and management of cloud resources through code-based definitions, leveraging its own DSL called HashiCorp Configuration Language (HCL). Attackers can potentially exploit the “terraform plan” command, which is frequently invoked in GitHub pull_request workflows, to implement unapproved changes containing malicious data sources during the continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) process.
Tenable researchers warned that this scenario significantly lowers the entry barriers for attackers. Whether from an exposed public repository or a compromised private one, both external and malicious internal actors could take advantage of unvetted pull requests to execute their nefarious agendas.
The potential sources for compromised data include rogue external data sources, Terraform modules from public or private registries, and various DNS data sources, which necessitates stringent validation of third-party components. To further mitigate these risks, organizations are advised to implement robust role-based access control (RBAC) along with application and cloud-level logging for comprehensive monitoring, all while adhering to the principle of least privilege.
Despite these challenges, deploying IaC scanning tools and solutions like Terrascan and Checkov can enable organizations to identify misconfigurations and compliance issues before deployment, enhancing overall security posture.
In addressing the vulnerabilities, business leaders must recognize the interplay between technology and risk. As cloud infrastructures become increasingly complex, the necessity for heightened vigilance and proactive measures against potential cyber threats has never been more critical.
