Palo Alto Networks Releases Checkov 2.0
April 08, 2021

Palo Alto Networks announced the second generation of Checkov, the static analysis tool for infrastructure as code (IaC).

The open-source project was created by Bridgecrew, which was acquired by Palo Alto Networks in March 2021. Checkov has exploded in popularity since its initial launch in 2019, helping developers identify misconfigurations in IaC frameworks such as Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, Azure Resource Manager (ARM) and Serverless Framework.

With Checkov 2.0, developers can now scan for cloud misconfigurations in environments with complex dependencies across resources and modules.

"This release is the most significant update to Checkov since it launched in 2019," said Matt Johnson, Bridgecrew Developer Advocate Lead at Palo Alto Networks. "Dependency awareness means developers have even more context earlier in the development lifecycle, helping companies around the world better secure their cloud infrastructure."

Checkov is now built on a graph-based model that provides an entirely new way of modeling configuration risk in cloud native software composition. That context awareness ensures more relevant and reliable scan results, making it easier for developers to prioritize and understand the impact of identified misconfigurations.

"Policies that take into account interdependencies within IaC are critical to understanding the impact of misconfigurations," said Rob Eden, a Checkov contributor. "It's not enough to know that a security group has ports open to the world; we need to know if that misconfiguration is in production or just a test environment in order to prioritize it appropriately. It's awesome to have an open-source tool providing that level of context."

Highlights

- Over 200 new policies

- Built using NetworkX, the popular Python package for analysis of complex networks.

- Dockerfile misconfiguration scanning secures container build tasks in continuous integration (CI) workflows.

- Graph-based mapping enables scanning of complex inventory and configuration errors that require parsing and storing data with their full contextualized relationships intact.

Checkov 2.0 includes over 200 new policies and a Dockerfile scanner that help ensure container images are built securely, without misconfigurations. According to Unit 42's most recent Cloud Threat Report, 51% of Docker containers use insecure defaults. Checkov 2.0 identifies these concerns directly within the developer's integrated development environment (IDE) via the recently released VS Code extension, making it easy to quickly patch and build more secure applications in Kubernetes and other containerized environments.

Share this

Industry News

April 03, 2025

StackGen has partnered with Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to bring its platform to the Google Cloud Marketplace.

April 03, 2025

Tricentis announced its spring release of new cloud capabilities for the company’s AI-powered, model-based test automation solution, Tricentis Tosca.

April 03, 2025

Lucid Software has acquired airfocus, an AI-powered product management and roadmapping platform designed to help teams prioritize and build the right products faster.

April 03, 2025

AutonomyAI announced its launch from stealth with $4 million in pre-seed funding.

April 02, 2025

Kong announced the launch of the latest version of Kong AI Gateway, which introduces new features to provide the AI security and governance guardrails needed to make GenAI and Agentic AI production-ready.

April 02, 2025

Traefik Labs announced significant enhancements to its AI Gateway platform along with new developer tools designed to streamline enterprise AI adoption and API development.

April 02, 2025

Zencoder released its next-generation AI coding and unit testing agents, designed to accelerate software development for professional engineers.

April 02, 2025

Windsurf (formerly Codeium) and Netlify announced a new technology partnership that brings seamless, one-click deployment directly into the developer's integrated development environment (IDE.)

April 02, 2025

Opsera raised $20M in Series B funding.

April 02, 2025

The Cloud Native Computing Foundation® (CNCF®), which builds sustainable ecosystems for cloud native software, is making significant updates to its certification offerings.

April 01, 2025

The Cloud Native Computing Foundation® (CNCF®), which builds sustainable ecosystems for cloud native software, announced the Golden Kubestronaut program, a distinguished recognition for professionals who have demonstrated the highest level of expertise in Kubernetes, cloud native technologies, and Linux administration.

April 01, 2025

Red Hat announced new capabilities and enhancements for Red Hat Developer Hub, Red Hat’s enterprise-grade internal developer portal based on the Backstage project.

April 01, 2025

Platform9 announced that Private Cloud Director Community Edition is generally available.

March 31, 2025

Sonatype expanded support for software development in Rust via the Cargo registry to the entire Sonatype product suite.

March 31, 2025

CloudBolt Software announced its acquisition of StormForge, a provider of machine learning-powered Kubernetes resource optimization.