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CTEM-SRC-1 - Public Source Code Repository - Company Sanctioned

To be Completed

Documentation has not been completed. This page is a placeholder for future documentation.

A Public Source Code Repository - Company Sanctioned refers to a publicly accessible code repository that appears to be officially managed or sanctioned by the organization. These repositories are typically hosted on platforms such as GitHub, Bitbucket, or GitLab, and often follow a structured naming convention that clearly associates them with the organization (e.g., github.com/acme/some-repo-name). While these repositories may be intended to share open source projects or resources, they can inadvertently expose sensitive information.

Characteristics of a Company-Sanctioned Public Repository​

  • Official Repository: The repository is associated with the organization's official account, making it highly likely to be managed or maintained by company employees.
  • Public Accessibility: The repository is accessible to anyone on the internet, which creates the potential for unintended information exposure if sensitive data is not properly secured.
  • Organizational Branding: The repository often uses the organization's branding, such as the company name or logo, making it identifiable as a corporate asset.

Common Methods of Discovery​

Public company-sanctioned repositories are generally discovered through:

  • Public Source Code Management (SCM) Platforms: These repositories are often hosted on public SCM tools such as GitHub, where they are visible to the entire internet.
  • Search Engines and Code Indexing: Search engines or code indexing tools may index the public repositories, making them easily discoverable by anyone searching for the company name or related keywords.
  • Automated Tools: Tools such as GitRob or GitGuardian are often used to scan public repositories for sensitive information, including company-sanctioned ones.

Risks and Impact​

The risks associated with the exposure of a public company-sanctioned repository include:

  • Intellectual Property Exposure: Proprietary code, unique algorithms, or internal project details may be unintentionally disclosed, allowing competitors or attackers to reverse-engineer the company's technology.
  • Credential Leakage: Hard-coded credentials, API keys, or passwords within the code can be exposed, giving attackers direct access to company systems or third-party services.
  • Information Leakage: Internal configuration details such as hostnames, CI/CD pipeline configurations, or deployment scripts may be exposed, providing attackers with critical information that can aid in launching targeted attacks.

Key Considerations for Threat Exposure Management​

Managing the exposure of public company-sanctioned repositories requires vigilant practices that focus on prevention, monitoring, and response:

  • Access Control and Auditing: Implement strict access controls to limit who can create or modify public repositories. Regularly audit public repositories to identify any that may have been unintentionally made public.
  • Code Review and Scanning: Perform regular reviews of code being published to ensure no sensitive information is included. Utilize automated tools to scan for hard-coded credentials or other sensitive data before allowing a repository to be made public.
  • Repository Policy Enforcement: Establish clear policies for which repositories can be made public and which must remain private. Ensure all developers are aware of these policies and the associated risks.
  • Monitoring for Exposure: Continuously monitor public repositories for signs of sensitive information exposure. Employ tools that alert security teams to any potential exposure so that immediate remediation steps can be taken.

Public company-sanctioned repositories offer benefits in terms of open source contributions and transparency, but they also come with significant risks if not properly managed. A proactive approach that combines strict access controls, code reviews, and automated scanning tools can help mitigate the risks associated with exposing source code in public repositories.