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security

Security & auditing

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Updated 10-16 09:47

About this skill

Security Review Skill (On-Demand)

Purpose

This document defines on-demand security review guidance for code and configuration changes. It complements the always-on secure-by-default rules defined in .github/copilot-instructions.md.

This skill applies only at development and authoring time. Runtime, host, cluster, or organizational security controls are explicitly out of scope.

Security Review Trigger Points

Load this security review skill when changes involve:

  • Authentication, session, or token logic
  • Authorization or resource ownership checks
  • Input parsing, validation, normalization, or canonicalization
  • File handling, deserialization, template rendering, or process execution
  • Logging, telemetry, secrets handling, or sensitive data paths
  • Dependency upgrades, lockfile changes, or CVE-related updates
  • Dockerfile or container base image changes
  • Docker Compose, Helm charts, or Kubernetes-related configuration
  • CI/CD workflow changes affecting build, test, release, or scanning
  • Privilege elevation, root execution, host mounts, or new Linux capabilities

AI-Generated Code Guardrails

When reviewing AI-generated changes:

  • Treat AI output as untrusted draft code until reviewed and tested
  • Verify package names, APIs, images, and tools exist and originate from trusted sources
  • Reject suggestions that bypass or disable security controls for convenience
  • Require pinned versions and lockfiles for generated dependencies; prefer integrity-verified installs when supported
  • Never accept generated code or configs that inject secrets via source files, Dockerfile ARG/ENV, or committed templates
  • Reject generated install scripts that use unchecked remote execution patterns (e.g., curl | sh) without checksum or signature verification
  • Reject generated build commands that disable TLS, certificate verification, or security checks to make builds pass
  • Apply RCI pattern: ask the AI to review its own output for security issues, then improve; repeat 1-2 iterations

Secure Code Review (OSS Context)

Apply when reviewing application logic, services, APIs, or libraries.

Input handling

  • Validate input at trust boundaries (format, type, range, length)
  • Avoid unsafe deserialization
  • Do not propagate unvalidated input across trust boundaries
  • Avoid command, query, or expression construction via string concatenation
  • Use parameterized queries for all database access

Authorization

  • Keep authorization checks server-side and close to protected actions or resources
  • Do not rely on client-side enforcement for access control

Error handling

  • Errors must not expose sensitive internal details
  • Avoid ignored return values or silent failures

Memory & resource safety (where applicable)

  • Avoid unchecked allocations and unbounded resource use
  • Ensure files, sockets, and handles are closed deterministically

Logging & telemetry

  • Do not log credentials, tokens, secrets, or PII
  • Logs should be actionable without exposing sensitive data

Dynamic execution

  • Avoid unsafe dynamic execution patterns (eval, exec, reflection, or untrusted code execution).

Dependency usage

  • Avoid shelling out when native APIs or libraries exist
  • Flag outdated, unmaintained, or suspicious dependencies
  • Prefer latest stable versions; specify exact or range-locked versions

OSS-specific review checks

  • Is externally observable security-relevant behavior documented?
  • Are assumptions and limitations stated explicitly for users?

If uncertainty exists, flag it clearly rather than guessing or assuming safety.

Container Artifact Review (Development-Time)

Apply when generating or reviewing:

  • Dockerfiles / Containerfiles
  • docker-compose.yml
  • Helm charts (templates and values)

Dockerfile

  • Avoid latest or floating tags; pin versions or digests
  • Prefer minimal base images
  • Ensure containers do not run as root
  • Avoid setuid or setgid binaries
  • Use multi-stage builds and remove build tools, package caches, and temp files from final image
  • Prefer COPY over ADD
  • Never embed secrets in ARG, ENV, or filesystem layers

Docker Compose

  • Avoid privileged: true and host networking unless explicitly justified
  • Do not mount the Docker socket
  • Restrict host filesystem mounts
  • Limit exposed ports and networks; prefer internal networks

Concerns that depend on deployment or runtime policy should be flagged as: "Deployment-time responsibility."

Helm / Kubernetes Review (Development-Time)

  • Default to runAsNonRoot: true
  • Set allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
  • Prefer read-only root filesystem where feasible
  • Drop unnecessary Linux capabilities
  • Do not template secrets directly into charts
  • Document required runtime security assumptions

Do not enforce cluster-wide, node-level, or runtime security controls.

Review Output Expectations

  • Identify which section applies (Code / Container / Helm)
  • Classify findings as:
    • Fix in artifact
    • Deployment/runtime responsibility
  • Explicitly state assumptions or uncertainty
  • Use severity levels: Critical / High / Medium / Low with confidence: High / Medium / Low
  • Include specific file/function references and recommended fixes

Security review is advisory; final decisions belong to maintainers.

Language-Specific Guidance

For language-specific secure coding patterns, refer to:

  • .github/skills/intel-secure-cpp-specifics.md — C++ secure coding practices
  • .github/skills/intel-secure-python-specifics.md — Python secure coding practices