Abstract Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines have become the beating heart of modern software delivery. They enable organizations to release features faster, automate quality checks, and scale innovation. However, this very speed and automation have transformed CI/CD pipelines into one of the most attractive and least protected attack surfaces in today’s digital enterprises. Recent global breaches reveal a troubling reality: attackers no longer need to breach production systems directly. By compromising the pipeline, they can poison software at the source, silently impacting thousands of downstream systems, customers, and partners. This article explores why CI/CD pipelines are now prime targets, how attackers exploit them, real-world case studies, and how organizations must evolve toward true DevSecOps to survive this new threat landscape.
Nilesh Roy (Fri,) studied this question.