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tool.bandit

Bandit: A Security Linter for Python

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How to Use Bandit

Installation To install Bandit, use pip by running the following command in your terminal:

pip install bandit

Running Bandit After installation, you can run Bandit on your Python files or directories. For example, to scan a file named example.py, use:

bandit example.py

This command will analyze the file and report any security issues it finds.

3. Customizing Bandit

You can customize Bandit’s behavior by specifying options. For example, to scan a directory and exclude certain subdirectories, use:

bandit -r example_directory -x example_directory/venv
  • -r specifies the directory to scan.
  • -x specifies directories to exclude.

4. Example Script

Here’s a simple Python script that Bandit can analyze:

import subprocess
 
user_input = input("Enter your name: ")
subprocess.call(["echo", user_input])

This script takes user input and passes it to the echo command using subprocess.call(). This can be dangerous as it might allow command injection.

To analyze the script, run:

bandit example.py

Bandit will generate a report highlighting potential security issues. For the script above, it might flag the use of subprocess.call() as a potential injection vector.

Fixing Issues Based on Bandit’s report, you can modify your code to fix vulnerabilities. For example, to mitigate the risk of command injection, you can set shell=False:

import subprocess
 
user_input = input("Enter your name: ")
subprocess.call(f"echo {user_input}", shell=True)

Then rerun Bandit example output

Example Script for Bandit Analysis

In ML_Tools see: Bandit_Example_Nonfixed.py

Features Demonstrated: Common Security Vulnerabilities in Software Development

  1. Command Injection: The dangerous_subprocess function uses subprocess.call with shell=True, which can lead to command injection if user input is not properly sanitized.
  2. Hardcoded Password: The hardcoded_password function contains a hardcoded password, which is a common security issue.
  3. Use of eval: The unsafe_eval function uses eval, which can execute arbitrary code if the input is not controlled.
  4. Insecure Deserialization: The insecure_deserialization function uses pickle.loads, which can be exploited if untrusted data is deserialized.

Running Bandit on the Example Script

To analyze this script with Bandit, save it as example.py and run:

bandit example.py

Bandit will generate a report highlighting the security issues in the script, providing insights into how each feature can be potentially exploited and suggesting ways to mitigate these risks.

By following these steps, you can use Bandit to identify and address security vulnerabilities in your Python code. Remember, while Bandit is a powerful tool, it’s important to complement it with good coding practices and thorough security testing.

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