DevSecOps Practice Hub

Infrastructure Automation Security

Secure automation platforms end to end: credentials, RBAC, execution environments and audit logging.

AdvancedConfiguration ManagementInfrastructureIdentityGovernance

Where it fits in the lifecycle

  1. Plan
  2. Code
  3. Build
  4. Test
  5. Release
  6. Deploy
  7. Operate
  8. Monitor
  • Deploy Policy enforcement, admission control and infrastructure security.
  • Operate Runtime security, secrets rotation and configuration reconciliation.

Overview

Automation controllers centralise privileged execution. Securing them means controlling credential injection, restricting who can launch what, hardening execution environments, and retaining audit trails.

Why it matters

Automation platforms concentrate privilege by design; compromise translates directly into fleet-wide access.

How it works

  1. 01Credentials are stored in the platform or an external vault and injected at runtime.
  2. 02RBAC binds organisations, teams, inventories and job templates.
  3. 03Execution environments are built as scanned, signed container images.
  4. 04Job runs, template edits and credential use are logged externally.

Common tools

Ansible Automation PlatformHashiCorp Vaultansible-lintAnsibleAAPRed HatLinux

Implementation examples

yamlExecution environment definition
version: 3images:  base_image:    name: registry.redhat.io/ansible-automation-platform-24/ee-minimal-rhel9:latestdependencies:  galaxy: requirements.yml  python: requirements.txt
Treat execution environments as production images: scan them, pin them and rebuild on advisories.

Security considerations

  • Least privilege: separate credentials per environment rather than one fleet-wide account.
  • Ship controller audit logs to a SIEM with independent retention.

Best practices

  • Use surveys and job templates instead of granting ad-hoc command execution.
  • Rotate machine credentials on a schedule and after every staff change.
  • Scan and sign execution environment images.

Common mistakes

  • Granting broad admin roles because team-scoped RBAC takes longer to configure.

Hands-on labs