10 Best Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Security Tools in 2026

Over the past few years, IaC security has become unavoidable.  I've witnessed teams transition from manually reviewing Terraform code to automated security scans on every commit. IaC misconfigurations now cause actual security incidents rather than just technical debt, which is why the change happened. One error in your infrastructure code could compromise all of your cloud environment's databases, network access, and credentials. The tools in this field have greatly improved in terms of detecting these problems before they impact production. Some focus on specific IaC languages, some cover multiple platforms, and some accomplish things I never would have thought were possible three years ago.

What Is Infrastructure as Code Security?

Problems in infrastructure can sneak in before anything even goes live. IaC security helps you catch mistakes in your infrastructure code early. These tools check your Terraform, CloudFormation, or Kubernetes files for things that could cause trouble later such as overly open permissions, unencrypted storage, or resources accidentally exposed to the public. The best part is finding these issues while you are still writing the code, not after it is already running. Good tools do more than just tell you something is wrong. They give you context, explain why it matters, and show you how to fix it. When these tools are part of your workflow, you get instant feedback right in your pull requests, which makes life a lot easier.

Top 10 IaC Security Tools in 2026

Gomboc

For many professionals, Gomboc has quickly emerged as their preferred tool for complete IaC security, and there's a good reason it's at the top of this list. Our tool is unique in that it does more than just scan code; it manages the full security lifecycle. It provides you with real-time visibility into the security posture of your infrastructure across various IaC tools and cloud providers. Without requiring you to learn a new policy language, the policy engine is adaptable enough to enforce unique regulations unique to your company. The remediation guidance is especially useful as it not only identifies problems but also provides code examples that demonstrate how to resolve them.

Checkov

Probably the most popular open-source IaC security scanner available is Checkov. Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, Dockerfile, ARM templates, and many other platforms are all supported. With more than 1000 built-in checks covering CIS benchmarks, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and other compliance frameworks, the policy library is enormous. Checkov appeals to me because it is opinionated but adaptable. You can create custom policies in Python or YAML, or you can use the built-in ones. Links to documentation outlining the significance of each issue are included in the output, which is understandable. The GitHub Action integration makes it simple to incorporate into current workflows, and it operates quickly enough to be used in pre-commit hooks.

tfsec

Terraform security is the sole focus of tfsec. Because it uses static analysis instead of requiring provider initialization or module downloads, it is incredibly quick. With an emphasis on typical misconfigurations, the checks are unique to Terraform and cover AWS, Azure, and GCP resources. During development, I use tfsec locally because it provides immediate feedback without requiring any setup. Enforcing company-specific policies is made possible by the custom check functionality. The error messages' inclusion of the precise line of code causing the issue along with recommended solutions is one noteworthy feature. It is actively maintained, and as cloud providers launch new services, new checks are added on a regular basis.

Trivy

Trivy began as a container vulnerability scanner and has grown into a full-featured security tool covering filesystems, container images, IaC, and more.In particular, Terraform, CloudFormation, Kubernetes, Dockerfile, and Helm charts are supported for IaC. What stands out is how often it catches small but serious issues, like secrets left in code or insecure defaults. Hardcoded credentials that other tools might overlook are detected by the secret scanning. Because it supports multiple output formats and returns appropriate exit codes, it is simple to integrate with CI/CD. Trivy has strong community support and frequent updates because it is open source and supported by Aqua Security.

KICS

Keeping Infrastructure as Code Secure, or KICS, is an open-source initiative from Checkmarx. Terraform, Kubernetes, Docker, CloudFormation, Ansible, and even OpenAPI specs are just a few of the many IaC platforms it supports. Because security checks are written in a custom query language and the architecture is query-based, it is intriguing. Because of this, it is highly extensible in the event that custom policies are required. More than 2000 queries covering various cloud providers and compliance standards are included in KICS. Severity ratings, descriptions, and remediation recommendations are all included in the comprehensive reporting. Because you get consistent security checks across all of them, I've found it especially helpful for organizations that use multiple IaC tools.

Snyk IaC

Snyk IaC is part of the broader Snyk security platform, and that integration is its main strength. If you're already using Snyk for dependency scanning or container security, adding IaC scanning gives you a unified view of security across your entire stack. It supports Terraform, Kubernetes, CloudFormation, and ARM templates with solid coverage of AWS, Azure, and GCP. The UI is polished and the developer experience is smooth with clear explanations of issues and fix recommendations. Snyk's policy engine lets you customize severity levels and create exceptions for accepted risks. The pricing can get steep for larger teams, but the value is there if you need enterprise features like SSO, advanced reporting, and priority support.

Terrascan

Terrascan is another open source option that covers Terraform, Kubernetes, Helm, Dockerfiles, and more. It uses policy-as-code with OPA/Rego policies, which gives you a lot of flexibility if you're already using OPA elsewhere.  Terrascan comes with over 500 built-in checks based on well-known compliance frameworks like CIS, NIST, PCI, and GDPR. One feature I really like is its Kubernetes admission controller mode, which can block deployments that don’t meet policy rules. With the webhook server in place, those policies can be enforced not just in CI/CD, but directly at the cluster level too. The project is actively maintained, and the community keeps adding new policies on a regular basis.

Bridgecrew (now part of Prisma Cloud)

Bridgecrew is now part of Palo Alto Networks and connects closely with Prisma Cloud, but it still works as its own tool. What stands out is that it brings several security checks into one place instead of spreading them across different tools. It helps you see how issues in your code actually affect what’s running in the cloud. I also like that it often suggests fixes you can apply straight from a pull request, which saves a lot of time. Bridgecrew was one of the first tools I saw that could help fix issues in live setups and then push those changes back into the code. It’s priced for larger teams, but for companies that need both code-level and runtime visibility, it’s worth a look.

Sentinel (HashiCorp)

Terraform Cloud and Terraform Enterprise are closely related to HashiCorp's policy-as-code framework, Sentinel. If you use those platforms for policy enforcement, Sentinel is the obvious choice. Because the policy language was created especially for infrastructure, it feels more natural than general-purpose languages. Because you can enforce policies before or after Terraform plans, you have control over the timing of checks. The sentinel-cli tool allows you to test policies locally prior to deployment. You can create policies that consider resource relationships because Sentinel gives you access to all Terraform plan data. The disadvantage is that using it requires Terraform Cloud Team tier or Enterprise, and it's really only useful if you're a part of the HashiCorp ecosystem.

Open Policy Agent (OPA)

Although OPA isn't an IaC tool per se, it serves as the basis for policy enforcement in a variety of security tools. Once you overcome the learning curve, the Rego policy language is very effective. OPA works with Terraform plans, Kubernetes manifests, API requests, and pretty much anything else that can be serialized to JSON because it can evaluate policies against JSON data. Because you are in charge of developing the tooling around it, the flexibility is both a strength and a weakness. Instead of using OPA directly, the majority of teams actually use it through other tools like Terrascan or Conftest. OPA gives you the ability to create precisely what you require if you have complicated, unique policy requirements that are beyond the capabilities of off-the-shelf tools.

The Benefits of IaC Security Tools

• These tools help save a substantial amount of time and money by spotting issues before anything goes live.  

• By eliminating the need for someone to manually review each change, frequent scans aid in maintaining consistency.

• Because developers get feedback while they're still working on the code, fixes don't feel disruptive. Ongoing checks make it easier to maintain alignment with internal and external requirements in the absence of audits.  

• With time, teams are able to write safer code because of the explanations and suggested fixes, which also provide opportunities for learning.  

• When security is incorporated into the regular workflow, it no longer feels like a stand-alone step.

Conclusion

IaC security tools have evolved significantly, and you now have a range of choices depending on your specific needs. For teams looking for comprehensive coverage with minimal false positives and excellent remediation guidance, Gomboc stands out as the most complete choice. Its ability to provide context-aware security across multiple platforms and seamlessly integrate with existing workflows makes it worth careful consideration. However, open-source solutions like Checkov and tfsec are great for teams that are just starting out with IaC security. It's important to choose a tool and use it frequently.

Running scans occasionally doesn't help much, but integrating security checks into every code change prevents real incidents. Start with one tool, integrate it properly, then layer in additional tools as your security program matures. The investment in IaC security tools pays for itself the first time they catch a misconfiguration that would have exposed production data.

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