DevSecOps › Module 6 › Lesson 2
Terraform Hygiene
Terraform hygiene literacy — remote state, least-privilege IAM, variable secrets, module pinning, plan review — hygiene rows on YOUR `$DEVSEC_LAB` stubs.
Visual · t36_terraform_hygiene
Terraform hygiene = named config rows. $DEVSEC_LAB. Original Cyberlium.
Opening
Terraform hygiene prevents IaC incidents — name state, IAM, and module pinning rows on YOUR lab stubs before pushing unreviewed plans to prod.
Terraform hygiene literacy names: remote state with encryption category, least-privilege IAM role category, sensitive variable handling category, module version pinning category, and plan review gate category. Analyst writes Terraform hygiene checklist on `$DEVSEC_LAB` stub from 6-1 — five rows with pass/fail criteria literacy — without storing state in public buckets, without admin IAM on lab runner stubs, without committing `.tfvars` secrets. Cyberlium teaches professional IaC hygiene on YOUR notes — shift-left literacy only. Refused: public state buckets, wildcard IAM, secret-in-repo, stranger org Terraform apply. Lab row: Terraform hygiene checklist (five rows, pass/fail criteria, UTC).
1. Named hygiene rows
Remote state, least-privilege IAM, variable secrets, module pinning, plan review — five literacy anchors.
Each row has pass/fail criteria — not subjective 'looks fine.'
Command guide
Try these commands — Named hygiene rows
═══ DOCKER & CONTAINER AUDIT ═══
Check container running state and port bindings
Command — copy this
docker ps --format "table {{.ID}} {{.Image}} {{.Status}} {{.Ports}}" 2>/dev/null || echo "docker ps"Inspect container for elevated capabilities and root user
Command — copy this
docker inspect --format '{{json .HostConfig.Privileged}}' <container_id> 2>/dev/null || trueRun security vulnerability scan on container image using Trivy
Command — copy this
trivy image --severity HIGH,CRITICAL alpine:3.19 2>/dev/null || echo "trivy image alpine:3.19"
═══ KUBERNETES RBAC AUDIT ═══ Check current permissions in namespace
Command — copy this
kubectl auth can-i --list 2>/dev/null || echo "kubectl auth can-i"
Primary tools to practice this lesson: grep, python3. Reference sites: GitHub Actions security (https://docs.github.com/en/actions/security-guides/security-hardening-for-github-actions); Gitleaks action (https://github.com/gitleaks/gitleaks-action); Bridgecrew Checkov action (https://github.com/bridgecrewio/checkov-action). Run every command in the box — install first, then the usage lines — only on YOUR lab / program scope.
2. Plan review discipline
Plan output reviewed before apply on lab stub — document UTC on checklist.
Link Module 3 permissions/pinning rows — same pipeline hygiene thread.
3. Refused
No public state exposure; no admin IAM on CI; no secrets in `.tf` files.
Hygiene literacy supports safe IaC — not checkbox theater.
4. What you ship: Terraform hygiene checklist
Five hygiene rows + pass/fail criteria + plan review UTC + NEVER public state line.
5. What you record before the next lesson
Terraform hygiene checklist path.
6. Wrong vs right: stranger orgs vs YOUR repos
Worked failure — same MSF word, opposite target. Right never needs a café Wi-Fi or classmate laptop.
Wrong
Store Terraform state in public S3 bucket on lab stub because 'it's just training.'
Right
Terraform hygiene checklist from `$DEVSEC_LAB` stub. Next: Checkov Named.
Mission: Terraform hygiene checklist
1) Name five hygiene literacy rows. 2) Pass/fail criteria per row. 3) Plan review UTC stub. 4) Write NEVER public state exposure line.
Stuck? Ask Cyberlium AI Mentor
Ask Mentor: “Module pinning — minimum literacy stub?”
Knowledge Check
APPLY: Terraform hygiene literacy uses:
Multiple choice
Knowledge Check
APPLY: True or False: Secrets in `.tfvars` committed to repo are acceptable.
True or False
Knowledge Check
APPLY: Hygiene checklist includes:
Multiple choice