Welcome to our comprehensive guide on how to utilize Poutine, the cutting-edge security scanner designed to detect misconfigurations and vulnerabilities in the build pipelines of repositories. Whether you’re using GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD, or Azure DevOps, this guide will walk you through the installation, usage, and troubleshooting of the tool.

What is Poutine?

Poutine, developed by BoostSecurity.io, is inspired by the complex and messy nature of securing software supply chains. In French, “poutine” conveys a sense of messiness—apt for the intricate dependencies of modern open-source projects. This tool assists in analyzing CI workflows and provides valuable insights into your organization’s security posture.

Getting Started with Poutine

Installation

To get started, you need to install Poutine. Follow the instructions below according to your preferred method:

• Download from Releases: Visit the releases page and download the latest version. Add the binary to your $PATH for easy access.
• Homebrew: If you’re using macOS, simply run: bashbrew install poutine
• Docker: To run Poutine via Docker, execute: bashdocker run -e GH_TOKEN ghcr.io/boostsecurity/poutine:latest

Using Poutine

Once installed, you can start analyzing repositories. The commands to analyze different types of repositories are as follows:

poutine analyze_local .
poutine analyze_repo org/repo --token $GH_TOKEN
poutine analyze_org org --token $GH_TOKEN
poutine analyze_org my-org/project --token $GL_TOKEN --scm gitlab --scm-base-uri https://gitlab.example.com

Understanding Poutine Commands through an Analogy

Think of Poutine as a security inspector for a building—a place with many rooms (repositories) and intricate systems (workflows). Just like an inspector evaluates the structural integrity and safety features of a building, Poutine analyzes your code’s workflows to identify vulnerabilities and misconfigurations. Here’s how the commands translate:

• analyze_local: This is like inspecting your own office—the local files.
• analyze_repo: If you want to inspect a guest’s room in your office, this command helps you do that remotely.
• analyze_org: When you want a full inspection of an entire office building (organization), this comprehensive command does just that—either for your organization or a specific platform.

Configuration Options

Poutine offers various flags to customize your analysis:

• –token: Provide your SCM access token.
• –format: Specify the output format (pretty, json, sarif).
• –ignore-forks: Allow Poutine to skip forked repositories.
• –config: Path to your configuration file (default: .poutine.yml).
• –verbose: Enable debug logging for detailed output.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues while using Poutine, consider the following troubleshooting tips:

• Ensure you have the correct access token with the necessary permissions.
• Double-check your $PATH to ensure the Poutine binary is properly linked.
• If using Docker, verify that the image is pulled correctly and running.

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Building from Source

If you prefer building Poutine from the source, ensure you have Go 1.22 installed:

git clone https://github.com/boostsecurityio/poutine.git
cd poutine
make build

Explore More

You can explore examples of vulnerabilities in GitHub Actions workflows by visiting the Messy Poutine GitHub organization. This resource showcases real-world vulnerabilities that are exploitable for educational purposes. Start by analyzing the organization easily with:

poutine analyze_org messypoutine --token gh auth token

Conclusion

Poutine is an essential tool for securing your software supply chain, providing crucial insights into your repositories. With its easy installation, powerful commands, and customization options, it equips you to tackle security vulnerabilities effectively.

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