[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":813},["ShallowReactive",2],{"/en-us/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-least-privilege-access-with-gitlab":3,"navigation-en-us":38,"banner-en-us":448,"footer-en-us":458,"blog-post-authors-en-us-Fernando Diaz":700,"blog-related-posts-en-us-the-ultimate-guide-to-least-privilege-access-with-gitlab":714,"blog-promotions-en-us":751,"next-steps-en-us":803},{"id":4,"title":5,"authorSlugs":6,"body":8,"categorySlug":9,"config":10,"content":14,"description":8,"extension":26,"isFeatured":12,"meta":27,"navigation":12,"path":28,"publishedDate":20,"seo":29,"stem":34,"tagSlugs":35,"__hash__":37},"blogPosts/en-us/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-least-privilege-access-with-gitlab.yml","The Ultimate Guide To Least Privilege Access With Gitlab",[7],"fernando-diaz",null,"security",{"slug":11,"featured":12,"template":13},"the-ultimate-guide-to-least-privilege-access-with-gitlab",true,"BlogPost",{"title":15,"description":16,"authors":17,"heroImage":19,"date":20,"body":21,"category":9,"tags":22},"The ultimate guide to least privilege access with GitLab","This tutorial demonstrates how to achieve least privilege access using custom roles, security policies, compliance pipelines, branch protections, and more.",[18],"Fernando Diaz","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099438/Blog/Hero%20Images/Blog/Hero%20Images/built-in-security_built-in-security.jpeg_1750099438377.jpg","2024-03-06","The principle of least privilege ([PoLP](https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/least_privilege)) is a concept in which a user's access rights should be limited to the bare minimum needed for them to complete the tasks required within their respective roles. By implementing PoLP you can enhance your organization's [security posture](https://csrc.nist.gov/glossary/term/security_posture), complementing zero trust, in the following ways:\n\n- **Reduction of attack surface:** If credentials are compromised, the\nbreach will be limited to only the paths where the compromised account has access.\n\n- **Protection against human error:** Users will not be able to perform\nactions that are not required for their role.\n\n- **Adherence to compliance:** Separation of duties and least privilege best\npractices are required for several compliance mandates such as SOC2 and\nHIPAA.\n\n- **Reduced system downtime:** By preventing everyone from accessing\ncritical parts of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), there is less likelihood of downtime.\n\nGitLab provides a variety of different features that allow you to customize the actions a user can perform which assist in the achievement of PoLP.\nThese features include:\n\n- **[Custom roles and granular security\npermissions](#custom-roles-and-granular-security-permissions):** Allows creation of roles with permissions that are specific to particular functions required by the organization.\n\n- **[Security policies](#security-policies):** Allows policies to be created\nthat prevent insecure code from being merged into production branches without approval, and run security scanners regardless of your pipeline definition.\n\n- **[Branch protections and Code\nOwners](#branch-protections-and-code-owners):** Imposes further restrictions on certain branches to control permissions such as who can merge, push, etc.\nto defined branches.\n\n- **[Compliance pipelines and\nframeworks](#compliance-pipelines-and-frameworks):** Identifies that your project has certain compliance requirements or needs additional oversight, enforcing a pipeline configuration to the projects on which it is applied.\n\nIn this blog post, you'll learn each of the features mentioned, how they improve your organization's security posture, as well as how to implement them.\n\nWatch my video, which introduces you to achieving PoLP with GitLab:\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/jvZ3eqWMeSY?si=DedSYiBNy2kTLJKo\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n## Custom roles and granular security permissions\n\nGitLab allows you to create [custom roles](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/custom_roles.html), which apply additional permissions to base roles to meet the security needs of your organization. The available [base roles](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/permissions.html#roles) are as follows:\n\n- Guest\n\n- Reporter\n\n- Developer\n\n- Maintainer\n\n- Owner\n\nEach base role applies a particular set of permissions to a user. Base roles apply different permissions for [group members](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/permissions.html#group-members-permissions), [project members](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/permissions.html#project-members-permissions), and in [project features](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/permissions.html#project-features-permissions).\nFor example, the table below shows which roles can view the project [dependency list](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/dependency_list/):\n\n| Base role    | Can view project dependency list     |\n| ---------- | ---------- |\n| Guest      | ❌       |\n| Reporter      | ❌       |\n| Developer      | ✅       |\n| Maintainer      | ✅       |\n| Owner       | ✅     |\n\n\u003Cbr>\u003C/br>\n\nThe dependency list also known as a software bill of materials ([SBOM](https://about.gitlab.com/blog/the-ultimate-guide-to-sboms/)), displays your project's dependencies and key details about those dependencies. It makes sense that only those actively working on a project should be able to see what dependencies are present to limit any exploitation of your application using its dependencies.\n\nHowever, there are cases in which a Guest may need to see the SBOM to assist the organization in [achieving compliance](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/05/12/executive-order-on-improving-the-nations-cybersecurity/).\nBy using custom roles, a new role can be created with all the limited permissions of the Guest role, and additionally, the ability to view the project dependency list can be added. Therefore, we have a Guest assisting us with compliance with the least privileged access required for their job.\n\nWatch my video on custom roles and granular security permissions with\nGitLab:\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\"video_container\">\n  \u003Ciframe src=\"https://www.youtube.com/embed/WyrhkpO5WkI?si=4B4mNYNK9UyNrru8\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"> \u003C/iframe>\n\u003C/figure>\n\n\u003C!-- blank line -->\n\n### Granular permissions\n\nAs of the GitLab 16.8 release, the following granular permissions can be added to any base role:\n\n- Viewing project code\n\n- Viewing vulnerability reports\n\n- Changing the status of vulnerabilities\n\n- Viewing SBOMs\n\n- Approving merge requests\n\n- Managing project/group access tokens\n\n- Adding/removing group members\n\n- Archiving/unarchiving/removing projects\n\n- Admin Terraform state\n\nWe will continue to add [more granular permissions](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/custom_roles/abilities.html)\nwith each GitLab release. You can learn more about our roadmap for this feature by referring to the [Granular Security Permissions\nEpic](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/epics/10684) and provide feedback in the [customer feedback\nIssue](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/391760). You also have the ability to contribute to GitLab and [develop your own granular permissions](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/development/permissions/custom_roles.html).\n\n### Implementation prerequisites\n\nThe requirements for implementing custom roles are as follows:\n\n- Owner role in the top-level group in which you are creating the custom\nrole\n\n- Administrator for the self-managed instance in which you are creating the\ncustom role\n\n- GitLab Ultimate tier in the top-level group\n\n- A [personal access token with the API\nscope](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/profile/personal_access_tokens.html#create-a-personal-access-token)\n\nTo see custom roles in action requires:\n\n- a private project within the top-level group or its subgroups\n\n- a guest user within the private project\n\nWhen you enable a custom role for a user with the Guest role, that user has access to elevated permissions, and therefore:\n\n- is considered a billable user on self-managed GitLab\n\n- uses a seat on GitLab.com\n\n### Creating the custom role with granular permissions\n\nNow that you know the benefits of implementing custom roles with granular permissions, let's implement them within our GitLab instance:\n\n1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to**.\n    - In GitLab SaaS find and select the top-level group in which you want to create a custom role.\n    - In GitLab Self-Managed find and select **Admin Area**.\n2. Select **Settings > Roles and Permissions**.\n    - In GitLab Self-Managed use the top dropdown list to find and select the top-level group in which you want to create a custom role.\n3. Select **Add new role**.\n\n4. Under Base role to use as a template, select **Guest** for this tutorial.\n\n5. Under Role name, enter the custom role’s title.\n\n6. Under Permissions for the custom role, select **Read Vulnerability** for\nthis tutorial.\n\n7. Select **Create a new role**.\n\n![Create new role screen](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image1_aHR0cHM6_1750099455072.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Interface for creating a custom role\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\nAfter creating the role you should be able to see the new custom role along with its ID, Base role, and Permissions. Be sure to save the ID as it will be used when we assign the custom role to a guest user.\n\n![Custom role screen](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image2_aHR0cHM6_1750099455073.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Security Auditor role created\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\n\n\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\nNow we must assign the custom role to a group or project member. This can be done as follows:\n\n1. Invite a user as a direct member with the Guest role to your top-level\ngroup where the custom role was created.\n\n2. You can invite them to a sub-group or private project within the\ntop-level group as well.\n\n* The guest user should not be able to see any code within the project they\nhave been assigned to.\n\n* Open your terminal.\n\n3. Export the required environment variables:\n\n* Your [personal access token with API\nscope](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/profile/personal_access_tokens.html#create-a-personal-access-token)\n\n```shell\n\n$ export TOKEN=glpat-XXXXXXXXXXXX\n\n$ echo $TOKEN\n\nglpat-XXXXXXXXXXXX\n\n\n```\n\n* The ID of the user we will be granting a custom role to. You can obtain\nthe user id by providing the username to the [User\nAPI](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/api/users.html#list-users). For more information on using the GitLab API, see the [REST API documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/api/rest/).\n\n```shell\n\n$ curl \"https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/users?username=fjdiaz\"\n\n[{\"id\":4710074,\"username\":\"fjdiaz\",\"name\":\"Fern\",\"state\":\"active\",\"locked\":false,\"avatar_url\":\"https://gitlab.com/uploads/-/system/user/avatar/4710074/avatar.png\",\"web_url\":\"https://gitlab.com/fjdiaz\"}]\n\n\n$ export USER_ID=4710074\n\n$ echo $USER_ID\n\n4710074\n\n```\n\n* The ID of the custom role. You can obtain the custom role ID from the ID\ncolumn in the [custom roles\nUI](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/custom_roles.html#gitlab-saas) or the [member roles\nAPI](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/api/member_roles.html#add-a-member-role-to-a-group).\n\n```shell\n\n$ export CUSTOM_ROLE_ID=1000782\n\n$ echo $CUSTOM_ROLE_ID\n\n1000782\n\n```\n\n* The ID of your group or project. You can obtain the group id from the\n[group UI](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/group/#get-the-group-id) or using the [groups API](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/api/groups.html). You can obtain the project ID from the [project\nUI](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/working_with_projects.html#access-the-project-overview-page-by-using-the-project-id)\nor using the [projects API](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/api/projects.html).\n\n```shell\n\n$ export GROUP_ID=10087220\n\n$ echo $GROUP_ID\n\n10087220\n\n\n$ export PROJECT_ID=45738177\n\n$ echo $PROJECT_ID\n\n45738177\n\n```\n\n4. Associate the guest user with the custom role using the appropriate\n[group or project\nAPIs](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/api/members.html#edit-a-member-of-a-group-or-project).\n\n* If the user just needs to role in a project, update the project\nmembership:\n\n```text\n\n\"Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN\" --data '{\"member_role_id\": $CUSTOM_ROLE_ID,\n\"access_level\": 10}'\n\"https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/projects/$PROJECT_ID/members/$USER_ID\"\n\n```\n\n* If the user just needs to role in a group, update the group membership:\n\n```shell\n\n$ curl --request PUT --header \"Content-Type: application/json\" --header\n\"Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN\" --data '{\"member_role_id\": $CUSTOM_ROLE_ID,\n\"access_level\": 10}'\n\"https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/groups/$GROUP_ID/members/$USER_ID\"\n\n```\n\nNow that the custom role has been applied to a guest user, when they login, they can see the Vulnerability dashboard present in the Secure tab. Notice, however, that they are still not allowed to see the source code.\n\nThis is useful because it allows users to audit the system without being able to make changes to the code base, which applies the PoLP for those auditing the system for vulnerabilities.\n\n## Security policies\n\nGitLab provides [security policies](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/policies/) to help you achieve least privilege access. There are two different types of security policies provided by GitLab:\n\n- [Scan Execution\npolicies](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/policies/scan-execution-policies.html)\nallow project maintainers and administrators the confidence of knowing that the scans they set up have not been changed, altered, or disabled.\n\n- [Merge Request Approval\npolicies](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/policies/scan-result-policies.html)\nprevent insecure code from being merged into production without appropriate approval.\n\nSome examples of how both policy types can be used in unison to provide least privilege access are as follows:\n\n- remove the ability for developers to disable security scanners\n\n- remove the ability for developers to merge insecure code\n\nPolicies are stored in a separate repo from the project they are being applied to called the Security Policy Project (SPP). This allows for separate permissions to be set to the SPP vs. the application repo, thus strengthening your ability to separate duties and apply PoLP.\n\n![Security policy hierarchy](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image19_aHR0cHM6_1750099455074.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Security policy hierarchy\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\nTo enforce the policies contained in an SPP you link it to a project, subgroup, group, or multiples of each. An SPP can contain multiple policies but they are enforced together. An SPP enforced on a group or subgroup applies to everything below the hierarchy, including all subgroups and their projects.\n\nSecurity policies can be managed via the policy management UI as well as via yaml. Using the policy editor you can create, edit, and delete policies.\n\n![Policy management interface](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image20_aHR0cHM6_1750099455076.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Policy management interface\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\nFeel free to leverage the [Simple Notes demo environment](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-da/tutorials/security-and-governance/devsecops/simply-vulnerable-notes)\nto try this yourself by following the provided [DevSecOps tutorial](https://gitlab-de.gitlab.io/tutorials/security-and-governance/devsecops/simply-vulnerable-notes/).\n\n### Creating a Scan Execution policy\n\nNow let's take a look at how to create a Scan Execution policy. Before getting started make sure you have met the following criteria:\n\n- GitLab Ultimate tier in the top-level group\n\n- Owner role to create/assign an SPP\n\n- Developer role or greater to create/edit/delete individual security\npolicies\n\nWe will be creating a policy that automatically runs a SAST scan with each pipeline, regardless of the SAST template is defined within the gitlab-ci.yml:\n\n1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to** and search for the\nproject to which you wish to add a policy.\n\n2. On the project left sidebar, go to **Secure > Policies**.\n\n3. Select **New policy**.\n\n4.  In the **Scan Execution Policy** section, select **Select policy**.\n\n5. Complete the fields:\n    - **Name:** The name of the policy\n    - **Description:** The description of the Policy\n    - **Policy status:** Whether it is enabled or not\n    - **Actions:** What actions to take when the defined conditions are met\n\n![Scan Execution policy actions](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image15_aHR0cHM6_1750099455077.png)\n\n  \u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Scan Execution policy actions\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\n  - **Conditions:** Conditions which must be met (a pipeline is triggered or on a set schedule) in order for an action to take place.\n\n    ![Scan Execution policy conditions](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image8_aHR0cHM6_1750099455078.png)\n  \u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Scan Execution policy conditions\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\n- Press the **Configure with a merge request** button.\n\nNow that the policy has been created, all we need to do is run a pipeline to see that SAST will be present even if it is not defined in the\n.gitlab-ci.yml.\n\n### Creating a Merge Request Approval policy\n\nNow let's take a look at how to create a Merge Request Approval policy.\nBefore getting started make sure you have met the following criteria:\n\n- GitLab Ultimate tier in the top-level group\n\n- Owner role to create/assign an SPP\n\n- Developer role or greater to create/edit/delete individual security\npolicies\n\n- Security scanners added to project\n\nWe will be creating a policy that requires approval from project maintainers if any security scanner detects a vulnerability when compared with any branch:\n\n1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to** and search for the\nproject to which you wish to add a policy.\n\n2. On the project left sidebar, go to **Secure > Policies**\n\n3. Select **New policy**\n\n4. In the **Merge Request Approval policy** section, select **Select\npolicy**.\n\n5. Complete the fields:\n    - **Name:** The name of the policy\n    - **Description:** The description of the policy\n    - **Policy status:** Whether it is enabled or not\n    - **Rules:** The conditions which must be met for an action (require approval) to take place.\n\n![Merge Request Approval policy rules](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image17_aHR0cHM6_1750099455079.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Merge Request Approval policy rules\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\n    - **Actions:** The action to be taken whenever the conditions in the rules (defined vulnerabilities/licenses detected) are met.\n\n![Merge Request Approval  policy actions](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image6_aHR0cHM6_1750099455080.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Merge Request Approval  policy actions\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\n    - **Override project approval settings:** If selected, the following choices will overwrite project settings but only affect the branches selected in the policy.\n\n![Merge Request Approval policy approval settings](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image21_aHR0cHM6_1750099455081.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Merge Request Approval policy approval settings\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\n6. Press the **Configure with a merge request** button.\n\nNow that the policy has been created, all we need to do is run a pipeline and if SAST detects any vulnerabilities then approvals will be required from the selected approver before the code change can be merged. Merge Request\nApproval policies can be used with all GitLab security scanners, including license scanning.\n\n![Merge Request Approval policies blocking code from being merged in an\nMR](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image3_aHR0cHM6_1750099455082.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Merge Request Approval policies blocking code from being merged in an MR\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\n## Branch protections and Code Owners\n\n[Branch protections](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/protected_branches.html)\nallow you to impose additional restrictions on particular branches within your repository. This further strengthens the PoLP for the interactions on a particular set of branches.\n\nFor example, a protected branch can control:\n\n- which users can merge into the branch\n\n- which users can push to the branch\n\n- if users can force push to the branch\n\n- if changes to files listed in the CODEOWNERS file can be pushed directly\nto the branch\n\n- which users can unprotect the branch\n\n### Applying branch protections\n\nBranch protections are available in all tiers and offerings of GitLab.\nBranch protections can be applied to a single project or a group of projects. You can apply branch protections for required roles to push and merge as follows:\n\n1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to** and find your project or\ngroup.\n\n2. Select **Settings > Repository**.\n\n3. Expand **Protected branches**.\n\n4. Select **Add protected branch**.\n    - For groups, from the **Branch** text box, type the branch name or a wildcard.\n    - For projects, from the **Branch** dropdown list, select the branch you want to protect.\n5. From the **Allowed to merge** list, select a role that can merge into\nthis branch.\n\n6. From the **Allowed to push and merge** list, select a role that can push\nto this branch.\n\n7. Select **Protect**.\n\nYou should now see the protected branch added to the list.\n\n![Protected branches settings](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image14_aHR0cHM6_1750099455082.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Protected branches settings\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\nThe Owner role is required to add branch protections to a group and the\nMaintainer role or greater is required to add branch protections to a project.\n\n### Code Owners\n\nIf you want to further limit what files developers can perform changes on, one of the best features to implement is [Code\nOwners](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/codeowners/). Code Owners allows you to define who has the expertise for specific parts of your project’s codebase. Defining the owners of files and directories in Code\nOwners will:\n\n- require owners to approve changes as well as merge requests before they\nmerge into a protected branch\n\n- identify owners by displaying the Code Owner names on the files and\ndirectories they own\n\nTo set up Code Owners, follow these steps:\n\n1. Create a CODEOWNERS file in your preferred location.\n\n2. Define some rules in the file following the Code Owners syntax reference.\nYou can configure all eligible approvers' approval rules and require Code\nOwner approval on a protected branch.\n\n3. Commit your changes, and push them up to GitLab.\n\nNow, when looking at files, you can see who the Code Owners are for a particular file.\n\n![Code Owners displayed for file](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image5_aHR0cHM6_1750099455083.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Code Owners displayed for file\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\nIf you implement Code Owner approvals, then when creating a merge request, the Code Owners must approve before the code can be merged.\n\n![Code Owners approvals](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image7_aHR0cHM6_1750099455084.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Code Owners approvals\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\n### Additional approval settings\n\nThere are additional approval settings that can be applied before code can be committed with a merge request. These additional approval settings are as follows:\n\n- prevent approval by author\n\n- prevent approvals by users who add commits\n\n- prevent editing approval rules in merge requests\n\n- require user re-authentication (password or SAML) to approve\n\nAdditionally, whenever a commit is added, you can:\n\n- keep approvals\n\n- remove all approvals\n\n- remove approvals by Code Owners if their files changed\n\n![Additional Approval settings](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image12_aHR0cHM6_1750099455084.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Additional Approval settings\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\nTo configure additional approval settings you can perform the following steps:\n\n1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to** and find your project.\n\n2. Select **Settings > Merge requests**.\n\n3. Scroll down to the **Merge request approvals** section.\n\n4. Under **Approval settings** select the approval settings you would like\nto apply.\n\n5. Press the **Save changes** button.\n\nThese can also be applied to your top-level group by performing the following steps:\n\n1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to** and find your top-level\ngroup.\n\n2. Select **Settings > General**.\n\n3. Expand the **Merge request approvals** section.\n\n4. Under **Approval settings** select the approval settings you would like\nto apply.\n\n5. Press the **Save changes** button.\n\nBy leveraging these approval settings you can make sure that code always obtains oversight by a person who was not involved in creating the code, thereby preventing a conflict of interest.\n\n## Compliance pipelines and frameworks\n\nYou can create a compliance framework that is a label to identify that your project has certain compliance requirements or needs additional oversight.\nThe label can optionally enforce compliance pipeline configuration to the projects on which it is applied.\n\nFeel free to leverage the [Compliance Frameworks\nDemo](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-da/tutorials/security-and-governance/compliance-frameworks)\ngroup to see an example of compliance frameworks and their usage.\n\n### Create a compliance pipeline\n\nTo create a compliance pipeline, all you need to do is create a new project which will store a `.gitlab-ci.yml` file that we wish to use in another project. The new compliance pipeline project can have separate permissions from the project to which you will apply it. This is beneficial because it prevents developers from making changes to pipelines that must run.\n\nYou can see I have created the following [pipeline definition](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-da/tutorials/security-and-governance/compliance-frameworks)\nwhich:\n\n- runs the SAST security scanner\n\n- runs the secret detection scanner\n\n- runs a SOC2 compliance job\n\n- runs the original pipeline defined in the project to which we will apply\nthis pipeline. This allows developers to focus on the actual application development and the compliance team to focus on defining the SOC2 rules.\n\n### Create and apply a compliance framework\n\nNow that the compliance pipeline for SOC2 has been defined, we must define a compliance framework and apply it to our project. In this case, I will apply it to my Accounting Department project.\n\nTo create a compliance framework label, follow these steps:\n\n1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to** and find your group.\n\n2. Select **Settings > General**.\n\n3. Expand the **Compliance frameworks** section.\n\n4. Click the **Add framework** button.\n\n5. Create a new compliance framework and populate the following sections:\n    - **Name:** The name of your compliance framework\n    - **Description:** A description of your compliance framework\n    - **Compliance pipeline configuration:** The location of the compliance pipeline to run.\n    - **Background color:** A color for the compliance framework label\n\n![PoLP - image 15](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image11_aHR0cHM6_1750099455085.png)\n\n    \u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Creating a compliance framework\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\n6. Press the **Add framework** button.\n\nAnd now you should see your newly added framework under active compliance frameworks.\n\n![Active compliance frameworks](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image9_aHR0cHM6_1750099455085.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Active compliance frameworks\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\nNow let’s go ahead and assign this compliance label to our Accounting\nDepartment project:\n\n1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to** and find your project.\n\n2. Select **Settings > General**.\n\n3. Expand **Compliance frameworks**.\n\n4. Select the compliance framework created above.\n\n![Adding a compliance framework](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image4_aHR0cHM6_1750099455086.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Adding a compliance framework\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\n\n5. Select **Save changes**.\n\nThe project should now have the compliance framework label applied.\n\n![Project running a compliance pipeline](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image10_aHR0cHM6_1750099455086.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Project running a compliance pipeline\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\nThis enables separation of duties and prevents compliance pipelines from being altered by those without permissions.\n\nSecurity Policy Scope and Pipeline Execution\n\nOver the past several releases, GitLab has introduced two experimental features, Security Policy Scope and Pipeline Execution, to make it even easier to adhere to PoLP. These features are very similar to Compliance\nPipelines and Compliance Frameworks and can be managed from GitLab’s security policy UI.\n\n**Note:** These features are currently considered experimental. An experiment is a feature that is in the process of being developed. It is not production ready. We encourage users to try experimental features and provide feedback.\n\nThe [pipeline execution policy action](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/policies/scan-execution-policies.html#pipeline-execution-policy-action)\nintroduces a new scan action type into Scan Execution policies for creating and enforcing custom CI in your target development projects. You can execute a custom pipeline along with your current pipeline. This allows you to enforce compliance by always forcing particular actions to run that are not just security scanners and that cannot be overwritten by those without permissions.\n\n![Pipeline Execution policy scope selection](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image18_aHR0cHM6_1750099455087.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Pipeline Execution policy scope selection - insert code block\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\n![Pipeline Execution policy scope selection](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1750099455/Blog/Content%20Images/Blog/Content%20Images/image13_aHR0cHM6_1750099455087.png)\n\n\u003Ccenter>\u003Ci>Pipeline Execution policy scope selection - link existing CI file\u003C/i>\u003C/center>\u003Cp>\u003C/p>\n\nThe [Security policy scope](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/policies/scan-result-policies.html#security-policy-scopes)\ncan be applied to either Merge Request Approval or Scan Execution policies.\nScopes enable you to administer policies with a particular scope, meaning you can:\n\n- Include only projects containing a compliance framework label\n\n- Include or exclude selected projects from enforcement\n\nTo enable these experimental features, follow these steps:\n\n1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to** and find your top-level\ngroup.\n\n2. Select **Settings > General**.\n\n3. Expand **Permissions and group features**.\n\n4. Scroll down to the **Security policy management** section.\n\n5. Select the following checkboxes\n\n**Security policy pipeline execution action:** Create and enforce custom CI jobs and scripts using this new policy action.\n\n6. **Security policy scopes:** Granularly scope each policy you create to\nprojects containing a compliance framework label, or a list of projects.\n\n7. **Enforce for all subgroups (optional):** Subgroups cannot change these\nsettings.\n\n8. Scroll down to the **Experiment and Beta features** section.\n\n9. Select the **Use Experiment and Beta features** checkbox.\n\n10. Scroll down and press the **Save changes** button.\n\nNow, whenever you are creating a security policy, the following options will be available:\n\n- Inserting a CI code block (Scan Execution policy only)\n\n- Loading CI/CD code from file (Scan Execution policy only)\n\n- Linking an existing CI file from another project (Scan Execution policy\nonly)\n\n- Scoping a policy to projects with selected compliance framework (Group\nLevel only)\n\n- Scoping a policy towards specific projects (Group Level only)\n\n- Scoping a policy towards all projects in group (Group Level only)\n\nTo learn more about these features, check out the following documentation:\n\n- [Pipeline Execution Policy action (Scan Execution\npolicy)](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/policies/scan-execution-policies.html#pipeline-execution-policy-action)\n\n- [Security Policy Scopes (Scan Execution\npolicy)](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/policies/scan-execution-policies.html#security-policy-scopes)\n\n- [Security Policy Scopes (Merge Request Approval\npolicy)](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/policies/scan-result-policies.html#security-policy-scopes)\n\n## Additional resources\n\nThanks for reading! These are some of the ways that GitLab allows you to strengthen your organization's security posture through the enablement of\nPoLP. To learn more about GitLab and the other ways we can strengthen your organization's security throughout all parts of the SDLC, check out the following links:\n\n- [GitLab Security and\nCompliance](https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/application-security-testing/)\n\n- [GitLab Application Security\nDocumentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/)\n\n- [GitLab DevSecOps Demo\nProject](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-da/tutorials/security-and-governance/devsecops/simply-vulnerable-notes)\n\n- [GitLab DevSecOps\nTutorial](https://gitlab-de.gitlab.io/tutorials/security-and-governance/devsecops/simply-vulnerable-notes/)\n\n- [GitLab Roles and Permissions\nDocumentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/permissions.html)\n\n- [GitLab Custom Roles\nDocumentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/custom_roles.html)\n\n- [GitLab Security Policies\nDocumentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/application_security/policies/)\n\n- [GitLab Compliance Frameworks\nDocumentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/group/compliance_frameworks.html)\n\n- [GitLab Code Owners\nDocumentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/codeowners/)\n\n- [GitLab Branch Protections\nDocumentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/user/project/protected_branches.html)",[23,24,9,25],"zero 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vulnerability noise at scale with auto-dismiss policies","Learn how to cut through scanner noise and focus on the vulnerabilities that matter most with GitLab security, including use cases and templates.",[720],"Grant Hickman","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1774375772/kpaaaiqhokevxxeoxvu0.png","2026-03-25",[9,24,565,25,724],"product","Security scanners are essential, but not every finding requires action. Test code, vendored dependencies, generated files, and known false positives create noise that buries the vulnerabilities that actually matter. Security teams waste hours manually dismissing the same irrelevant findings across projects and pipelines. They experience slower triage, alert fatigue, and developer friction that undermines adoption of security scanning itself.\n\nGitLab's auto-dismiss vulnerability policies let you codify your triage decisions once and apply them automatically on every default-branch pipeline. Define criteria based on file path, directory, or vulnerability identifier (CVE, CWE), choose a dismissal reason, and let GitLab handle the rest.\n\n## Why auto-dismiss?\nAuto-dismiss vulnerability policies enable security teams to:\n- **Eliminate triage noise**: Automatically dismiss findings in test code, vendored dependencies, and generated files.\n- **Enforce decisions at scale**: Apply policies centrally to dismiss known false positives across your entire organization.\n- **Maintain audit transparency**: Every auto-dismissed finding includes a documented reason and links back to the policy that triggered it.\n- **Preserve the record**: Unlike scanner exclusions, dismissed vulnerabilities remain in your report, so you can revisit decisions if conditions change.\n\n## How auto-dismiss policies work\n\n1. **Define your policy** in a vulnerability management policy YAML file. Specify match criteria (file path, directory, or identifier) and a dismissal reason.\n\n2. **Merge and activate.** Create the policy via **Secure > Policies > New  policy > Vulnerability management policy**. Merge the MR to enable it.\n3. **Run your pipeline.** On every default-branch pipeline, matching vulnerabilities are automatically set to \"Dismissed\" with the specified reason. Up to 1,000 vulnerabilities are processed per run.\n4. **Measure the impact.** Filter your vulnerability report by status \"Dismissed\" to see exactly what was cleaned up and validate that the right findings are being handled.\n\n## Use cases with ready-to-use configurations\n\nEach example below includes a policy configuration you can copy, customize, and apply immediately.\n\n### 1. Dismiss test code vulnerabilities\n\nSAST and dependency scanners flag hardcoded credentials, insecure fixtures, and dev-only dependencies in test directories. These are not production risks.\n\n```yaml\nvulnerability_management_policy:\n  - name: \"Dismiss test code vulnerabilities\"\n    description: \"Auto-dismiss findings in test directories\"\n    enabled: true\n    rules:\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: file_path\n            value: \"test/**/*\"\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: file_path\n            value: \"tests/**/*\"\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: file_path\n            value: \"spec/**/*\"\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: directory\n            value: \"__tests__/*\"\n    actions:\n      - type: auto_dismiss\n        dismissal_reason: used_in_tests\n\n```\n\n### 2. Dismiss vendored and third-party code\n\nVulnerabilities in `vendor/`, `third_party/`, or checked-in `node_modules` are managed upstream and not actionable for your team.\n\n```yaml\nvulnerability_management_policy:\n  - name: \"Dismiss vendored dependency findings\"\n    description: \"Findings in vendored code are managed upstream\"\n    enabled: true\n    rules:\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: directory\n            value: \"vendor/*\"\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: directory\n            value: \"third_party/*\"\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: directory\n            value: \"vendored/*\"\n    actions:\n      - type: auto_dismiss\n        dismissal_reason: not_applicable\n\n```\n\n### 3. Dismiss known false positive CVEs\n\nCertain CVEs are repeatedly flagged but don't apply to your usage context. Teams dismiss these manually every time they appear. Replace the example CVEs below with your own.\n\n```yaml\nvulnerability_management_policy:\n  - name: \"Dismiss known false positive CVEs\"\n    description: \"CVEs confirmed as false positives for our environment\"\n    enabled: true\n    rules:\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: identifier\n            value: \"CVE-2023-44487\"\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: identifier\n            value: \"CVE-2024-29041\"\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: identifier\n            value: \"CVE-2023-26136\"\n    actions:\n      - type: auto_dismiss\n        dismissal_reason: false_positive\n\n```\n\n### 4. Dismiss generated and auto-created code\n\nProtobuf, gRPC, OpenAPI generators, and ORM scaffolding tools produce files with flagged patterns that cannot be patched by your team.\n\n```yaml\nvulnerability_management_policy:\n  - name: \"Dismiss generated code findings\"\n    description: \"Generated files are not authored by us\"\n    enabled: true\n    rules:\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: directory\n            value: \"generated/*\"\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: file_path\n            value: \"**/*.pb.go\"\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: file_path\n            value: \"**/*.generated.*\"\n    actions:\n      - type: auto_dismiss\n        dismissal_reason: not_applicable\n\n```\n\n### 5. Dismiss infrastructure-mitigated vulnerabilities\n\nVulnerability classes like XSS (CWE-79) or SQL injection (CWE-89) that are already addressed by WAF rules or runtime protection. Only use this when mitigating controls are verified and consistently enforced.\n\n```yaml\nvulnerability_management_policy:\n  - name: \"Dismiss CWEs mitigated by WAF\"\n    description: \"XSS and SQLi mitigated by WAF rules\"\n    enabled: true\n    rules:\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: identifier\n            value: \"CWE-79\"\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: identifier\n            value: \"CWE-89\"\n    actions:\n      - type: auto_dismiss\n        dismissal_reason: mitigating_control\n\n```\n\n### 6. Dismiss CVE families across your organization\n\nA wave of related CVEs for a widely-used library your team has assessed? Apply at the group level to dismiss them across dozens of projects. The wildcard pattern (e.g., `CVE-2021-44*`) matches all CVEs with that prefix.\n\n```yaml\nvulnerability_management_policy:\n  - name: \"Accept risk for log4j CVE family\"\n    description: \"Log4j CVEs mitigated by version pinning and WAF\"\n    enabled: true\n    rules:\n      - type: detected\n        criteria:\n          - type: identifier\n            value: \"CVE-2021-44*\"\n    actions:\n      - type: auto_dismiss\n        dismissal_reason: acceptable_risk\n\n```\n\n## Quick reference\n\n| Parameter | Details |\n|-----------|---------|\n| **Criteria types** | `file_path` (glob patterns, e.g., `test/**/*`), `directory` (e.g., `vendor/*`), `identifier` (CVE/CWE with wildcards, e.g., `CVE-2023-*`) |\n| **Dismissal reasons** | `acceptable_risk`, `false_positive`, `mitigating_control`, `used_in_tests`, `not_applicable` |\n| **Criteria logic** | Multiple criteria within a rule = AND (must match all). Multiple rules within a policy = OR (match any). |\n| **Limits** | 3 criteria per rule, 5 rules per policy, 5 policies per security policy project. Vulnerabilty management policy actions process 1000 vulnerabilities per pipeline run in the target project, until all matching vulnerabilities are processed. |\n| **Affected statuses** | Needs triage, Confirmed |\n| **Scope** | Project-level or group-level (group-level applies across all projects) |\n\n## Getting started\nHere's how to get started with auto-dismiss policies:\n\n1. **Identify the noise.** Open your vulnerability report and sort by \"Needs triage.\" Look for patterns: test files, vendored code, the same CVE across projects.\n\n2. **Pick a scenario.** Start with whichever use case above accounts for the most findings.\n\n3. **Record your baseline.** Note the number of \"Needs triage\" vulnerabilities before creating a policy.\n\n4. **Create and enable.** Navigate to **Secure > Policies > New policy > Vulnerability management policy**. Paste the configuration from the use case above, then merge the MR.\n\n5. **Validate results.** After the next default-branch pipeline, filter by status \"Dismissed\" to confirm the right findings were handled.\n\nFor full configuration details, see the [vulnerability management policy documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/policies/vulnerability_management_policy/#auto-dismiss-policies).\n\n> Ready to take control of vulnerability noise? [Start a free GitLab Ultimate trial](https://about.gitlab.com/free-trial/) and configure your first auto-dismiss policy today.\n",{"slug":727,"featured":12,"template":13},"auto-dismiss-vulnerability-management-policy",{"content":729,"config":738},{"title":730,"description":731,"authors":732,"heroImage":734,"date":735,"body":736,"category":9,"tags":737},"GitLab 18.10 brings AI-native triage and remediation ","Learn about GitLab Duo Agent Platform capabilities that cut noise, surface real vulnerabilities, and turn findings into proposed fixes.",[733],"Alisa Ho","https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1773843921/rm35fx4gylrsu9alf2fx.png","2026-03-19","GitLab 18.10 introduces new AI-powered security capabilities focused on improving the quality and speed of vulnerability management. Together, these features can help reduce the time developers spend investigating false positives and bring automated remediation directly into their workflow, so they can fix vulnerabilities without needing to be security experts.\n\nHere is what’s new:\n\n* [**Static Application Security Testing (SAST) false positive detection**](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/vulnerabilities/false_positive_detection/) **is now generally available.** This flow uses an LLM for agentic reasoning to determine the likelihood that a vulnerability is a false positive or not, so security and development teams can focus on remediating critical vulnerabilities first.  \n* [**Agentic SAST vulnerability resolution**](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/vulnerabilities/agentic_vulnerability_resolution/) **is now in beta.** Agentic SAST vulnerability resolution automatically creates a merge request with a proposed fix for verified SAST vulnerabilities, which can shorten time to remediation and reduce the need for deep security expertise.  \n* [**Secret false positive detection**](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/vulnerabilities/secret_false_positive_detection/) **is now in beta.** This flow brings the same AI-powered noise reduction to secret detection, flagging dummy and test secrets to save review effort.\n\nThese flows are available to GitLab Ultimate customers using GitLab Duo Agent Platform. \n\n## Cut triage time with SAST false positive detection\n\nTraditional SAST scanners flag every suspicious code pattern they find, regardless of whether code paths are reachable or frameworks already handle the risk. Without runtime context, they cannot distinguish a real vulnerability from safe code that just looks dangerous.\n\nThis means developers could spend hours investigating findings that turn out to be false positives. Over time, that can erode confidence in the report and slow down the teams responsible for fixing real risks.\n\nAfter each SAST scan, GitLab Duo Agent Platform automatically analyzes new critical and high severity findings and attaches:\n\n* A confidence score indicating how likely the finding is to be a false positive  \n* An AI-generated explanation describing the reasoning  \n* A visual badge that makes “Likely false positive” versus “Likely real” easy to scan in the UI\n\nThese findings appear in the [Vulnerability Report](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/vulnerability_report/), as shown below. You can filter the report to focus on findings marked as “Not false positive” so teams can spend their time addressing real vulnerabilities instead of sifting through noise.\n\n![Vulnerability report](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1773844787/i0eod01p7gawflllkgsr.png)\n\n\nGitLab Duo Agent Platform's assessment is a recommendation. You stay in control of every false positive to determine if it is valid, and you can audit the agent's reasoning at any time to build confidence in the model. \n\n\n## Turn vulnerabilities into automated fixes\n\nKnowing that a vulnerability is real is only half the work.  Remediation still requires understanding the code path, writing a safe patch, and making sure nothing else breaks.\n\nIf the vulnerability is identified as likely not be a false positive by the SAST false positive detection flow, the Agentic SAST vulnerability resolution flow automatically:\n\n1. Reads the vulnerable code and surrounding context from your repository  \n2. Generates high-quality proposed fixes  \n3. Validates fixes through automated testing   \n4. Opens a merge request with a proposed fix that includes:  \n   * Concrete code changes  \n   * A confidence score  \n   * An explanation of what changed and why\n\nIn this demo, you’ll see how GitLab can automatically take a SAST vulnerability all the way from detection to a ready-to-review merge request. Watch how the agent reads the code, generates and validates a fix, and opens an MR with clear, explainable changes so developers can remediate faster without being security experts.\n\n\u003Ciframe src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/video/1174573325?badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;\" title=\"GitLab 18.10 AI SAST False Positive Auto Remediation\">\u003C/iframe>\u003Cscript src=\"https://player.vimeo.com/api/player.js\">\u003C/script>\n\nAs with any AI-generated suggestion, you should review the proposed merge request carefully before merging.\n\n## Surface real secrets\n\nSecret detection is only useful if teams trust the results. When reports are full of test credentials, placeholder values, and example tokens, developers may waste time reviewing noise instead of fixing real exposures. That can slow remediation and decrease confidence in the scan.\n\nSecret false positive detection helps teams focus on the secrets that matter so they can reduce risk faster. When it runs on the default branch, it will automatically:\n\n1. Analyze each finding to spot likely test credentials, example values, and dummy secrets  \n2. Assign a confidence score for whether the finding is a real risk or a likely false positive  \n3. Generate an explanation for why the secret is being treated as real or noise  \n4. Add a badge in the Vulnerability Report so developers can see the status at a glance\n\nDevelopers can also trigger this analysis manually from the Vulnerability Report by selecting **“Check for false positive”** on any secret detection finding, helping them clear out findings that do not pose risk and focus on real secrets sooner.\n\n## Try AI-powered security today\n\nGitLab 18.10 introduces capabilities that cover the full vulnerability workflow, from cutting false positive noise in SAST and secret detection to automatically generating merge requests with proposed fixes.\n\nTo see how AI-powered security can help cut review time and turn findings into ready-to-merge fixes, [start a free trial of GitLab Duo Agent Platform today](https://about.gitlab.com/gitlab-duo-agent-platform/?utm_medium=blog&utm_source=blog&utm_campaign=eg_global_x_x_security_en_).",[724,9,25],{"featured":31,"template":13,"slug":739},"gitlab-18-10-brings-ai-native-triage-and-remediation",{"content":741,"config":749},{"title":742,"description":743,"authors":744,"tags":745,"heroImage":746,"category":9,"date":747,"body":748},"A complete guide to GitLab Container Scanning","Explore GitLab's various container scanning methods and learn how to secure containers at every lifecycle stage.",[18],[9,24],"https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772721753/frfsm1qfscwrmsyzj1qn.png","2026-03-05","Container vulnerabilities don't wait for your next deployment. They can emerge at any\npoint, including when you build an image or while containers run in production.\nGitLab addresses this reality with multiple container scanning approaches, each designed\nfor different stages of your container lifecycle.\n\nIn this guide, we'll explore the different types of container scanning GitLab offers,\nhow to enable each one, and common configurations to get you started.\n\n## Why container scanning matters\n\nSecurity vulnerabilities in container images create risk throughout your application\nlifecycle. Base images, OS packages, and application dependencies can all harbor\nvulnerabilities that attackers actively exploit. Container scanning detects these risks\nearly, before they reach production, and provides remediation paths when available.\n\nContainer scanning is a critical component of Software Composition Analysis (SCA),\nhelping you understand and secure the external dependencies your containerized\napplications rely on.\n\n## The five types of GitLab Container Scanning\n\nGitLab offers five distinct container scanning approaches, each serving a specific\npurpose in your security strategy.\n\n\n### 1. Pipeline-based Container Scanning\n\n* What it does: Scans container images during your CI/CD pipeline execution,\ncatching vulnerabilities before deployment\n\n* Best for: Shift-left security, blocking vulnerable images from reaching production \n\n* Tier availability: Free, Premium, and Ultimate (with enhanced features in Ultimate)  \n\n* [Documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/container_scanning/)\n\n\nGitLab uses the Trivy security scanner to analyze container images for\nknown vulnerabilities. When your pipeline runs, the scanner examines your images\nand generates a detailed report.\n\n\n#### How to enable pipeline-based Container Scanning \n\n**Option A: Preconfigured merge request**  \n\n* Navigate to **Secure > Security configuration** in your project.\n* Find the \"Container Scanning\" row.\n* Select **Configure with a merge request**.\n* This automatically creates a merge request with the necessary configuration.  \n\n**Option B: Manual configuration**  \n\n* Add the following to your `.gitlab-ci.yml`:\n\n```yaml\ninclude:\n  - template: Jobs/Container-Scanning.gitlab-ci.yml\n```  \n\n#### Common configurations\n\n**Scan a specific image:**\n\nTo scan a specific image, overwrite the `CS_IMAGE` variable in the `container_scanning` job.\n\n```yaml\ninclude:\n  - template: Jobs/Container-Scanning.gitlab-ci.yml\n\ncontainer_scanning:\n  variables:\n    CS_IMAGE: myregistry.com/myapp:latest\n```\n\n**Filter by severity threshold:**\n\nTo only find vulnerabilities with a certain severity criteria, overwrite the\n`CS_SEVERITY_THRESHOLD` variable in the `container_scanning` job. In the example\nbelow, only vulnerabilities with a severity of **High** or greater will be displayed.\n\n\n```yaml\ninclude:\n  - template: Jobs/Container-Scanning.gitlab-ci.yml\n\ncontainer_scanning:\n  variables:\n    CS_SEVERITY_THRESHOLD: \"HIGH\"\n```\n\n#### Viewing vulnerabilities in a merge request\n\nViewing Container Scanning vulnerabilities directly within merge requests makes security\nreviews seamless and efficient. Once Container Scanning is configured in your CI/CD\npipeline, GitLab automatically display detected vulnerabilities in the merge request's\n[Security widget](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/project/merge_requests/widgets/#application-security-scanning). \n\n\n![Container Scanning vulnerabilities displayed in MR](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772547514/lt6elcq6jexdhqatdy8l.png \"Container Scanning vulnerabilities displayed in MR\")\n\n\n\n* Navigate to any merge request and scroll to the \"Security Scanning\" section to see a summary of\nnewly introduced and existing vulnerabilities found in your container images.\n\n* Click on a **Vulnerability** to access detailed information about the finding, including severity level,\naffected packages, and available remediation guidance.\n\n\n![GitLab Security View details in MR](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772547514/hplihdlekc11uvpfih1p.png)\n\n\n\n![GitLab Security View details in MR](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772547513/jnxbe7uld8wfeezboifs.png \"Container Scanning vulnerability details in MR\")\n\n\nThis visibility enables developers and security teams to catch and address container\nvulnerabilities before they reach production, making security an integral part of your\ncode review process rather than a separate gate.\n\n\n#### Viewing vulnerabilities in Vulnerability Report\n\nBeyond merge request reviews, GitLab provides a centralized\n[Vulnerability Report](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/vulnerability_report/) that gives security teams comprehensive visibility across all Container Scanning findings in your project.\n\n\n![Vulnerability Report sorted by Container Scanning](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772547524/gagau279fzfgjpnvipm5.png \"Vulnerability Report sorted by Container Scanning\")\n\n\n* Access this report by navigating to **Security & Compliance > Vulnerability Report** in your\nproject sidebar.\n\n* Here you'll find an aggregated view of all container vulnerabilities detected across your branches, with powerful filtering options to sort by severity, status, scanner type, or specific container images.\n\n* You can click on a vulnerabilty to access its Vulnerablity page.\n\n\n![Vulnerability page - 1st view](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772547520/e1woxupyoajhrpzrlylj.png)\n\n\n![Vulnerability page - 2nd view](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772547521/idzcftcgjc8eryixnbjn.png)\n\n\n![Vulnerability page - 3rd view](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772547522/mbbwbbprtf9anqqola10.png \"Vunerability Details for a Container Scanning vulnerability\")\n\n\n[Vulnerability Details](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/vulnerabilities/)\nshows exactly which container images and layers are impacted, making it easier to trace the\nvulnerability back to its source. You can assign vulnerabilities to team members, change\ntheir status (detected, confirmed, resolved, dismissed), add comments for collaboration,\nand link related issues for tracking remediation work.\n\nThis workflow transforms vulnerability management from a spreadsheet exercise into an integrated part of your development process, ensuring that container security findings are tracked, prioritized, and resolved systematically.\n\n#### View the Dependency List\n\nGitLab's [Dependency List](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/dependency_list/)\nprovides a comprehensive software bill of materials (SBOM) that catalogs every component within\nyour container images, giving you complete transparency into your software supply chain.\n\n* Navigate to **Security & Compliance > Dependency List** to access an inventory of all packages,\nlibraries, and dependencies detected by Container Scanning across your project.\n\n* This view is invaluable for understanding what's actually running inside your containers, from base OS\npackages to application-level dependencies.\n\n\n![GitLab Dependency List](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772547513/vjg6dk3nhajqamplroji.png \"GitLab Dependency List (SBOM)\")\n\n\nYou can filter the list by package manager, license type, or vulnerability status to quickly\nidentify which components pose security risks or compliance concerns. Each dependency entry\nshows associated vulnerabilities, allowing you to understand security issues in the context\nof your actual software components rather than as isolated findings.\n\n\n### 2. Container Scanning for Registry\n\n* What it does: Automatically scans images pushed to your GitLab Container Registry\nwith the `latest` tag\n\n* Best for: Continuous monitoring of registry images without manual pipeline triggers  \n\n* Tier availability: Ultimate only \n\n* [Documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/container_scanning/#container-scanning-for-registry) \n\n\nWhen you push a container image tagged `latest`, GitLab's security policy bot\nautomatically triggers a scan against the default branch. Unlike pipeline-based\nscanning, this approach works with Continuous Vulnerability Scanning to monitor\nfor newly published advisories.\n\n#### How to enable Container Scanning for Registry\n\n1. Navigate to **Secure > Security configuration**.\n2. Scroll to the **Container Scanning For Registry** section.\n3. Toggle the feature on.\n\n![Container Scanning for Registry](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772547512/vntrlhtmsh1ecnwni5ji.png \"Toggle for Container Scanning for Registry\")\n\n#### Prerequisites\n\n- Maintainer role or higher in the project\n- Project must not be empty (requires at least one commit on the default branch)\n- Container Registry notifications must be configured\n- Package Metadata Database must be configured (enabled by default on GitLab.com)\n\nVulnerabilities appear under the **Container Registry vulnerabilities** tab in your\nVulnerability Report.\n\n\n### 3. Multi-Container Scanning\n\n* What it does: Scans multiple container images in parallel within a single pipeline \n* Best for: Microservices architectures and projects with multiple container images  \n* Tier availability: Free, Premium, and Ultimate (currently in Beta)  \n* [Documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/container_scanning/multi_container_scanning/) \n\nMulti-Container Scanning uses dynamic child pipelines to run scans concurrently, significantly reducing overall pipeline execution time when you need to scan multiple images.\n\n#### How to enable Multi-Container scanning\n\n1. Create a `.gitlab-multi-image.yml` file in your repository root:\n\n```yaml\nscanTargets:\n  - name: alpine\n    tag: \"3.19\"\n  - name: python\n    tag: \"3.9-slim\"\n  - name: nginx\n    tag: \"1.25\"\n```\n\n2. Include the template in your `.gitlab-ci.yml`:\n\n```yaml\ninclude:\n  - template: Jobs/Multi-Container-Scanning.latest.gitlab-ci.yml\n```\n\n#### Advanced configuration\n\n**Scan images from private registries:**\n\n```yaml\nauths:\n  registry.gitlab.com:\n    username: ${CI_REGISTRY_USER}\n    password: ${CI_REGISTRY_PASSWORD}\n\nscanTargets:\n  - name: registry.gitlab.com/private/image\n    tag: latest\n```\n\n**Include license information:**\n\n```yaml\nincludeLicenses: true\n\nscanTargets:\n  - name: postgres\n    tag: \"15-alpine\"\n```\n\n\n### 4. Continuous Vulnerability Scanning\n\n* What it does: Automatically creates vulnerabilities when new security advisories are published, no pipeline required \n\n* Best for: Proactive security monitoring between deployments\n\n* Tier availability: Ultimate only\n\n* [Documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/continuous_vulnerability_scanning/)  \n\nTraditional scanning only catches vulnerabilities at scan time. But what happens\nwhen a new CVE is published tomorrow for a package you scanned yesterday? Continuous\nVulnerability Scanning solves this by monitoring the GitLab Advisory Database and\nautomatically creating vulnerability records when new advisories affect your components.\n\n\n#### How it works\n\n1. Your Container Scanning or Dependency Scanning job generates a CycloneDX SBOM.\n\n2. GitLab registers your project's components from this SBOM.\n\n3. When new advisories are published, GitLab checks if your components are affected.\n\n4. Vulnerabilities are automatically created in your vulnerability report.\n\n\n#### Key considerations\n\n- Scans run via background jobs (Sidekiq), not CI pipelines.\n\n- Only advisories published within the last 14 days are considered for new component detection.\n\n- Vulnerabilities use \"GitLab SBoM Vulnerability Scanner\" as the scanner name.\n\n- To mark vulnerabilities as resolved, you still need to run a pipeline-based scan.\n\n\n### 5. Operational Container Scanning\n\n* What it does: Scans running containers in your Kubernetes cluster on a\nscheduled cadence\n\n* Best for: Post-deployment security monitoring and runtime vulnerability detection  \n\n* Tier availability: Ultimate only\n\n* [Documentation](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/clusters/agent/vulnerabilities/)\n\n\nOperational Container Scanning bridges the gap between build-time security and\nruntime security. Using the GitLab Agent for Kubernetes, it scans containers\nactually running in your clusters—catching vulnerabilities that emerge after\ndeployment.\n\n#### How to enable Operational Container Scanning\n\nIf you are using the [GitLab Kubernetes Agent](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/clusters/agent/install/), you can add the following to your agent configuration file:\n\n```yaml\ncontainer_scanning:\n  cadence: '0 0 * * *'  # Daily at midnight\n  vulnerability_report:\n    namespaces:\n      include:\n        - production\n        - staging\n```\n\n\nYou can also create a [scan execution policy](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/clusters/agent/vulnerabilities/#enable-via-scan-execution-policies) that enforces scanning on a schedule by the GitLab Kubernetes Agent.\n\n\n![Scan execution policy - Operational Container Scanning](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772547515/gsgvjcq4sas4dfc8ciqk.png \"Scan execution policy conditions for Operational Container Scanning\")\n\n#### Viewing results\n\n* Navigate to **Operate > Kubernetes clusters**.\n\n* Select the **Agent** tab, and choose your agent.\n\n* Then select the **Security** tab to view cluster vulnerabilities.\n\n* Results also appear under the **Operational Vulnerabilities** tab in the **Vulnerability Report**.\n\n\n## Enhancing posture with GitLab Security Policies\n\nGitLab Security Policies enable you to enforce consistent security standards across your container workflows through automated, policy-driven controls. These policies shift security left by embedding requirements directly into your development pipeline, ensuring vulnerabilities are caught and addressed before code reaches production.\n\n#### Scan execution and pipeline policies\n\n[Scan execution policies](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/policies/scan_execution_policies/) automate when and how Container Scanning runs across your projects. Define policies that trigger container scans on every merge request, schedule recurring scans of your main branch, and more. These policies ensure comprehensive coverage without relying on developers to manually configure scanning in each project's CI/CD pipeline.\n\nYou can specify which scanner versions to use and configure scanning parameters centrally, maintaining consistency across your organization while adapting to new container security threats.\n\n![Scan execution policy configuration](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772547517/z36dntxslqem9udrynvx.png \"Scan execution policy configuration\")\n\n\n[Pipeline execution policies](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/policies/pipeline_execution_policies/) provide flexible controls for injecting (or overriding) custom jobs into a pipeline based on your compliance needs.\n\nUse these policies to automatically inject Container Scanning jobs into your pipeline, fail builds when container vulnerabilities exceed your risk tolerance, trigger additional security checks for specific branches or tags, or enforce compliance requirements for container images destined for production environments. Pipeline execution policies act as automated guardrails, ensuring your security standards are consistently applied across all container deployments without manual intervention.\n\n![Pipeline execution policy](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772547517/ddhhugzcr2swptgodof2.png \"Pipeline execution policy actions\")\n\n#### Merge request approval policies\n\n[Merge request approval policies](https://docs.gitlab.com/user/application_security/policies/merge_request_approval_policies/) enforce security gates by requiring designated approvers to review and sign off on merge requests containing container vulnerabilities.\n\nConfigure policies that block merge when critical or high-severity vulnerabilities are detected, or require security team approval for any merge request introducing new container findings. These policies prevent vulnerable container images from advancing through your pipeline while maintaining development velocity for low-risk changes.\n\n![Merge request approval policy performing block in MR](https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772547513/hgnbc1vl4ssqafqcyuzg.png \"Merge request approval policy performing block in MR\")\n\n\n## Choosing the right approach\n\n| Scanning Type | When to Use | Key Benefit |\n|--------------|-------------|-------------|\n| Pipeline-based | Every build | Shift-left security, blocks vulnerable builds |\n| Registry scanning | Continuous monitoring | Catches new CVEs in stored images |\n| Multi-container | Microservices | Parallel scanning, faster pipelines |\n| Continuous vulnerability | Between deployments | Proactive advisory monitoring |\n| Operational | Production monitoring | Runtime vulnerability detection |\n\n\n\nFor comprehensive security, consider combining multiple approaches. Use\npipeline-based scanning to catch issues during development, container\nscanning for registry for continuous monitoring, and operational scanning\nfor production visibility.\n\n## Get started today\n\nThe fastest path to container security is enabling pipeline-based scanning:\n\n1. Navigate to your project's **Secure > Security configuration**.\n2. Click **Configure with a merge request** for Container Scanning.\n3. Merge the resulting merge request.\n4. Your next pipeline will include vulnerability scanning.\n\nFrom there, layer in additional scanning types based on your security requirements\nand GitLab tier.\n\nContainer security isn't a one-time activity, it's an ongoing process.\nWith GitLab's comprehensive container scanning capabilities, you can detect\nvulnerabilities at every stage of your container lifecycle, from build to runtime.\n\n> For more information on how GitLab can help enhance your security posture, visit the [GitLab Security and Governance Solutions Page](https://about.gitlab.com/solutions/application-security-testing/).\n",{"slug":750,"featured":12,"template":13},"complete-guide-to-gitlab-container-scanning",{"promotions":752},[753,767,778,789],{"id":754,"categories":755,"header":757,"text":758,"button":759,"image":764},"ai-modernization",[756],"ai-ml","Is AI achieving its promise at scale?","Quiz will take 5 minutes or less",{"text":760,"config":761},"Get your AI maturity score",{"href":762,"dataGaName":763,"dataGaLocation":242},"/assessments/ai-modernization-assessment/","modernization assessment",{"config":765},{"src":766},"https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772138786/qix0m7kwnd8x2fh1zq49.png",{"id":768,"categories":769,"header":770,"text":758,"button":771,"image":775},"devops-modernization",[724,568],"Are you just managing tools or shipping innovation?",{"text":772,"config":773},"Get your DevOps maturity score",{"href":774,"dataGaName":763,"dataGaLocation":242},"/assessments/devops-modernization-assessment/",{"config":776},{"src":777},"https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772138785/eg818fmakweyuznttgid.png",{"id":779,"categories":780,"header":781,"text":758,"button":782,"image":786},"security-modernization",[9],"Are you trading speed for security?",{"text":783,"config":784},"Get your security maturity score",{"href":785,"dataGaName":763,"dataGaLocation":242},"/assessments/security-modernization-assessment/",{"config":787},{"src":788},"https://res.cloudinary.com/about-gitlab-com/image/upload/v1772138786/p4pbqd9nnjejg5ds6mdk.png",{"id":790,"paths":791,"header":794,"text":795,"button":796,"image":801},"github-azure-migration",[792,793],"migration-from-azure-devops-to-gitlab","integrating-azure-devops-scm-and-gitlab","Is your team ready for GitHub's Azure move?","GitHub is already rebuilding around Azure. Find out what it means for you.",{"text":797,"config":798},"See how GitLab compares to GitHub",{"href":799,"dataGaName":800,"dataGaLocation":242},"/compare/gitlab-vs-github/github-azure-migration/","github azure migration",{"config":802},{"src":777},{"header":804,"blurb":805,"button":806,"secondaryButton":811},"Start building faster today","See what your team can do with the intelligent orchestration platform for DevSecOps.\n",{"text":807,"config":808},"Get your free trial",{"href":809,"dataGaName":49,"dataGaLocation":810},"https://gitlab.com/-/trial_registrations/new?glm_content=default-saas-trial&glm_source=about.gitlab.com/","feature",{"text":504,"config":812},{"href":53,"dataGaName":54,"dataGaLocation":810},1776449955324]