home / skills / jwynia / agent-skills / config-scan

config-scan skill

/skills/tech/security/config-scan

This skill helps you detect security misconfigurations in environment files, Docker, Kubernetes, and IaC to harden configurations.

npx playbooks add skill jwynia/agent-skills --skill config-scan

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SKILL.md
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---
name: config-scan
description: Detect security misconfigurations in config files, Docker, and IaC. Use when reviewing configuration security for containers, Kubernetes, Terraform, or application settings.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: jwynia
  version: "1.0"
  type: utility
  mode: evaluative
  domain: development
---

# Config Scan

Security review of configuration files and infrastructure as code.

## Quick Start

```
/config-scan                      # Scan all config files
/config-scan --docker             # Docker files only
/config-scan --k8s                # Kubernetes manifests
/config-scan --terraform          # Terraform files
/config-scan --env                # Environment files
```

## What This Skill Detects

### Environment Files
- Secrets in `.env` files
- Insecure default values
- Missing required security variables

### Docker Security
- Running as root
- Exposed sensitive ports
- Insecure base images
- Missing security options

### Kubernetes Security
- Privileged containers
- Missing resource limits
- Insecure service accounts
- Network policy gaps

### Infrastructure as Code
- Overly permissive IAM policies
- Public S3 buckets
- Unencrypted storage
- Missing security groups

### Application Config
- Debug mode enabled
- Verbose error messages
- Insecure defaults

## Scan Categories

### Environment Files

**Files scanned**: `.env`, `.env.*`, `*.env`

| Issue | Severity | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| Secrets in .env | HIGH | Credentials should use secrets manager |
| .env committed | CRITICAL | Should be in .gitignore |
| DEBUG=true | HIGH | Debug mode in production config |
| Weak secrets | MEDIUM | Short or simple values |

**Detection patterns**:
```
# Committed .env files
git ls-files | grep -E '\.env$|\.env\.'

# Secrets in env files
(PASSWORD|SECRET|KEY|TOKEN|CREDENTIAL)=.+

# Debug flags
DEBUG=(true|1|yes)
NODE_ENV=development
```

### Docker Security

**Files scanned**: `Dockerfile`, `docker-compose.yml`

| Issue | Severity | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| USER root | HIGH | Container runs as root |
| COPY secrets | CRITICAL | Secrets copied into image |
| Latest tag | MEDIUM | Unpinned base image |
| Exposed ports | LOW | Wide port exposure |
| No healthcheck | LOW | Missing health monitoring |

**Detection patterns**:

```dockerfile
# Running as root (no USER directive)
FROM.*\n(?!.*USER)

# Copying secrets
COPY.*\.(pem|key|crt|env)
COPY.*secret
COPY.*password

# Unpinned images
FROM\s+\w+:latest
FROM\s+\w+\s*$

# Dangerous capabilities
--privileged
--cap-add
```

**docker-compose.yml issues**:

```yaml
# Privileged mode
privileged: true

# All capabilities
cap_add:
  - ALL

# Host network
network_mode: host

# Sensitive mounts
volumes:
  - /:/host
  - /var/run/docker.sock
```

### Kubernetes Security

**Files scanned**: `*.yaml`, `*.yml` (k8s manifests)

| Issue | Severity | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| privileged: true | CRITICAL | Full host access |
| runAsRoot | HIGH | Container runs as root |
| No resource limits | MEDIUM | DoS risk |
| hostNetwork | HIGH | Pod uses host network |
| No securityContext | MEDIUM | Missing security settings |

**Detection patterns**:

```yaml
# Privileged containers
securityContext:
  privileged: true

# Running as root
securityContext:
  runAsUser: 0
runAsNonRoot: false

# Host access
hostNetwork: true
hostPID: true
hostIPC: true

# Dangerous volume mounts
volumes:
  - hostPath:
      path: /

# Missing limits
# (absence of resources.limits)

# Wildcard RBAC
rules:
  - apiGroups: ["*"]
    resources: ["*"]
    verbs: ["*"]
```

### Terraform/IaC

**Files scanned**: `*.tf`, `*.tfvars`

| Issue | Severity | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| Public S3 bucket | CRITICAL | Data exposure |
| * in IAM policy | HIGH | Overly permissive |
| No encryption | HIGH | Data at rest unencrypted |
| 0.0.0.0/0 ingress | HIGH | Open to internet |
| Hardcoded secrets | CRITICAL | Credentials in TF |

**Detection patterns**:

```hcl
# Public S3
acl = "public-read"
acl = "public-read-write"

# Overly permissive IAM
"Action": "*"
"Resource": "*"
"Principal": "*"

# Open security groups
cidr_blocks = ["0.0.0.0/0"]
ingress {
  from_port = 0
  to_port   = 65535

# Missing encryption
encrypted = false
# (or absence of encryption settings)

# Hardcoded secrets
password = "..."
secret_key = "..."
```

### Application Config

**Files scanned**: `config/*.json`, `*.config.js`, `application.yml`

| Issue | Severity | Description |
|-------|----------|-------------|
| DEBUG=true | HIGH | Debug in production |
| Verbose errors | MEDIUM | Stack traces exposed |
| CORS * | HIGH | All origins allowed |
| No HTTPS | MEDIUM | Unencrypted transport |

**Detection patterns**:

```javascript
// Debug mode
debug: true,
DEBUG: true,
NODE_ENV: 'development'

// Verbose errors
showStackTrace: true
detailedErrors: true

// CORS
origin: '*'
origin: true
Access-Control-Allow-Origin: *

// Session security
secure: false  // cookies
httpOnly: false
sameSite: 'none'
```

## Output Format

```
CONFIG SCAN RESULTS
===================

Files scanned: 23
Issues found: 15

CRITICAL (2)
------------
[!] Dockerfile:1 - Running as root
    No USER directive found
    Fix: Add "USER node" or similar non-root user

[!] terraform/s3.tf:12 - Public S3 bucket
    acl = "public-read"
    Fix: Remove public ACL, use bucket policies

HIGH (5)
--------
[H] docker-compose.yml:15 - Privileged container
    privileged: true
    Fix: Remove privileged flag, use specific capabilities

[H] k8s/deployment.yaml:34 - Missing resource limits
    No CPU/memory limits defined
    Fix: Add resources.limits section

...

MEDIUM (8)
----------
...
```

## Configuration

### Ignore Rules

Create `.config-scan-ignore`:

```yaml
# Ignore specific files
files:
  - "docker-compose.dev.yml"
  - "terraform/modules/test/**"

# Ignore specific rules
rules:
  - id: "docker-root-user"
    files: ["Dockerfile.dev"]
    reason: "Development only"

  - id: "k8s-no-limits"
    reason: "Handled by LimitRange"
```

### Scan Profiles

```yaml
# .config-scan.yaml
profile: production  # or: development, strict

# Custom thresholds
thresholds:
  fail_on: high
  warn_on: medium

# Specific scanners
scanners:
  docker: true
  kubernetes: true
  terraform: true
  env_files: true
  app_config: true
```

## Best Practices Checked

### Docker
- [ ] Non-root user specified
- [ ] Base image pinned to digest
- [ ] No secrets in build
- [ ] Multi-stage build used
- [ ] Health check defined
- [ ] Read-only root filesystem

### Kubernetes
- [ ] Non-root security context
- [ ] Resource limits defined
- [ ] Network policies in place
- [ ] No privileged containers
- [ ] Service accounts scoped
- [ ] Secrets encrypted at rest

### Terraform
- [ ] State file encrypted
- [ ] No hardcoded secrets
- [ ] Least privilege IAM
- [ ] Encryption enabled
- [ ] Logging enabled
- [ ] No public access by default

## Remediation Examples

### Docker: Run as Non-Root
```dockerfile
# Before
FROM node:18

# After
FROM node:18
RUN groupadd -r app && useradd -r -g app app
USER app
```

### Kubernetes: Security Context
```yaml
# Before
containers:
  - name: app
    image: myapp

# After
containers:
  - name: app
    image: myapp
    securityContext:
      runAsNonRoot: true
      runAsUser: 1000
      readOnlyRootFilesystem: true
      allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
```

### Terraform: Private S3
```hcl
# Before
resource "aws_s3_bucket" "data" {
  acl = "public-read"
}

# After
resource "aws_s3_bucket" "data" {
  # No ACL (private by default)
}

resource "aws_s3_bucket_public_access_block" "data" {
  bucket = aws_s3_bucket.data.id
  block_public_acls       = true
  block_public_policy     = true
  ignore_public_acls      = true
  restrict_public_buckets = true
}
```

## CI/CD Integration

```yaml
# GitHub Actions
- name: Config Security Scan
  run: |
    /config-scan --fail-on high

- name: Docker Scan
  run: |
    /config-scan --docker --fail-on critical
```

## Related Skills

- `/security-scan` - Full security analysis
- `/secrets-scan` - Credential detection
- `/dependency-scan` - Package vulnerabilities

Overview

This skill detects security misconfigurations across configuration files, container manifests, Kubernetes YAML, Terraform/IaC, and application settings. It highlights critical issues like committed secrets, public storage, privileged containers, and overly permissive IAM. Use it to get a prioritized, actionable list of configuration risks and suggested fixes. The output groups findings by severity and file for fast triage.

How this skill works

The scanner inspects common config file patterns (.env, Dockerfile, docker-compose.yml, Kubernetes manifests, *.tf, app config files) and applies detection rules for insecure defaults, exposed secrets, privilege and network risks, and missing security controls. It reports issues with severity levels (CRITICAL, HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW), includes snippets and a short remediation suggestion, and supports ignore rules and scan profiles. You can run targeted scans (docker, k8s, terraform, env, app config) or a full project scan.

When to use it

  • Before merging configuration or IaC changes to main branches
  • During container image and docker-compose reviews
  • When onboarding code to Kubernetes clusters
  • Before deploying Terraform changes to production
  • As part of CI/CD to enforce configuration security gates

Best practices

  • Keep secrets out of files; use a secrets manager and ensure .env files are gitignored
  • Run containers as non-root and pin base images to a digest or fixed tag
  • Define resource limits and securityContext for Kubernetes pods; avoid hostNetwork/privileged flags
  • Enforce least-privilege IAM, encrypt storage, and block public S3 buckets
  • Enable healthchecks, read-only root filesystem, and avoid copying secrets into images

Example use cases

  • Scan a repository to find committed .env files or hardcoded credentials before release
  • Validate Dockerfiles and docker-compose for root user, secret copies, and unpinned images
  • Check Kubernetes manifests for privileged containers, missing resource limits, and host access
  • Audit Terraform for public S3 buckets, open security groups (0.0.0.0/0), and wildcard IAM statements
  • Integrate into CI to fail builds on high/critical configuration findings

FAQ

Can I ignore specific files or rules?

Yes — create a .config-scan-ignore to skip files or disable rules for specified paths and reasons.

Can I run only one scanner type?

Yes — run targeted scans like --docker, --k8s, --terraform, or --env to scan only those categories.