This document explains the security analysis tools integrated into the project's CI/CD pipeline.

The project uses multiple Python-native security tools to provide comprehensive security analysis:

• Static Code Analysis: Find security vulnerabilities in source code
• Dependency Scanning: Check for known vulnerabilities in dependencies
• Security Pattern Detection: Identify security anti-patterns and misconfigurations
• Code Quality Security: Additional security-focused code quality checks

Purpose: Static security analysis for Python code

What it finds:

• Hardcoded passwords, API keys, SQL injection vulnerabilities
• Use of insecure cryptographic functions
• Shell injection vulnerabilities
• Path traversal issues
• Insecure random number generation

Configuration: pyproject.toml and .bandit

Purpose: Dependency vulnerability scanning

What it finds:

• Known CVE vulnerabilities in Python packages
• Outdated packages with security fixes
• Packages with known security advisories

Data source: PyUp.io vulnerability database

Purpose: Advanced security pattern analysis

What it finds:

• OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities
• Framework-specific security issues (Flask, SQLAlchemy)
• Custom security patterns
• Secret detection (API keys, tokens)

Configuration: .semgrepignore

Purpose: Code quality with security focus

What it finds:

• Security-related code smells
• Potential security issues in code structure
• Best practice violations

• Runs on every pull request
• Includes basic security as part of code quality
• Fast feedback for developers

• Comprehensive security analysis
• Runs on push to main and PRs
• Weekly scheduled scans
• Generates detailed security reports
• Posts security summaries to PRs

Security analysis generates several types of reports:

• bandit-report.json/txt - Detailed security issues
• safety-report.json/txt - Vulnerability findings
• semgrep-report.json/txt - Security patterns
• pylint-security.json/txt - Code quality security issues
• security-summary.md - Executive summary

Automated comments on pull requests include:

• Total security issues found
• Summary by tool
• Links to detailed reports
• Recommendations for fixes

Central configuration for most tools:

[tool.bandit]
exclude_dirs = [".venv", "tests"]
skips = ["B101"]  # Allow assert in tests

[tool.black]
line-length = 88

[tool.isort]
profile = "black"

Additional Bandit-specific configuration for complex scenarios.

Patterns to exclude from Semgrep scanning:

.venv/
tests/
__pycache__/

1. Review security comments on PRs before merging
2. Fix critical issues identified by security tools
3. Update dependencies regularly to get security fixes
4. Follow secure coding practices to prevent common vulnerabilities

1. Monitor security reports from scheduled scans
2. Triage vulnerabilities by severity and exploitability
3. Update security tool configurations as needed
4. Review and approve security-related changes

If a security tool reports a false positive:

1. Verify it's actually a false positive
2. Add appropriate exclusions to configuration files
3. Document the reasoning in commit messages

If security tools fail:

1. Check the workflow logs for specific errors
2. Verify tool configurations are valid
3. Update tool versions if needed
4. Tools are configured with || true to not break builds

If security scans are too slow:

1. Review file exclusion patterns
2. Consider running full scans only on schedule
3. Optimize Semgrep rule sets

To run security tools locally:

# Install tools
pip install bandit safety semgrep pylint

# Run individual tools
bandit -r app/
safety check
semgrep --config=auto app/
pylint app/ --load-plugins=pylint.extensions.security

The security pipeline tracks:

• Total vulnerabilities found by severity
• Trend analysis over time
• Mean time to resolution for security issues
• Coverage of security analysis

• Bandit Documentation
• Safety Documentation
• Semgrep Documentation
• OWASP Top 10
• Python Security Best Practices