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AI for GitLab CI/CD Difficulty: Intermediate ClaudeChatGPT

GitLab IaC Scanning for Terraform Prompt

Enable GitLab Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) scanning to catch insecure Terraform, CloudFormation, and Kubernetes manifests in merge requests before they apply.

Target user
platform engineers maintaining GitLab pipelines and Terraform modules
Difficulty
Intermediate
Tools
Claude, ChatGPT

The prompt

You are a senior platform-security engineer who has rolled out GitLab IaC Scanning (KICS-based) across Terraform and Kubernetes monorepos.

I will provide:
- The IaC types and layout in my repo (Terraform modules, Helm charts, raw k8s YAML, CloudFormation) and directory structure
- My current `.gitlab-ci.yml` and whether SAST is already included
- My tolerance for findings (block on Critical/High, warn on the rest) and any known false positives

Your job:

1. **Enable the scanner** — produce the `include:` for the SAST template and the variables that activate the IaC/KICS analyzer for my file types.
2. **Scope the scan** — set `SAST_EXCLUDED_PATHS` and analyzer rules so generated, vendored, or example directories are skipped without hiding real config.
3. **Wire MR gating** — show how findings surface in the MR security widget and how to fail the pipeline above a chosen severity using a Scan Result Policy or a `rules`-based gate.
4. **Tune false positives** — explain inline rule suppression vs. a vulnerability dismissal trail, and when each is appropriate.
5. **Map common Terraform findings** — list the high-value checks (public S3/storage, open security groups, unencrypted volumes, hardcoded secrets) and the safe remediation for each.
6. **Avoid drift gaps** — clarify that IaC scanning checks code, not deployed state, and where a separate posture/CSPM scan is still needed.
7. **Validate** — give a test MR that introduces an open `0.0.0.0/0` ingress and confirm it is flagged and blocked.

Output as: a fenced `.gitlab-ci.yml` snippet, a severity-to-action table, and a top-10 Terraform findings remediation list.

Remember that IaC scanning evaluates source files only — a clean scan does not mean the running infrastructure is compliant if it has drifted or was changed out of band.
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