Secure adaptive Infrastructure-As-Code (Iac) system framework for DevOps pipelines

Abstract

A secure, adaptive Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) system framework for DevOps pipelines that includes the following: a developer commit interface for receiving IaC scripts; a CI / CD pipeline trigger module to initiate a secure automation sequence; an IaC parser and validator to verify the syntax, schema, and logic of the code; a module for the detection and validation of secrets, configured to identify secrets within the IaC and authenticate them against secure vaults; an AI-based drift predictor adapted to predict configuration drift using historical deployment patterns; a module for revoking secrets and exchanging vault references to remove hard-coded secrets and insert vault references; a zero-trust policy injector for embedding security rules such as least-privilege access and network segmentation in IaC; an auto-remediation engine for automatically correcting non-compliant or misconfigured infrastructure code; a cloud abstraction adapter configured to translate standardized IaC into vendor-specific formats for multi-cloud compatibility; and an infrastructure provisioner to securely deploy the final infrastructure while maintaining audit logs and compliance integrity.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of DevOps automation, in particular to secure and adaptive Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) practices. It addresses the dynamic orchestration, compliance, and vulnerability management of infrastructure in CI / CD pipelines. The invention ensures robust and policy-driven infrastructure deployment in cloud-native environments.

[0002] Modern DevOps practices rely heavily on Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) to efficiently deploy and manage computing environments. However, traditional IaC implementations often lack built-in mechanisms for adaptive security and compliance enforcement. As organizations scale, they face the challenge of maintaining consistency, traceability, and governance of infrastructure code across diverse environments, which can lead to configuration inconsistencies, security misconfigurations, and operational bottlenecks.

[0003] With the increasing frequency of cyber threats and regulatory requirements, the inability of existing IaC tools to dynamically adapt to real-time policy changes or to detect vulnerabilities early in the pipeline is becoming a critical problem. Manual intervention to enforce security measures or audit trails in CI / CD workflows leads to delays and human error, reducing overall agility and increasing the attack surface.

[0004] To address these challenges, there is a growing need for a secure and adaptable IaC system framework that integrates seamlessly with DevOps pipelines. Such a system must automate security checks, enforce compliance policies, and provide dynamic feedback during code execution and infrastructure deployment. This invention aims to close this gap by introducing an intelligent, policy-aware IaC framework that enhances security, ensures auditability, and accelerates the secure deployment of infrastructure in hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

[0005] One goal of this disclosure is the automation of secure end-to-end infrastructure provisioning in DevOps pipelines.

[0006] Another objective of this disclosure is the detection and elimination of hard-coded secrets through the integration of vaults.

[0007] Another objective of this disclosure is to predict configuration deviations through AI-based analysis prior to deployment.

[0008] Another objective of this disclosure is the dynamic enforcement of zero trust policies within IaC templates.

[0009] Another objective of this disclosure is to enable the automatic, real-time correction of misconfigurations and policy violations.

[0010] Another objective of this disclosure is to provide multi-cloud compatibility via cloud abstraction adapters.

[0011] Another objective of this disclosure is to improve traceability and auditability through structured logging.

[0012] Another objective of this disclosure is to reduce human error and increase the compliance and reliability of the infrastructure.

[0013] Further aims and benefits of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0014] The present invention relates to a secure adaptive Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) system that automates secure infrastructure provisioning in DevOps pipelines. It integrates security, validation, and remediation at every stage of the CI / CD lifecycle.

[0015] Another embodiment of the present invention consists in the developer commits of IaC templates triggering a structured pipeline that ensures syntax validation, policy enforcement, and infrastructure integrity. This minimizes risks due to human error and configuration deviations.

[0016] Another embodiment of the present invention is an IaC parser and validator module that checks the structure, completeness, and correctness of the code against predefined schemas and cloud specifications. It serves as a first line of defense against faulty infrastructure scripts.

[0017] Another embodiment of the present invention consists in the system employing a Secrets Detection & Validation Engine that searches for hard-coded secrets and authenticates them against central vaults. This ensures that sensitive data is not exposed in code repositories.

[0018] Another embodiment of the present invention is the AI ​​Drift Predictor, which predicts possible deviations of the deployed infrastructure from the target state. It uses historical learning to detect unauthorized changes before the actual deployment takes place.

[0019] Another embodiment of the present invention is the Secrets Revocation & Vault Reference Swap module, which, upon detection of secrets, revokes them and replaces them with secure vault references. This step ensures compliance with the company's security policies.

[0020] Another embodiment of the present invention is the Zero-Trust Policy Injector, which dynamically embeds security policies such as access control, encryption, and network restrictions into the IaC. This enforces the principles of the Zero-Trust architecture.

[0021] Another embodiment of the present invention is the auto-remediation engine, which automatically corrects policy violations, insecure configurations, or missing metadata without halting the deployment pipeline. It ensures continuity in policy compliance.

[0022] Another embodiment of the present invention is a Cloud Abstraction Adapter that translates standardized IaC into cloud-specific formats to ensure compatibility between AWS, Azure, GCP, or on-premises platforms. This promotes true portability and scalability.

[0023] Another embodiment of the present invention consists in the Infrastructure Provisioner performing secure and validated deployments and maintaining traceable logs. This guarantees that the infrastructure is not only correctly deployed but also audited and compliant with regulations.

[0024] The present invention relates to a secure, adaptive Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) system framework designed to embed real-time security, compliance, and intelligence into DevOps pipelines. It proactively validates IaC scripts, detects and revokes secrets, predicts configuration deviations, and injects zero-trust policies prior to deployment. The system leverages AI and automation to automatically remediate misconfigurations and ensure stable and compliant infrastructure deployment. It supports multi-cloud environments through a unified policy abstraction layer and integrates with SIEM / SOAR for automated incident response. This framework enhances DevSecOps by combining preventative security with developer-centric feedback and training. Developer Commit (IaC)

[0025] This module represents the system's entry point, where developers transfer IaC scripts to a version control system. The committed code defines the intended state of the infrastructure using formats such as Terraform or Ansible. It serves as the basis for automated analysis and deployment. After the transfer, the secure CI / CD pipeline is automatically triggered. This step enables traceable and auditable infrastructure changes. CI / CD Pipeline Trigger

[0026] Upon detecting a code commit, this module activates the CI / CD pipeline workflow. It orchestrates all subsequent modules and ensures orderly execution from validation to deployment. The trigger guarantees consistent, automated, and secure processing of infrastructure changes. It also integrates seamlessly with tools such as Jenkins, GitHub Actions, and GitLab CI, forming the backbone of continuous and secure infrastructure deployment. IaC Parser & Validator

[0027] This module scans the IaC code to check its syntax, schema compliance, and logical structure. It verifies compliance with cloud provider standards and company policies to prevent deployment errors. Misconfigurations and formatting issues are detected early in the pipeline, ensuring that only validated infrastructure definitions are used. This improves code quality and minimizes human error. Detection and validation of secrets

[0028] The Secrets Engine detects hard-coded credentials such as passwords, tokens, and API keys in IaC files. It validates them against secure vaults to verify authenticity and policy compliance. This prevents the loss and misuse of credentials in production environments. It uses regular expression patterns and machine learning to improve detection accuracy. Detected secrets are flagged for secure remediation. AI Drift Predictor

[0029] This intelligent module analyzes the current infrastructure based on historical deployment patterns. It predicts potential deviations or future misalignments due to manual changes or evolving cloud states. By predicting these deviations, it enables preventative measures to be taken before actual deployment. This is achieved using machine learning models trained on infrastructure behavior data. This proactive capability increases infrastructure reliability and governance. Revocation of confidentiality and exchange of safe references

[0030] When hard-coded secrets are detected, this module immediately revokes their use. It replaces them with secure references linked to managed vault systems like AWS Secrets Manager. This ensures that access to secrets is dynamic and not stored in plaintext. The swap process is automated and policy-compliant, mitigating security risks without disrupting developer workflows. Zero-Trust Policy Injector

[0031] This module injects zero-trust security configurations directly into IaC templates. It enforces micro-segmentation, least-privilege access, and encryption rules before deployment, ensuring that the deployed infrastructure adheres to a modern security architecture. It supports the dynamic application of policies based on the environment and workload. The injection process is seamless and automated within the pipeline. Auto-Remediation Engine

[0032] This module automatically corrects policy violations and misconfigurations detected in the Infrastructure as Configuration (IaC). It applies rule-based and AI-driven fixes without requiring developer intervention. Common issues such as open ports or missing tags are resolved immediately. It also publishes suggestions to pull requests or IDEs for learning purposes. This reduces deployment errors and improves compliance. Cloud Abstraction Adapter

[0033] This component translates generic IaC policies into vendor-specific formats. It supports major cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and GCP, enabling cross-platform compatibility. Developers can write once and deploy anywhere without rewriting code. It ensures consistent policy enforcement across cloud environments. This modular adapter makes the framework cloud-independent and scalable. Infrastructure Provisioner

[0034] This final module deploys the validated, secured, and remediated infrastructure. It uses authenticated roles and policy guardrails for secure deployment in the target environments. All actions are logged for traceability and compliance audits. The software integrates with monitoring tools to verify successful deployment.

[0035] This ensures a safe and reliable deployment of the infrastructure on a large scale.

[0036] The invention is explained again below with reference to the figure. This shows: Fig. : a secure adaptive Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) System (100) framework for DevOps pipelines.

[0037] Fig.This illustrates a Secure Adaptive Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) System (100) framework for DevOps pipelines. The Secure Adaptive Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) System framework for DevOps pipelines begins operating when a developer commit (IaC) is made to a version-controlled repository, which triggers the CI / CD pipeline trigger to initiate the automated workflow. The submitted IaC files are first processed by the IaC parser and validator, which checks for syntactic correctness and structural compliance. The parsed code is then analyzed by the Secrets Detection and Validation module to identify any exposed sensitive credentials, while the AI ​​drift predictor assesses potential configuration drift by comparing the current state to historical implementations.When secrets are discovered, the Secrets Revocation & Vault Reference Swap module revokes insecure credentials and replaces them with secure references from a central vault. Once the secrets are secured, the Zero-Trust Policy Injector embeds context-aware security policies into the infrastructure code to enforce the principles of least privilege and network segmentation. Any policy violations or deployment issues are then handled by the Auto-Remediation Engine, which automatically corrects misconfigurations and security vulnerabilities. To ensure cloud compatibility, the Cloud Abstraction Adapter translates the IaC templates into vendor-specific formats suitable for multi-cloud or hybrid environments.Finally, the enhanced and secured infrastructure code is passed to the Infrastructure Provisioner, which deploys the infrastructure using authenticated roles, maintains audit logs, and validates successful deployment. This adaptive end-to-end pipeline ensures secure, compliant, and automated infrastructure deployment with minimal manual intervention.

Claims

[1] A secure adaptive Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) system framework for DevOps pipelines that includes the following: a developer commit interface for receiving IaC scripts; a CI / CD pipeline trigger module to initiate a secure automation sequence; an IaC parser and validator to verify the syntax, schema, and logic of the code; a module for the detection and validation of secrets, configured to identify secrets within the IaC and authenticate them against secure vaults; an AI-based drift predictor adapted to predict configuration drift using historical deployment patterns; a module for revoking secrets and exchanging vault references to remove hard-coded secrets and insert vault references; a zero-trust policy injector for embedding security rules such as least-privilege access and network segmentation in IaC; an auto-remediation engine for automatically correcting non-compliant or misconfigured infrastructure code; a cloud abstraction adapter configured to translate standardized IaC into vendor-specific formats for multi-cloud compatibility; and an infrastructure provisioner to securely deploy the final infrastructure while maintaining audit logs and compliance integrity. [2] System (100) according to claim 1, wherein the secret detection module uses machine learning models and pattern recognition to improve the accuracy of identifying secrets within the IaC templates. [3] System (100) according to claim 1, wherein the AI-based drift predictor analyzes the course of the infrastructure state and warns the user of likely future misalignments before deployment. [4] System (100) according to claim 1, wherein the Zero Trust Policy Injector dynamically applies IAM roles with the fewest privileges, encrypted storage policies and micro-segmentation rules to infrastructure templates. [5] System (100) according to claim 1, wherein the auto-remediation engine generates inline suggestions in pull requests or integrated development environments (IDEs) to guide developers in solving problems. [6] System (100) according to claim 1, wherein the cloud abstraction adapter enables vendor-independent policy enforcement by supporting AWS, Azure and GCP simultaneously through a single interface. [7] System (100) according to claim 1 further comprises a module for analyzing developer behavior, which detects recurring unsafe coding patterns and triggers context-related safety training interventions. [8] System (100) according to claim 1, wherein the secret retrieval module is connected to enterprise vaults such as HashiCorp Vault or AWS Secrets Manager to manage the secure token replacement. [9] System (100) according to claim 1, wherein the infrastructure provisioner logs all provisioning events and breaches to a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system for audit readiness. [10] System (100) according to claim 1, which is further integrated with SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) platforms to trigger incident response measures, such as revoking access keys or blocking provisioning in the event of policy violations.

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