15 Best IaC Security Tools (2026)
Compare 15 IaC security tools for 2026. Scan Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, and Helm charts for misconfigurations. 9 are free and open-source.
- We compared 15 IaC security tools — 9 fully open-source (Checkov, Trivy, KICS, Kubescape, Kyverno), 1 freemium (Snyk IaC), and 5 commercial (Prisma Cloud, Wiz, Orca, Sysdig).
- Misconfigurations remain a leading cause of cloud incidents — Check Point's 2024 Cloud Security Report identified misconfigurations as a top concern, and CISA issued Binding Operational Directive 25-01 mandating federal cloud security.
- Checkov leads with 1000+ built-in policies (backed by Palo Alto/Prisma). Trivy is the Swiss Army knife — IaC, containers, SBOM, and K8s cluster scanning in one tool. tfsec was merged into Trivy.
- All tools support Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes YAML, and Helm charts. Kubescape (CNCF Incubating) is the best choice for Kubernetes-focused teams with CIS, NSA-CISA, and MITRE ATT&CK frameworks.
What is IaC Security?
As infrastructure moves to code (Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes manifests), security misconfigurations in these files can lead to exposed databases, overly permissive IAM roles, and unencrypted storage.
IaC security tools scan these configuration files and catch issues before they are deployed.
This is shift-left security for infrastructure.
Instead of discovering that your S3 bucket is public after a breach, you find it in the pull request before it ever reaches production.
I have seen teams catch hundreds of misconfigurations in their first scan. AppSec Santa compares all the major IaC security tools to help you choose the right one for your infrastructure.
The statistics back this up. According to Check Point’s 2024 Cloud Security Report, misconfigurations remain a leading cause of cloud security incidents, with 12% of organizations identifying them as a top threat (Check Point, 2024 Cloud Security Report). SentinelOne reports that 23% of cloud breaches are due to misconfigurations (SentinelOne, 2024). In December 2024, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued Binding Operational Directive 25-01, mandating federal agencies secure cloud environments specifically due to widespread cloud misconfigurations exposing sensitive data. According to IBM’s 2023 Cost of a Data Breach Report, 82% of all data breaches involved cloud-stored data (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report, 2023).
“Infrastructure as Code shifts the security conversation left — but only if you actually scan it,” notes Idan Tendler, founder of Bridgecrew (acquired by Palo Alto Networks, makers of Checkov). “A misconfigured Terraform file is just as dangerous as a SQL injection vulnerability.”
Advantages
- • Catches misconfigurations before deployment
- • Shift-left for infrastructure
- • Supports multiple IaC frameworks
- • All major tools are free and open-source
Limitations
- • Limited to configuration issues
- • Framework-specific rules needed
- • Cannot detect runtime issues
- • Does not replace CSPM for drift detection
Common IaC Misconfigurations
IaC security tools detect patterns that lead to security breaches.
Here are the most common issues they catch:
Public Storage Buckets
S3 buckets, GCS buckets, and Azure Blob containers configured with public access. A common cause of data breaches.
Overly Permissive IAM
IAM roles and policies with wildcard permissions (*) or excessive privileges beyond what the workload needs.
Unencrypted Data
Databases, storage volumes, and network traffic without encryption at rest or in transit.
Exposed Ports
Security groups and network ACLs allowing unrestricted inbound access (0.0.0.0/0) to sensitive ports like SSH (22) or RDP (3389).
Hardcoded Secrets
API keys, passwords, and tokens embedded directly in IaC files instead of using secret managers like AWS Secrets Manager or Vault.
Disabled Logging
Resources deployed without audit logging, CloudTrail, or access logs enabled. Makes incident response nearly impossible.
Quick Comparison of IaC Security Tools
| Tool | USP | Backed By | License |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free / Open Source | |||
| Checkov | 1000+ built-in policies | Palo Alto / Prisma | Open Source |
| Trivy | IaC + containers + SBOM in one tool | Aqua Security | Open Source |
| KICS | Extensible query language | Checkmarx | Open Source |
| Terrascan | 500+ policies, OPA/Rego support | Tenable / CNCF | Open Source |
| Kubescape | CNCF Incubating project, K8s focused | ARMO / CNCF | Open Source |
| Freemium | |||
| Snyk IaC | IDE, CLI & CI/CD integration | Snyk | Freemium |
| Mondoo NEW | Policy-as-code infrastructure security | Mondoo | Freemium |
| Discontinued (2) | |||
| tfsec MERGED | Terraform-focused scanner; merged into Trivy | Aqua Security | Was Open Source |
| Lacework ACQUIRED | Cloud-native security platform; now FortiCNAPP | Fortinet | Was Commercial |
IaC Format Support
Each tool supports different IaC formats.
Here is what each tool can scan:
| Format | Checkov | KICS | Trivy | Terrascan | Kubescape |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terraform | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| CloudFormation | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Kubernetes YAML | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Helm Charts | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| ARM Templates | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Dockerfile | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Container Images | — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ |
| SBOM Generation | — | — | ✓ | — | — |
| K8s Cluster Scan | — | — | ✓ | — | ✓ |
How to Choose an IaC Security Tool
For Unified Scanning: Trivy
If you also scan container images, generate SBOMs, or scan running Kubernetes clusters, Trivy covers all these use cases in a single tool. It absorbed tfsec, so Terraform scanning is solid.
For Kubernetes-focused Teams: Kubescape
If your infrastructure is primarily Kubernetes, Kubescape is well-suited. CNCF project with excellent compliance frameworks (CIS, NSA-CISA, MITRE ATT&CK) and runtime cluster scanning.
For Developer Experience: Snyk IaC
If you want the best IDE and CI/CD integration with inline fix suggestions, Snyk IaC provides a polished developer experience. Free tier available with limited monthly tests.
For Enterprise Compliance
All open-source tools have commercial counterparts (Prisma Cloud for Checkov, Checkmarx for KICS, Aqua for Trivy) that add compliance reporting, policy management, and enterprise support if you need those features.
Checkov
1,000+ Policies for Terraform, CloudFormation & K8s
Conftest
Policy-as-Code Testing
Falco
Cloud-native runtime security
KICS
2,400+ Rego Queries for 22+ IaC Platforms
KubeArmor
LSM-based runtime enforcement
Kubescape
CNCF Project, 25k+ Users
Kyverno
Kubernetes-native policy management
Mondoo
NEWPolicy as Code for Full-Stack Security
OPA Gatekeeper
OPA-based admission control
Orca Security
Patented SideScanning technology
Prisma Cloud
Unified CNAPP with Checkov-powered IaC scanning
Snyk IaC
IDE, CLI & CI/CD Integration
Sysdig Secure
Runtime-first cloud security
Trivy
Simple & Comprehensive Scanner
Wiz
Leader in agentless CNAPP
Show 3 deprecated/acquired tools
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Infrastructure as Code (IaC) security?
Are all IaC security tools free?
Which IaC security tool should I use?
What IaC formats do these tools support?
Can IaC security tools replace CSPM?
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Application Security @ Invicti
10+ years in application security. Reviews and compares 170 AppSec tools across 11 categories to help teams pick the right solution. More about me →