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GitHub Actions Runtime Security - Detect File Tampering

For examples of real-world incidents in which files have been tampered during the build and release process in CI/CD pipelines, refer to Tampering of source code or artifacts during build

"Implement endpoint detection and response (EDR) tools" in CISA/NSA guide: EDR tools provide a high degree of visibility into the security status of endpoints and can help effectively protect against MCAs.

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Tutorials

  1. Detect File Tampering (GitHub-Hosted Runner)
  2. Detect File Tampering (Actions Runner Controller)
  3. Detect File Tampering (Self-Hosted VM Runners e.g. on EC2)

Detect File Tampering (GitHub-Hosted Runner)

In this tutorial, you will use the step-security/harden-runner GitHub Action to detect file tampering on the build server in a GitHub Actions workflow.

File Monitoring without Harden-Runner

Without Harden-Runner, you have no visibility into what files are overwritten during a workflow run.

  1. Go to the Actions tab and run the Hosted: File Monitoring without Harden-Runner workflow.
  2. Check out the build logs. From the build logs you see that a package was installed and a docker image was built and published.

As we will see next, one of these steps is overwritting a file, but you cannot know that without file monitoring.

File Monitoring with Harden-Runner

  1. Go to the Actions tab and run the Hosted: File Monitoring with Harden-Runner workflow.

  2. View the workflow hosted-network-monitoring-hr.yml file.

  3. step-security/harden-runner GitHub Action is used as the first step in the job.

  4. After the workflow completes, check out the build logs. In the Harden-Runner step, you will see a link to security insights and recommendations.

  5. Click the link and you will see the npm install step is overwritting the index.js file, which is not expected.

  6. You can install the StepSecurity Actions Security GitHub App to get notified via email or Slack when a source code file is overwritten in your workflow.

Detect File Tampering (Actions Runner Controller)

Actions Runner Controller (ARC) is a Kubernetes operator that orchestrates and scales self-hosted runners for GitHub Actions.

  • Rather than incorporating the HardenRunner GitHub Action into each individual workflow, you install the ARC-Harden-Runner daemonset on your Kubernetes cluster.

Please email us at support@stepsecurity.io for instructions on how to install the ARC-Harden-Runner daemonset on your Kubernetes cluster.

  • Upon installation, the ARC-Harden-Runner daemonset constantly monitors file events and correlates them with each step of the workflow.

  • You can access security insights and runtime detections under the Runtime Security tab in your dashboard

For a demo of a workflow running on ARC with Harden Runner integrated, follow this tutorial:

File Monitoring

  1. View this workflow file: https://github.com/step-security/github-actions-goat/blob/main/.github/workflows/arc-solarwinds-simulation.yml

    Notice that harden-runner Action is not added to this workflow, and that this workflow runs on a self-hosted runner.

  2. Check out an example run of this workflow here: https://github.com/step-security/github-actions-goat/actions/runs/6285439163

  3. Visit the workflow insights for this run here: https://app.stepsecurity.io/github/step-security/github-actions-goat/actions/runs/6285439163

    You can see that the file overwrite event is detected, without the need to add harden-runner to each job.

Detect File Tampering (Self-Hosted VM Runners e.g. on EC2)

  • Instead of adding the Harden-Runner GitHub Action in each workflow, you'll need to install the Harden-Runner agent on your runner image (e.g. AMI). This is typically done using packer.

Please email support@stepsecurity.io for instructions on how to install the Harden-Runner agent on your runner image. This agent is different than the one used for GitHub-hosted runners.

  • The Harden-Runner agent monitors file events and correlates them with each step of the workflow.

  • Both ephemeral and persistent VM runners are supported.

  • You can access security insights and runtime detections under the Runtime Security tab in your dashboard.

For a demo of a workflow running on self-hosted EC2 with Harden Runner integrated, follow this tutorial:

File Monitoring

  1. View this workflow file: https://github.com/step-security/github-actions-goat/blob/main/.github/workflows/self-hosted-file-monitor-with-hr.yml

    Notice that harden-runner Action is not added to this workflow, and that this workflow runs on a self-hosted runner.

  2. Check out an example run of this workflow here: https://github.com/step-security/github-actions-goat/actions/runs/6388842742

  3. Visit the workflow insights for this run here: https://app.stepsecurity.io/github/step-security/github-actions-goat/actions/runs/6388842742

    You can see that the file overwrite event is detected, without the need to add harden-runner to each job.