GitHub uses CodeQL to secure GitHub by utilizing GitHub Advanced Security (GHAS) to discover vulnerabilities, enforce secure coding standards, and conduct automated security analyses.
CodeQL is a static analysis engine that allows querying code similar to a database, enabling thorough code analysis and issue identification.
GitHub's approach includes custom query packs, custom queries, and variant analysis to ensure code security.
GitHub applies CodeQL at scale through default and advanced setups, custom query packs for specific repositories, and multi-repository variant analysis.
GitHub publishes its custom CodeQL query pack to GitHub Container Registry for easier deployment and maintenance, alleviating production deployment challenges.
Custom CodeQL queries are developed against the latest versions of libraries while ensuring stability by locking versions during release.
GitHub recommends writing unit tests for custom CodeQL queries to ensure stability and reliability, thus balancing development experience and stability.
Variant analysis using CodeQL helps search for security vulnerabilities variations, supporting bug bounty responses and security incident investigations.
Custom CodeQL queries cater to GitHub-specific patterns, providing security insights, and enhancing coding practices within the organization.
By leveraging CodeQL for security engineering, GitHub automates vulnerability detection, strengthens security controls, and improves code quality.