This document describes how to operate Secure scanners offline.
It is possible to run most of the GitLab security scanners when not
connected to the internet.
## Overview
This document describes how to operate Secure scanners in an air-gapped or offline envionment. These instructions also apply to
self-managed installations that are secured, have security policies (e.g., firewall policies), or otherwise restricted from
accessing the full internet. These instructions are designed for physically disconnected networks,
but can also be followed in these other use cases.
It is possible to run most of the GitLab security scanners when not
connected to the internet, in what is sometimes known as an offline,
limited connectivity, Local Area Network (LAN), Intranet, or "air-gap"
environment.
## Air-gapped (or offline) environments
In this situation, the GitLab instance can be one or more servers and services that can communicate
on a local network, but with no or very restricted access to the internet. Assume anything within
the GitLab instance and supporting infrastructure (for example, a private Maven repository) can be
accessed through a local network connection. Assume any files from the internet must come in through
physical media (USB drive, hard drive, writeable DVD, etc.).
In this situation, the GitLab instance can be one, or more, servers and services running in a network that can talk to one another, but have zero, or perhaps very restricted access to the internet. Assume anything within the GitLab instance and supporting infrastructure (private Maven repository for example) can be accessed via local network connection. Assume any files from the internet must come in via physical media (USB drive, hard drive).
## Overview
GitLab scanners generally will connect to the internet to download the
latest sets of signatures, rules, and patches. A few extra steps are necessary
to configure the tools to not do this and to still function properly.
to configure the tools to function properly by using resources available on your local network.
### Container registries and package repositories
At a high-level, each of the security analyzers are delivered as Docker
containers and reference various package repositories. When you run a job on
At a high-level, the security analyzers are delivered as Docker images and
may leverage various package repositories. When you run a job on
an internet-connected GitLab installation, GitLab checks the GitLab.com-hosted
container registry and package repositories to ensure that you have
the latest versions.
container registry to check that you have the latest versions of these Docker images
and possibly connect to package repositories to install necessary dependencies.
In an air-gapped environment, this must be disabled so that GitLab.com is not
In an air-gapped environment, these checks must be disabled so that GitLab.com is not
queried. Because the GitLab.com registry and repositories are not available,
you must update each of the scanners to either reference a different,
internally-hosted registry or provide access to the individual scanner images.
You must also ensure that your app has access to common package repos
You must also ensure that your app has access to common package repositories
that are not hosted on GitLab.com, such as npm, yarn, or rubygems. Packages
from these repos can be obtained by temporarily connecting to a network or by
mirroring the packages inside your own offline network.
### Interacting with the vulnerabilities
Once a vulnerability is found, you can interact with it. Read more on how to [interact with the vulnerabilities](../index.md#interacting-with-the-vulnerabilities).
Please note that in some cases the reported vulnerabilities provide metadata that can contain external links exposed in the UI. These links might not be accessible within an air-gapped (or offline) environment.
### Scanner signature and rule updates
When connected to the internet, some scanners will reference public databases
for the latest sets of signatures and rules to check against. Without connectivity,
this is not possible. Depending on the scanner, you must therefore disable
these automatic update checks and either use the databases that they came
with or manually update those databases.
with and manually update those databases or provide access to your own copies
