Backend: Scanner status indicators for security profiles - implementation plan
## Problem
Security profiles can be applied to projects to enable scanners (SAST, Secret Detection, Container Scanning, Dependency Scanning). Once a profile is applied, there is no visibility into whether the scans triggered by that profile are actually running, failing, or have gone stale.
This issue covers the backend work to introduce **profile-specific** scanner status indicators. These statuses track the health of scans triggered by a security profile, scoped to profile-triggered activity only. They are separate from the Security Inventory, which tracks aggregated scan status across all enablement methods (YAML, scan policy, pipeline exec policy, profile).
Statuses are **project-level only** and will **not** propagate to namespaces or groups. No changes will be made to existing inventory tables or behavior.
## Background
Customer validation (9 customers, 50-5K developers) confirmed four core statuses for the MVP, using single-word labels for consistency:
| Status | Description | Priority |
|--------|-------------|----------|
| **Unconfigured** | No profile applied. Default state. | 78% critical |
| **Active** | Profile applied, scanner running as expected. | 78% critical |
| **Failed** | Scans not completing. Fixed threshold: 3 consecutive failures. | 100% critical |
| **Warning** | 1-2 consecutive scan failures. Intermediate state before Failed. | — |
| **Stale** | Profile applied but no scan activity in 90 days. Distinct status. | 56% critical |
### Decided requirements
- **Profile statuses are profile-specific.** Staleness, failure counts, "last X scans" are scoped to profile-triggered scans only. Other sources (YAML, policies) show up in the Inventory, not here.
- **No changes to existing inventory tables or behavior.** Profile statuses are tracked separately from `analyzer_project_statuses`. The inventory remains as-is.
- **Stale is a distinct status**, not a warning on Active. Threshold: **90 days** of no profile-triggered scan activity. Applies to any configured profile (any status except `not_configured`) that has not had scan activity in 90 days. Computed on-the-fly, not persisted via a scheduled worker.
- **Warning is a persisted intermediate status** for 1-2 consecutive profile-triggered failures. On the 1st failure, the status transitions from `success` to `warning`. On the 3rd consecutive failure, it transitions from `warning` to `failed`. On any success, it resets to `success`.
- **Failure threshold is fixed at 3** consecutive profile-triggered failures. Not configurable. Configurability is a future iteration.
- **Consecutive success count is an MVP requirement.** The design shows "Last X scans successful" as a running streak count. This requires a persisted `consecutive_success_count` column.
- **Non-pipeline scans** (e.g., SPP): Active or Unconfigured only. No link required.
- **Multiple triggers:** Show the **latest status across any trigger**. Per-trigger visibility is a future iteration.
- **Disabled scanner after failure:** Show "Unconfigured" but **retain last scan date** in the appropriate column.
- **Inventory rollup:** Project-level only for now.
- **Profile Status and Security Inventory are independent views.** They answer different questions and will naturally diverge. They should not be correlated at this phase. Final status model: **Unconfigured, Active, Warning, Failed, Stale**.
- **Icon choice resolved.** Use general status icons, not pipeline status icons.
- **Configuration source tracking** is possible via `Ci::Job#source` (stored in `p_ci_build_sources`), which already tracks `scan_execution_policy` and `pipeline_execution_policy`. A new `security_scan_profiles` source value will be needed to identify profile-triggered jobs.
- **Troubleshoot action for Failed/Stale states.** A minimum troubleshooting guide should be surfaced for users in Failed or Stale states, rather than only offering a Disable action.
Related:
- Parent issue: [#591555](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/591555)
- Parent epic: [&16204](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/work_items/16204)
- Design: [#574600](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/574600)
## Open questions
**1. ~~How does Active → Unconfigured happen?~~** :white_check_mark: Resolved When a profile is removed from a project, the status record is **kept** (not deleted) and updated to `not_configured` (Unconfigured). This preserves the `last_scan_at` value so prior scan activity is visible.
**2. Per-analyzer stale thresholds?** DAST may run less frequently than SAST. **Assumption:** Use a single 90-day threshold for all profile types. Per-type thresholds are a future iteration.
**3. ~~"Last X scans successful/failed" display~~** :white_check_mark: Resolved The design shows counts like "Last 12 scans successful." This is a running count of the current streak — how many consecutive profile-triggered scans have had the same outcome. Confirmed as an MVP requirement. Requires a persisted `consecutive_success_count` column in addition to `consecutive_failure_count`.
## Existing infrastructure
### Scan Profiles System
```
Security::ScanProfile (namespace-level, table: security_scan_profiles)
├── scan_type: sast (0), secret_detection (1), container_scanning (3), dependency_scanning (4)
├── belongs_to :namespace (root namespace only)
├── has_many :scan_profile_projects (join table: security_scan_profiles_projects)
├── has_many :projects (through scan_profile_projects)
└── has_many :scan_profile_triggers (table: security_scan_profile_triggers)
└── trigger_type: default_branch_pipeline (0), merge_request_pipeline (1), git_push_event (2)
```
A project's scan profile is checked via `project.security_scan_profile_for(type, trigger_type)`.
### Inventory System (NOT modified by this issue)
The existing `analyzer_project_statuses` table and its services (`UpdateService`, `SettingsBasedUpdateService`, `AggregatedTypesHandler`, `AncestorsUpdateService`) track inventory-level scan status across all enablement methods. These remain untouched.
### Source Tracking (prerequisite)
To scope statuses to profile-triggered scans, we need to identify which CI jobs were triggered by a profile. The `Ci::Job#source` attribute (stored in `p_ci_build_sources`) already tracks `scan_execution_policy` and `pipeline_execution_policy`. A new `security_scan_profiles` source value needs to be added so profile-triggered jobs can be identified.
## Implementation plan
### Step 0: Add `security_scan_profiles` as a CI job source
Before profile statuses can be tracked, profile-triggered CI jobs must be identifiable. Add `security_scan_profiles` as a new source value to `Ci::BuildSource`.
**Update:** `app/models/ci/build_source.rb` — add new source:
```ruby
security_scan_profiles: 1003
```
**Update:** `lib/gitlab/ci/pipeline/chain/set_build_sources.rb` — add a new condition for scan profile builds in `perform!`:
```ruby
job_source = if pipeline_execution_policy_build?
'pipeline_execution_policy'
elsif scan_execution_policy_build?(job)
'scan_execution_policy'
elsif security_scan_profile_build?(job)
'security_scan_profiles'
else
pipeline.source
end
```
Add a stub method (overridden in EE):
```ruby
# Overridden in EE
def security_scan_profile_build?(_build)
false
end
```
**Update:** `ee/lib/ee/gitlab/ci/pipeline/chain/set_build_sources.rb` — add the EE override.
For pipelines where the config source is `security_scan_profiles_source`, all jobs in the pipeline are profile-triggered:
```ruby
override :security_scan_profile_build?
def security_scan_profile_build?(_build)
pipeline.config_source == 'security_scan_profiles_source'
end
```
For mixed pipelines (where profile jobs are injected alongside YAML-defined jobs via the `SecurityScanProfiles::Processor`), the Processor (`ee/lib/gitlab/ci/config/security_scan_profiles/processor.rb`) would need to track which job names it injected, similar to how `ScanExecutionPolicies::PipelineContext#collect_injected_job_names_with_metadata` works. This is a follow-up concern if mixed pipelines need per-job source differentiation.
**Add specs:**
- `spec/lib/gitlab/ci/pipeline/chain/set_build_sources_spec.rb`: `security_scan_profile_build?` returns `false` by default
- `ee/spec/lib/ee/gitlab/ci/pipeline/chain/set_build_sources_spec.rb`: jobs in a `security_scan_profiles_source` pipeline have `source: security_scan_profiles`
- `ee/spec/services/ci/create_pipeline_service/set_build_sources_spec.rb`: jobs created from a scan profile have `source: security_scan_profiles`; jobs from YAML, policies, or schedules do not
### Step 1: Create `scan_profile_project_statuses` table
A new table to track profile-specific scan status per project, per scan type. This is separate from `analyzer_project_statuses` (inventory).
**New file:** `db/migrate/XXXXXX_create_scan_profile_project_statuses.rb`
```ruby
class CreateScanProfileProjectStatuses < Gitlab::Database::Migration[2.2]
milestone '18.10'
def change
create_table :scan_profile_project_statuses, if_not_exists: true do |t|
t.references :project, null: false, foreign_key: { on_delete: :cascade }, index: false
t.references :security_scan_profile, null: false,
foreign_key: { to_table: :security_scan_profiles, on_delete: :cascade }
t.integer :scan_type, limit: 2, null: false # Enums::Security.scan_profile_types
t.integer :status, limit: 2, null: false, default: 0 # not_configured: 0, success: 1, failed: 2, warning: 3
t.integer :consecutive_failure_count, limit: 2, null: false, default: 0
t.integer :consecutive_success_count, limit: 2, null: false, default: 0
t.datetime_with_timezone :last_scan_at
t.bigint :build_id # references the last CI job that triggered this status
t.timestamps_with_timezone null: false
t.index [:project_id, :scan_type], unique: true,
name: 'idx_scan_profile_project_statuses_on_project_and_type'
end
end
end
```
**New file:** `ee/app/models/security/scan_profile_project_status.rb`
```ruby
module Security
class ScanProfileProjectStatus < ::SecApplicationRecord
self.table_name = 'scan_profile_project_statuses'
STALE_THRESHOLD_DAYS = 90
FAILED_THRESHOLD = 3
belongs_to :project
belongs_to :scan_profile, class_name: 'Security::ScanProfile',
foreign_key: :security_scan_profile_id
belongs_to :build, class_name: 'Ci::Build', optional: true
enum :scan_type, Enums::Security.scan_profile_types
enum :status, { not_configured: 0, success: 1, failed: 2, warning: 3 }
validates :scan_type, presence: true
validates :status, presence: true
validates :consecutive_failure_count,
numericality: { greater_than_or_equal_to: 0 }
validates :consecutive_success_count,
numericality: { greater_than_or_equal_to: 0 }
scope :by_project, ->(project_id) { where(project_id: project_id) }
scope :by_scan_type, ->(type) { where(scan_type: type) }
def stale?
!not_configured? && last_scan_at.present? &&
last_scan_at < STALE_THRESHOLD_DAYS.days.ago
end
def active?
success? && !stale?
end
def profile_failed?
failed? && consecutive_failure_count >= FAILED_THRESHOLD
end
end
end
```
**Add specs:** `ee/spec/models/security/scan_profile_project_status_spec.rb`
- `stale?` returns `true` when status is `success` and `last_scan_at` is older than 90 days
- `stale?` returns `true` when status is `warning` and `last_scan_at` is older than 90 days
- `stale?` returns `true` when status is `failed` and `last_scan_at` is older than 90 days
- `stale?` returns `false` when status is `not_configured` regardless of `last_scan_at`
- `stale?` returns `false` when status is `success` and `last_scan_at` is recent
- `stale?` returns `false` when `last_scan_at` is nil
- `active?` returns `true` when status is `success` and not stale
- `active?` returns `false` when status is `warning`
- `warning?` returns `true` when status is `warning` (uses Rails enum method)
- `profile_failed?` returns `true` when status is `failed` and count \>= 3
- `profile_failed?` returns `false` when status is `failed` and count \< 3
### Step 2: Profile status update service
A new service that updates profile statuses when a profile-triggered scan completes. This service only processes jobs with `source: security_scan_profiles`.
**New file:** `ee/app/services/security/scan_profile_status/update_service.rb`
```ruby
module Security
module ScanProfileStatus
class UpdateService
FAILED_THRESHOLD = 3
BUILD_TO_STATUS = {
"success" => :success,
"failed" => :failed,
"canceled" => :failed,
"skipped" => :failed
}.freeze
def initialize(pipeline)
@pipeline = pipeline
@project = pipeline&.project
end
def execute
return unless project&.licensed_feature_available?(:security_scan_profiles)
profile_triggered_builds.each do |build|
scan_type = detect_scan_type(build)
next unless scan_type
profile = project.security_scan_profile_for(scan_type)&.first
next unless profile
status = BUILD_TO_STATUS[build.status] || :failed
upsert_profile_status(profile, scan_type, status, build)
end
end
private
attr_reader :pipeline, :project
def profile_triggered_builds
pipeline.builds
.joins(:job_source)
.where(p_ci_build_sources: { source: :security_scan_profiles })
.complete
.latest
end
def detect_scan_type(build)
report_keys = build.options.dig(:artifacts, :reports)&.keys&.map(&:to_sym) || []
profile_types = Enums::Security::SCAN_PROFILES_TYPES.keys
# Direct match: report key is a known scan profile type (sast, secret_detection, container_scanning)
matched = (report_keys & profile_types).first
return matched if matched
# Dependency scanning uses cyclonedx report format
return :dependency_scanning if report_keys.include?(:cyclonedx) && build.name.include?('dependency_scanning')
nil
end
def upsert_profile_status(profile, scan_type, status, build)
existing = ScanProfileProjectStatus.find_by(
project_id: project.id,
scan_type: scan_type
)
failure_count = calculate_failure_count(existing, status)
success_count = calculate_success_count(existing, status)
resolved_status = resolve_status(status, failure_count)
ScanProfileProjectStatus.upsert(
{
project_id: project.id,
security_scan_profile_id: profile.id,
scan_type: scan_type,
status: resolved_status,
consecutive_failure_count: failure_count,
consecutive_success_count: success_count,
last_scan_at: build.started_at || build.created_at,
build_id: build.id
},
unique_by: [:project_id, :scan_type]
)
end
def calculate_failure_count(existing, status)
return 0 unless status == :failed
(existing&.consecutive_failure_count || 0) + 1
end
def calculate_success_count(existing, status)
return 0 unless status == :success
(existing&.consecutive_success_count || 0) + 1
end
def resolve_status(status, failure_count)
return :warning if status == :failed && failure_count < FAILED_THRESHOLD
status
end
end
end
end
```
The `resolve_status` method transitions the status to `warning` on the 1st or 2nd consecutive failure, and to `failed` on the 3rd. On any success, the status is set to `success` (Active) directly.
**State transitions:**
- `success` + scan succeeds → `success` (Active)
- `success` + scan fails → `warning` (1st failure)
- `warning` + scan fails → `warning` (2nd failure) or `failed` (3rd failure)
- `warning` + scan succeeds → `success` (Active)
- `failed` + scan succeeds → `success` (Active)
**Concurrency and mutual exclusion:** The `upsert_profile_status` method contains a read-then-write pattern (read existing `consecutive_failure_count`, increment, then upsert) that is susceptible to TOCTOU (Time of Check, Time of Use) race conditions if two workers process builds for the same project concurrently. To prevent this, the **worker** (Step 3) wraps the entire service execution in a Redis-based exclusive lease via `Gitlab::ExclusiveLeaseHelpers#in_lock`, scoped to `project_id`. This follows the same pattern used by `PipelineAnalyzersStatusUpdateWorker` and other security workers in the codebase. If the lock cannot be obtained, the job is re-enqueued after a short delay. This approach avoids holding a database connection during lock waits and provides graceful failure handling.
**Add specs:** `ee/spec/services/security/scan_profile_status/update_service_spec.rb`
- Test: on success, status is `success`, `consecutive_failure_count` resets to 0, `consecutive_success_count` increments
- Test: on 1st failure, status transitions to `warning`, `consecutive_failure_count` is 1, `consecutive_success_count` resets to 0
- Test: on 2nd consecutive failure, status remains `warning`, `consecutive_failure_count` is 2
- Test: on 3rd consecutive failure, status transitions to `failed`
- Test: after warning then success, status resets to `success`, `consecutive_failure_count` resets to 0
- Test: only processes builds with `source: security_scan_profiles`
- Test: ignores builds from other sources (YAML, policies)
- Test: when no profile is applied, does nothing
### Step 3: Worker to trigger profile status updates
A worker that listens for pipeline completion events and triggers the profile status update service.
**New file:** `ee/app/workers/security/scan_profile_status/update_worker.rb`
```ruby
module Security
module ScanProfileStatus
class UpdateWorker
include ApplicationWorker
include Gitlab::ExclusiveLeaseHelpers
data_consistency :delayed
feature_category :security_asset_inventories
idempotent!
urgency :low
LEASE_TTL = 5.minutes
LEASE_TRY_AFTER = 2.seconds
LEASE_RETRIES = 2
RETRY_IN_IF_LOCKED = 10.seconds
def perform(pipeline_id)
pipeline = Ci::Pipeline.find_by_id(pipeline_id)
return unless pipeline
perform_with_lock(pipeline)
end
private
def perform_with_lock(pipeline)
in_lock(lease_key(pipeline.project_id), ttl: LEASE_TTL, sleep_sec: LEASE_TRY_AFTER, retries: LEASE_RETRIES) do
UpdateService.new(pipeline).execute
end
rescue Gitlab::ExclusiveLeaseHelpers::FailedToObtainLockError
self.class.perform_in(RETRY_IN_IF_LOCKED, pipeline.id)
end
def lease_key(project_id)
"security:scan_profile_status_update_worker:#{project_id}"
end
end
end
end
```
The worker uses a Redis-based exclusive lease (`in_lock`) scoped to `project_id` to prevent TOCTOU race conditions in the service's read-then-write pattern. This follows the same approach as `PipelineAnalyzersStatusUpdateWorker`. If the lock cannot be obtained after retries, the job is re-enqueued after 10 seconds.
**Subscribe** to the existing `Ci::JobSecurityScanCompletedEvent` (same event that triggers `PipelineAnalyzersStatusUpdateWorker` for inventory). The worker filters to profile-triggered jobs internally.
**Add specs:** `ee/spec/workers/security/scan_profile_status/update_worker_spec.rb`
- Test: calls `UpdateService` for a valid pipeline
- Test: does nothing if pipeline is not found
- Test: re-enqueues the job if the lock cannot be obtained
### Step 4: Handle profile removal (Active → Unconfigured)
When a profile is removed from a project (via `ScanProfileProject` deletion), the profile status should transition to Unconfigured while retaining the `last_scan_at` value.
**Modify:** `ee/app/models/security/scan_profile_project.rb` — add callback:
```ruby
after_destroy :mark_profile_status_unconfigured
private
def mark_profile_status_unconfigured
ScanProfileProjectStatus
.where(project_id: project_id, security_scan_profile_id: security_scan_profile_id)
.update_all(status: :not_configured, consecutive_failure_count: 0, consecutive_success_count: 0)
end
```
**Add specs:**
- Test: removing a profile from a project sets status to `not_configured`
- Test: `last_scan_at` is preserved after profile removal
### Step 5: Handle profile application → Active
When a profile is applied to a project, create an initial status record with Active status. A profile is considered configured (Active) the moment it is applied — Unconfigured is reserved for projects that don't have a profile enabled for a given scan type.
**Modify:** `ee/app/models/security/scan_profile_project.rb` — add callback:
```ruby
after_create :initialize_profile_status
private
def initialize_profile_status
ScanProfileProjectStatus.upsert(
{
project_id: project_id,
security_scan_profile_id: security_scan_profile_id,
scan_type: scan_profile.scan_type,
status: :success,
consecutive_failure_count: 0,
consecutive_success_count: 0
},
unique_by: [:project_id, :scan_type]
)
end
```
The initial status is `success` (Active) with `last_scan_at: nil`. The `stale?` method returns `false` when `last_scan_at` is nil, so a freshly applied profile correctly shows as Active until a scan runs.
**Add specs:**
- Test: applying a profile creates a status record with `success` (Active) and `last_scan_at: nil`
- Test: if a status record already exists, it is not overwritten
### Step 6: GraphQL API
Expose profile statuses on the `ScanProfileType` and `ProjectType`.
**New file:** `ee/app/graphql/types/security/scan_profile_project_status_type.rb`
```ruby
module Types
module Security
class ScanProfileProjectStatusType < BaseObject
graphql_name 'ScanProfileProjectStatusType'
description 'Status of a scan profile for a project.'
authorize :read_security_scan_profiles
field :scan_type,
type: ScanProfileTypeEnum,
null: false,
description: 'Scan type.'
field :status,
type: GraphQL::Types::String,
null: false,
description: 'Current status: not_configured, success, warning, or failed.'
field :stale,
type: GraphQL::Types::Boolean,
null: false,
description: 'Whether the profile scan is stale (no activity in 90 days).'
field :active,
type: GraphQL::Types::Boolean,
null: false,
description: 'Whether the profile is active (success and not stale).'
field :profile_failed,
type: GraphQL::Types::Boolean,
null: false,
description: 'Whether the profile has reached the failure threshold.'
field :consecutive_failure_count,
type: GraphQL::Types::Int,
null: false,
description: 'Number of consecutive failed scans.'
field :consecutive_success_count,
type: GraphQL::Types::Int,
null: false,
description: 'Number of consecutive successful scans.'
field :last_scan_at,
type: Types::TimeType,
null: true,
description: 'Timestamp of the last profile-triggered scan.'
field :build_id,
type: ::Types::GlobalIDType[::CommitStatus],
null: true,
description: 'ID of the last CI job.'
def stale
object.stale?
end
def active
object.active?
end
def profile_failed
object.profile_failed?
end
end
end
end
```
**Update:** `ee/app/graphql/ee/types/project_type.rb` — add field:
```ruby
field :scan_profile_statuses,
type: [::Types::Security::ScanProfileProjectStatusType],
null: true,
description: 'Scan profile statuses for the project.',
authorize: :read_security_scan_profiles
```
**Add specs:**
- `ee/spec/graphql/types/security/scan_profile_project_status_type_spec.rb`
- `ee/spec/requests/api/graphql/project/scan_profile_statuses_spec.rb`
## Files touched (summary)
| File | Change |
|------|--------|
| `app/models/ci/build_source.rb` | Add `security_scan_profiles` source value |
| `lib/gitlab/ci/pipeline/chain/set_build_sources.rb` | Add `security_scan_profile_build?` stub and condition |
| `ee/lib/ee/gitlab/ci/pipeline/chain/set_build_sources.rb` | Add EE override for `security_scan_profile_build?` |
| `db/migrate/XXXXXX_create_scan_profile_project_statuses.rb` | New migration |
| `ee/app/models/security/scan_profile_project_status.rb` | New model |
| `ee/app/models/security/scan_profile_project.rb` | Add callbacks for profile apply/remove |
| `ee/app/services/security/scan_profile_status/update_service.rb` | New service |
| `ee/app/workers/security/scan_profile_status/update_worker.rb` | New worker |
| `ee/app/graphql/types/security/scan_profile_project_status_type.rb` | New GraphQL type (status field includes `warning` value) |
| `ee/app/graphql/ee/types/project_type.rb` | Add `scan_profile_statuses` field |
| Corresponding spec files for all of the above | New tests |
## Out of scope
- Changes to existing inventory tables (`analyzer_project_statuses`, `analyzer_namespace_statuses`)
- Changes to existing inventory services (`UpdateService`, `SettingsBasedUpdateService`, `AncestorsUpdateService`)
- Namespace/group-level propagation
- "Not Applicable" and "In Progress" statuses
- Per-analyzer-type stale thresholds
- Configurable failure threshold
- Correlating profile status with inventory status
- Troubleshooting guide content for Failed/Stale states (noted as action item; minimum guide to be defined separately)
## Acceptance criteria
- [ ] `security_scan_profiles` is a valid `Ci::BuildSource` value
- [ ] Profile-triggered CI jobs are created with `source: security_scan_profiles`
- [ ] `scan_profile_project_statuses` table exists with the defined schema
- [ ] `ScanProfileProjectStatus` model with `stale?`, `active?`, `profile_failed?` methods
- [ ] Profile status updates only when a profile-triggered job completes (source filtering)
- [ ] `consecutive_failure_count` increments on failure and resets to 0 on success
- [ ] `consecutive_success_count` increments on success and resets to 0 on failure
- [ ] Status transitions to `warning` on 1st or 2nd consecutive failure; transitions to `failed` on 3rd
- [ ] Status resets to `success` on any successful scan (from `warning` or `failed`)
- [ ] `active?` returns true when status is `success` and not stale
- [ ] `stale?` returns true when status is any value except `not_configured` and `last_scan_at` exceeds 90 days
- [ ] Removing a profile sets status to Unconfigured but retains `last_scan_at`
- [ ] Applying a profile creates an initial Active status record with `last_scan_at: nil`
- [ ] GraphQL `scanProfileStatuses` field is exposed on `ProjectType`
- [ ] Profile status upserts are protected against TOCTOU race conditions via Redis-based exclusive lease in the worker
- [ ] No changes to `analyzer_project_statuses` or inventory behavior
- [ ] All changes are covered by specs
## Related issues
- [#591555](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/591555) — Scanner status indicators for security profiles (parent)
- [#574600](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/574600) — Design: Enablement-only SPP Profile
- [#355629](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/355629) — Show the general status of the security report on "pipeline security tab"
- [#352880](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/352880) — Show "pipeline security tab" ingestion status
## Previous implementation plan
<details>
<summary>Click to expand</summary>
## Problem
This issue covers the backend work to introduce scanner status indicators for **security profiles**. The goal is to track whether a security profile is applied to a scanner and whether it's functioning correctly at the project level.
Currently, the `analyzer_project_statuses` system has two significant shortcomings:
1. **Flapping:** The `UpdateService` marks analyzers as `not_configured` whenever they are absent from a pipeline (e.g., doc-only pipelines), causing statuses to oscillate rapidly even when a profile is applied.
2. **No staleness detection:** There is no way to identify projects where a profile is applied but the scanner hasn't actually run in a long time.
The immediate scope for 18.10 is: **Unconfigured**, **Active**, **Failed**, and **Stale** statuses, plus populating the "last scan" column with actual data.
Statuses are **project-level only** and will **not** propagate to namespaces or groups.
## Background
Customer validation (9 customers, 50-5K developers) confirmed four core statuses for the MVP, using single-word labels for consistency:
| Status | Description | Priority |
|--------|-------------|----------|
| **Unconfigured** | No profile applied. Default state. | 78% critical |
| **Active** | Profile applied, scanner running as expected. | 78% critical |
| **Failed** | Scans not completing. Fixed threshold: 3 consecutive failures. | 100% critical |
| **Stale** | Project not scanned in 90 days. Distinct status. | 56% critical |
### Decided requirements
- **Stale is a distinct status**, not a warning on Active. Threshold: **90 days** of no scan activity.
- **Failure threshold is fixed at 3** consecutive failures. Not configurable.
- **Non-pipeline scans** (e.g., SPP): Active or Unconfigured only. No link required.
- **Multiple triggers:** Show the **latest status across any trigger**. Per-trigger visibility is a future iteration.
- **Disabled scanner after failure:** Show "Unconfigured" but **retain last scan date** in the appropriate column.
- **Inventory rollup:** Project-level only for now.
- **No "Warning" state.** The Profile Status page and the Security Inventory page are two different views answering different questions: the Profile Status reflects only the _profile's_ scan status, while the Inventory shows the aggregated status across all enablement methods (YAML, scan policy, pipeline exec policy, profile). They will naturally diverge and should not be correlated at this phase. Final status model: **Unconfigured, Active, Failed, Stale**.
- **Configuration source tracking** is possible via `Ci::Job#source` (stored in `p_ci_build_sources`), which already tracks `scan_execution_policy` and `pipeline_execution_policy`. A new `security_scan_profiles` source value can be added for profile-triggered jobs. YAML-based jobs can be inferred from the absence of a specific source.
Related:
- Parent issue: [#591555](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/591555)
- Parent epic: [&16204](https://gitlab.com/groups/gitlab-org/-/work_items/16204)
- Design: [#574600](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/574600)
## Open questions
**1. What happens when a pipeline runs without a scan job for a given analyzer?** Current behavior marks absent analyzers as `not_configured`, causing flapping. **Assumption:** Absent analyzers keep their previous status. Only analyzers that actually ran in the pipeline get updated.
**2. Per-analyzer stale thresholds?** DAST may run less frequently than SAST. **Assumption:** Use a single 90-day threshold for all analyzer types. Per-type thresholds are a future iteration.
**3. Icon choice?** General status icons vs. pipeline status icons. Frontend concern, does not block backend work.
## Implementation plan
### Step 1: Migration — add `consecutive_failure_count` column and `stale` enum value
Two schema changes:
1. Add `consecutive_failure_count` column to track consecutive failures for the Failed threshold.
2. Add `stale: 3` to the `ANALYZER_STATUSES` enum (no DB migration needed for enum values since they are application-level, but the GraphQL enum and `InventoryFilter` model need updating).
**New file:** `db/migrate/XXXXXX_add_consecutive_failure_count_to_analyzer_project_statuses.rb`
```ruby
class AddConsecutiveFailureCountToAnalyzerProjectStatuses < Gitlab::Database::Migration[2.2]
milestone '18.10'
def change
add_column :analyzer_project_statuses, :consecutive_failure_count, :smallint, default: 0, null: false
end
end
```
This is a fast migration (single column add with default on a small table).
**Update:** `app/models/concerns/enums/security.rb` — add stale to `ANALYZER_STATUSES`:
```ruby
ANALYZER_STATUSES = {
not_configured: 0,
success: 1,
failed: 2,
stale: 3
}.freeze
```
**Update:** `ee/app/graphql/types/security/analyzer_status_enum.rb` — add `STALE` value:
```ruby
value 'STALE', value: 'stale', description: "Scanner has not run within the configured stale threshold."
```
**Update:** `ee/app/models/security/analyzer_project_status.rb` — add validation:
```ruby
validates :consecutive_failure_count, numericality: { greater_than_or_equal_to: 0 }
```
**Note:** The `InventoryFilter` model dynamically creates enums from `ANALYZER_STATUSES`, so it will pick up the new `stale` value automatically. The `analyzer_namespace_statuses` table is not affected (project-level only).
### Step 2: Fix flapping in `UpdateService`
When a security profile is applied to a scanner, the profile status should reflect whether that profile is working. However, the current `UpdateService` marks analyzers as `not_configured` whenever they are absent from a pipeline (e.g., doc-only pipelines), even if a profile is applied. This causes the profile status to flap between "Unconfigured" and "Active" on every pipeline run.
The fix: only update status for analyzers that actually ran in the current pipeline. Absent analyzers retain their previous status, so a profile that's applied stays marked as Active even if a particular pipeline doesn't trigger that analyzer.
**Modify:** `ee/app/services/security/analyzers_status/update_service.rb`
- Remove the `not_configured_statuses` call from `analyzers_statuses`
- The `analyzers_statuses` method should only return entries for analyzers that had builds in the current pipeline, plus their aggregated types
- Existing statuses for analyzers not in the pipeline remain untouched in the database
Before:
```ruby
def analyzers_statuses
@analyzers_statuses ||= begin
pipeline_based = pipeline_based_analyzers_statuses
not_configured = not_configured_statuses(pipeline_based)
aggregated_statuses = aggregated_statuses(pipeline_based.merge(not_configured))
pipeline_based.merge(not_configured).merge(aggregated_statuses)
end
end
```
After:
```ruby
def analyzers_statuses
@analyzers_statuses ||= begin
pipeline_based = pipeline_based_analyzers_statuses
aggregated_statuses = aggregated_statuses(pipeline_based)
pipeline_based.merge(aggregated_statuses)
end
end
```
**Update specs:** `ee/spec/services/security/analyzers_status/update_service_spec.rb`
- Add test: when a pipeline runs without a SAST job, existing SAST `success` status is preserved
- Add test: when a pipeline runs without a SAST job, existing SAST `failed` status is preserved
- Update any existing tests that relied on the flapping behavior
### Step 3: Maintain `consecutive_failure_count` and implement Failed threshold
Update the status hash builder and upsert logic to track consecutive failures. When the count reaches 3, the status transitions to Failed.
**Modify:** `ee/app/services/concerns/security/analyzers_status/aggregated_types_handler.rb`
- Add `consecutive_failure_count` to `build_analyzer_status_hash`:
```ruby
FAILED_THRESHOLD = 3
def build_analyzer_status_hash(project, type, status, build: nil, status_hash: nil)
failure_count = calculate_failure_count(project, type, status)
{
project_id: project.id,
traversal_ids: project.namespace.traversal_ids,
analyzer_type: type,
status: resolve_status(status, failure_count),
last_call: build&.started_at || build&.created_at || status_hash&.dig(:last_call) || Time.current,
archived: project.archived,
build_id: build&.id || status_hash&.dig(:build_id),
consecutive_failure_count: failure_count
}
end
```
- Add private helpers:
```ruby
def calculate_failure_count(project, type, status)
return 0 unless status == :failed
current = project.analyzer_statuses.find { |s| s.analyzer_type.to_sym == type }
(current&.consecutive_failure_count || 0) + 1
end
def resolve_status(status, failure_count)
return :success if status == :failed && failure_count < FAILED_THRESHOLD
status
end
```
The `resolve_status` method keeps the status as `success` (Active) when failures are below the threshold, and only transitions to `failed` (Failed) once 3 consecutive failures are reached. This prevents a single flaky scan from immediately marking a scanner as Failed.
**Update specs:** `ee/spec/services/security/analyzers_status/update_service_spec.rb`
- Test: on success, `consecutive_failure_count` is set to 0
- Test: on failure with count \< 3, status remains `success` and count increments
- Test: on 3rd consecutive failure, status transitions to `failed`
- Test: on first failure (no previous record), `consecutive_failure_count` is 1 and status remains `success`
### Step 4: On-the-fly stale detection
Stale is a distinct status that indicates a profile is applied but the scanner hasn't run in 90 days. Rather than using a scheduled worker to persist this status, compute it on-the-fly when querying. This is simpler, has lower maintenance cost, and provides real-time accuracy.
**Add a helper method** on `ee/app/models/security/analyzer_project_status.rb`:
```ruby
STALE_THRESHOLD_DAYS = 90
def stale?
success? && last_call < STALE_THRESHOLD_DAYS.days.ago
end
```
This method returns `true` when the profile is Active (status = success) but hasn't run in 90 days.
**Update:** `ee/app/graphql/types/security/analyzer_project_status_type.rb` — expose the stale status:
```ruby
field :stale,
type: GraphQL::Types::Boolean,
null: false,
description: 'Whether the scanner has not run within the configured stale threshold.'
def stale
object.stale?
end
```
**Add specs:**
- `ee/spec/models/security/analyzer_project_status_spec.rb`:
- `stale?` returns `true` when status is `success` and `last_call` is older than 90 days
- `stale?` returns `false` when status is `success` and `last_call` is recent
- `stale?` returns `false` when status is `not_configured` or `failed` regardless of `last_call`
- `ee/spec/graphql/types/security/analyzer_project_status_type_spec.rb`:
- Verify `stale` field is exposed and returns correct value
### Step 5: Preserve `last_call` for settings-based scanners
The `SettingsBasedUpdateService` currently sets `last_call` to `Time.current` (the time of the settings change), not the actual last scan time. For stale detection to be meaningful, `last_call` must reflect when a scan actually ran.
**Modify:** `ee/app/services/security/analyzers_status/settings_based_update_service.rb`
- When building status hashes, preserve the existing `last_call` from the current `AnalyzerProjectStatus` record if the status hasn't changed, rather than overwriting with `Time.current`
- Only update `last_call` when the status actually transitions (e.g., from `not_configured` to `success`)
**Note on SPP:** For Secret Push Protection, the last scan time comes from when the push event occurred (when SPP actually executed). The `EligibilityChecker` only determines whether SPP should run, not when it ran. The push event timestamp itself serves as the `last_call` value when SPP executes successfully.
**Add specs:** `ee/spec/services/security/analyzers_status/settings_based_update_service_spec.rb`
- Test: when status hasn't changed, `last_call` is preserved from existing record
- Test: when status transitions, `last_call` is updated
## Files touched (summary)
| File | Change |
|------|--------|
| `db/migrate/XXXXXX_add_consecutive_failure_count_to_analyzer_project_statuses.rb` | New migration |
| `app/models/concerns/enums/security.rb` | Add `stale: 3` to `ANALYZER_STATUSES` |
| `ee/app/models/security/analyzer_project_status.rb` | Add `stale?` method, validate new column |
| `ee/app/services/security/analyzers_status/update_service.rb` | Remove flapping behavior |
| `ee/app/services/security/analyzers_status/settings_based_update_service.rb` | Preserve `last_call` on no-op updates |
| `ee/app/services/concerns/security/analyzers_status/aggregated_types_handler.rb` | Add `consecutive_failure_count` to status hash, implement Failed threshold |
| `ee/app/graphql/types/security/analyzer_status_enum.rb` | Add `STALE` value |
| `ee/app/graphql/types/security/analyzer_project_status_type.rb` | Add `stale` field |
| Corresponding spec files for all of the above | New and updated tests |
## Out of scope
- Namespace/group-level propagation
- "Not Applicable" and "In Progress" statuses
- Adding `security_scan_profiles` as a new `Ci::Job#source` value
- Per-analyzer-type stale thresholds
- Icon/UX decisions (frontend concern)
## Acceptance criteria
- [ ] `ANALYZER_STATUSES` enum includes `stale: 3`
- [ ] `AnalyzerStatusEnum` GraphQL type includes `STALE`
- [ ] `AnalyzerProjectStatusType` GraphQL type includes `stale` boolean field
- [ ] Analyzers absent from a pipeline retain their previous status (no flapping)
- [ ] `consecutive_failure_count` increments on failure and resets to 0 on success
- [ ] Status remains Active when `consecutive_failure_count` \< 3; transitions to Failed at \>= 3
- [ ] `AnalyzerProjectStatus#stale?` returns true when status is Active and `last_call` exceeds 90 days
- [ ] When a stale scanner runs successfully, status transitions back to Active
- [ ] Disabled scanner shows Unconfigured but retains `last_call` value
- [ ] `SettingsBasedUpdateService` preserves `last_call` when status has not changed
- [ ] All changes are covered by specs
- [ ] No changes to `analyzer_namespace_statuses` or group-level propagation
## Related issues
- [#591555](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/591555) — Scanner status indicators for security profiles (parent)
- [#574600](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/work_items/574600) — Design: Enablement-only SPP Profile
- [#355629](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/355629) — Show the general status of the security report on "pipeline security tab"
- [#352880](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/352880) — Show "pipeline security tab" ingestion status
</details>
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