Nothing comes without drawbacks; Github Advanced Security is no exception. Although GitHub is the largest source code management system and offers enormous privacy and security facilities, hackers have cracked the code to breach it all.
No worries, we have curated a guide to the reasons and solutions for the cybersecurity faults in your GitHub code.
Existence of vulnerabilities
Cybersecurity faults can come in two forms:
- Due to an internal security error
- Due to developers negligence
GitHub caters to 50 million developers and 60 million repositories every day. Being a distributor source code control system with server access only, every GitHub user has a copy of a repository present on the platform, which gives them ample time and external tools to infringe the files and secrets on hacker platforms.
Since GitHub is an open-source platform, there are no verification barriers. Although tools like GitLab, Bitbucket provide user authentication, results have not assured a security check.
Solutions to the cybersecurity faults
The top three cybersecurity faults of GitHub code are listed below.
1. Precarious directories:
The [(brand name). git/config] files are the most cited victims of a phishing attack. People assume that private repositories are safest, but they ignore the fact that this is an open secret.
All daughter codes rooted in the source private repository act as a point of access in case of a contravention. This leads to the compromise of metadata that encompasses confidential secret API keys and login information. CircleCI faced a similar security breach in 2019, which publicized all its customer credentials.
Recommendation: Always save crucial files in the .gitignore extension and consider deploying two-factor authentication.
2. Unreliable scanning system:
SDLC scanning capabilities of GitHub are restricted to the post-received phase only, thus, giving space to errors for persisting in the software in the initial phases. This is one of the main reasons for the existence of bugs in apps after going live.
The code reviews are not trustworthy because they only scan the current and previous source codes, leaving behind the parent codes. So those leftover loopholes can be an entry point for hackers to infect and misuse the stored secrets.
Recommendation: GitGuardian offers automated scanning in all pre-commit, pre-push, pre-receive, post-receive, and full history scans, enabling 360-degree inspection of the source code.
It scrutinizes by digging deep into the secret codes on public and private repositories. The efficient incident lifecycle management enables whitelisting and a unified resolution for errors of the same kind, saving time and power.
3. Unencrypted storage of secret keys
You may be assured by the GitHub developers that all routes of messaging are safe for the transfer of information and secrets but, never underestimate the technological methods of uncovering the dead ends.
Lack of reporting and inefficient implementation of secret detection API adds to the instability of the code.
Recommendation: The gitsecret tools encrypts every information throughout its transferral route, making it difficult for hackers to trail back. The GitGuardian API detects code breaks in all kinds of text files, ranging from Slacks to Jira tickets.
The availability of more than 200 support providers and paranoid mode enhances the core detection capabilities of the GitGuardian.