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CTEM-SRC-2 - Public Source Code Repository - Employee Created

To be Completed

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

A Public Source Code Repository - Employee Created refers to a code repository that has been publicly published by an employee, either intentionally or unintentionally. These repositories may not have undergone official corporate scrutiny or approval, and are typically identified by commit logs or references that confirm the involvement of an employee (e.g., committers using joe@acme.com). The main concern with this type of exposure is that sensitive information may be inadvertently disclosed, and the repository may not meet the security standards set by the organization.

Characteristics of an Employee-Created Public Repository​

  • Employee Involvement: The repository has been created and published by an employee, often identified through commit logs, email addresses, or other indicators that link the repository to the organization.
  • Lack of Official Oversight: These repositories may not have gone through the formal review processes or security checks mandated by the organization, increasing the risk of sensitive information exposure.
  • Public Accessibility: The repository is publicly accessible, creating the risk of unintended exposure of sensitive or proprietary information if not managed properly.

Common Methods of Discovery​

Employee-created public repositories are generally discovered through:

  • Commit History Analysis: The presence of an employee's email address (e.g., joe@acme.com) in the commit history may link the repository to the organization.
  • Public Source Code Management (SCM) Platforms: The repositories are often hosted on public SCM platforms like GitHub, Bitbucket, or GitLab, where they can be easily accessed by anyone.
  • Automated Scanning Tools: Tools like GitGuardian or TruffleHog are commonly used to scan for sensitive information in public repositories, including those created by employees.

Risks and Impact​

The risks associated with the exposure of an employee-created public repository include:

  • Intellectual Property Exposure: Proprietary code, algorithms, or project information may be unintentionally disclosed, providing competitors or attackers with insights into the organization's technology.
  • Credential Leakage: Hard-coded credentials, API keys, or passwords present in the code can be exposed, granting unauthorized access to internal systems or third-party services.
  • Information Leakage: Configuration details, internal scripts, or documentation that are not intended for public consumption may be exposed, revealing details about the organization's infrastructure.
  • Reputation Risk: The exposure of unreviewed or unapproved code can damage the organization's reputation, especially if sensitive information is found or if it appears that employees are not following proper security procedures.

Key Considerations for Threat Exposure Management​

Managing employee-created public repositories requires a combination of awareness, proactive monitoring, and clear policies:

  • Employee Awareness and Training: Train employees on the risks of publicly posting code, and provide guidelines on the proper handling of sensitive information within code repositories.
  • Access Control and Policy Enforcement: Implement strict policies that specify which repositories can be made public and ensure employees are aware of the requirements for official approval before publishing code.
  • Code Review and Scanning: Utilize automated tools to scan for hard-coded credentials, sensitive data, and other potential risks before allowing any repository to be made public.
  • Monitoring for Exposure: Continuously monitor public SCM platforms for employee-created repositories that may have been unintentionally made public. Set up alerts to notify security teams when new repositories related to the organization are detected.

Employee-created public repositories pose unique challenges, as they may be created without the oversight typically associated with company-sanctioned repositories. Effective threat exposure management includes educating employees, enforcing clear access policies, and utilizing automated tools to detect and mitigate risks associated with such exposures.