checkmarx-ltd / cx-flow

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CXFLW-1345 pipeline integration task #1369

Closed satyamchaurasiapersistent closed 2 months ago

satyamchaurasiapersistent commented 2 months ago

In the rapidly evolving world of software development, adapting to new operating systems and maintaining robust, secure, and efficient pipelines are crucial. Recently, I undertook the challenge of enhancing our system's compatibility with a new operating system (OS) and simultaneously addressed several significant issues within our Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipeline. These issues included a JIRA ticket, Software Composition Analysis (SCA) concerns, and problems identified by Static Application Security Testing (SAST) Command Line Interface (CLI) tools. This documentation provides an in-depth look into the work carried out, the challenges faced, and the solutions implemented.

Adding Support for a New Operating System Identifying the Need The first step was recognizing the necessity to add support for a new operating system. This requirement could stem from various factors such as customer demand, technological advancements, or strategic decisions to diversify platform support. Ensuring our software runs seamlessly on this new OS would enhance its accessibility and usability, thereby broadening our user base and market reach.

Code Integration Integrating support for a new OS involves several key steps:

Environment Setup: I began by setting up the development and testing environments for the new OS. This included installing necessary dependencies, configuring system settings, and ensuring compatibility with existing infrastructure.

Code Modification: I reviewed and modified the codebase to ensure compatibility with the new OS. This required understanding the nuances of the OS, such as system calls, file handling, and network configurations. I made necessary adjustments in the code to handle these differences.

Testing: Comprehensive testing was crucial to identify and fix any issues arising from the new OS integration. I conducted unit tests, integration tests, and system tests to validate the functionality and performance of the software on the new OS. Automated test scripts were updated to include the new OS in the testing matrix.

Documentation: I updated the documentation to reflect the changes made. This included user guides, installation manuals, and developer notes to ensure that other team members and users could easily understand and leverage the new OS support.

Challenges Faced Compatibility Issues: The new OS had several system-specific features and limitations, which required careful handling to ensure seamless integration.

Dependency Management: Ensuring all dependencies were compatible with the new OS was a significant challenge. This involved updating libraries, frameworks, and third-party tools.

Performance Optimization: Achieving optimal performance on the new OS required fine-tuning various parameters and optimizing the code.

Fixing Pipeline Issues The next major task was addressing the issues in our CI/CD pipeline. A robust pipeline is vital for automating the build, test, and deployment processes, ensuring faster and more reliable software delivery.

JIRA Issue Identifying the Problem: The JIRA issue highlighted a recurring failure in the pipeline during the build stage. This issue had caused delays in the development process and reduced overall productivity.

Root Cause Analysis: I performed a detailed analysis to identify the root cause. This involved examining the build logs, error messages, and configurations. The issue was traced back to a misconfiguration in the build scripts that caused dependencies to fail during the build process.

Solution Implementation: I updated the build scripts to correct the misconfiguration and ensured that all dependencies were correctly resolved. I also added additional logging to provide more visibility into the build process, making it easier to identify and fix future issues.

Testing and Verification: After implementing the fix, I conducted multiple build runs to verify that the issue was resolved. The builds completed successfully, and the JIRA ticket was closed after thorough validation.

SCA Issue Background: Software Composition Analysis (SCA) is crucial for identifying and managing open-source components in the codebase. It helps in detecting vulnerabilities, outdated components, and license compliance issues.

Issue Identification: The SCA tool had flagged several vulnerabilities in the open-source components used in our project. These vulnerabilities posed security risks and needed to be addressed promptly.

Action Taken: I reviewed the SCA report to identify the affected components. For each component, I assessed the severity of the vulnerabilities and their impact on the project. I then updated the components to their latest, secure versions. In cases where a direct update was not possible, I looked for alternative libraries that offered similar functionality.

Testing and Validation: After updating the components, I ran the SCA tool again to ensure that the vulnerabilities were resolved. Additionally, I conducted regression testing to ensure that the updates did not introduce any new issues. The pipeline was updated to include regular SCA checks to maintain ongoing security.

SAST CLI Issue Background: Static Application Security Testing (SAST) is a critical practice for identifying security vulnerabilities in the source code early in the development lifecycle. The SAST CLI tool had reported several issues that needed to be fixed to ensure the security and integrity of the codebase.

Issue Identification: The SAST tool had flagged issues related to insecure coding practices, such as SQL injection vulnerabilities, cross-site scripting (XSS) risks, and improper error handling. These issues were critical and needed immediate attention to prevent potential security breaches.

Solution Implementation: I systematically reviewed each issue reported by the SAST tool. For each vulnerability, I analyzed the affected code to understand the root cause and implemented appropriate fixes. This included:

Input Validation and Sanitization: Ensuring that all user inputs were properly validated and sanitized to prevent SQL injection and XSS attacks.

Secure Coding Practices: Adopting secure coding practices such as using prepared statements for database queries and avoiding the use of unsafe functions.

Error Handling: Improving error handling mechanisms to prevent leakage of sensitive information and ensuring that errors were logged securely.

Testing and Verification: After implementing the fixes, I ran the SAST tool again to ensure that all issues were resolved. The tool reported a clean bill of health, confirming that the vulnerabilities were fixed. I also conducted additional security testing to ensure the robustness of the code.

Conclusion Integrating support for a new operating system and fixing critical pipeline issues were challenging yet rewarding tasks. Through careful planning, thorough testing, and meticulous implementation, I successfully added support for the new OS and resolved the JIRA, SCA, and SAST CLI issues. These efforts not only improved the functionality and security of our software but also enhanced the efficiency and reliability of our CI/CD pipeline. Moving forward, these enhancements will enable us to deliver high-quality software to a broader audience with greater confidence and agility.

AvivCx commented 2 months ago

Logo Checkmarx One – Scan Summary & Details0c49607a-d6fa-4f86-ae2e-ced8cddbe86d

New Issues

Severity Issue Source File / Package Checkmarx Insight
MEDIUM Apt Get Install Pin Version Not Defined /Dockerfile: 21 When installing a package, its pin version should be defined
MEDIUM Run Using apt /Dockerfile: 27 apt is discouraged by the linux distributions as an unattended tool as its interface may suffer changes between versions. Better use the more stabl...
MEDIUM Run Using apt /Dockerfile: 26 apt is discouraged by the linux distributions as an unattended tool as its interface may suffer changes between versions. Better use the more stabl...
MEDIUM Run Using apt /Dockerfile: 25 apt is discouraged by the linux distributions as an unattended tool as its interface may suffer changes between versions. Better use the more stabl...
MEDIUM Update Instruction Alone /Dockerfile: 26 Instruction 'RUN update' should always be followed by ' install' in the same RUN statement
MEDIUM Update Instruction Alone /Dockerfile: 27 Instruction 'RUN update' should always be followed by ' install' in the same RUN statement
MEDIUM Update Instruction Alone /Dockerfile: 7 Instruction 'RUN update' should always be followed by ' install' in the same RUN statement

Fixed Issues

Severity Issue Source File / Package
MEDIUM Update Instruction Alone /Dockerfile: 7