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Overview

WALT Carbon’s security scanning feature provides comprehensive vulnerability assessment and compliance monitoring for your Google Cloud Platform resources. This guide walks you through the essential configuration steps.
This is a required setup - security scanning must be configured before your platform is considered production-ready.

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Prerequisites

Before configuring security scans, ensure:
  • You have Admin or Security Manager role in WALT Carbon
  • Your GCP organization has Security Command Center API enabled
  • WALT Carbon service account has Security Reviewer permissions

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Step 1: Enable Security APIs

First, verify that required APIs are enabled in your GCP project: 
# Check if Security Command Center API is enabled
gcloud services list --enabled --filter="name:securitycenter.googleapis.com"

# Enable if not already enabled
gcloud services enable securitycenter.googleapis.com
gcloud services enable cloudasset.googleapis.com
WALT Carbon can automatically enable these APIs if you grant the necessary permissions during setup.

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Step 2: Configure Service Account Permissions

Grant WALT Carbon’s service account the necessary permissions:
  1. Go to IAM & Admin > IAM in Google Cloud Console
  2. Find the WALT Carbon service account
  3. Add these roles:
    • Security Center Admin
    • Cloud Asset Viewer
    • Compute Security Admin

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Step 3: Access Security Configuration

In your WALT Carbon platform:
  1. Navigate to Security > Configuration
  2. Click Set Up Security Scanning
  3. Select your GCP organization/project

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Step 4: Configure Scan Settings

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Basic Scan Configuration

1

Resource Scope

Select which GCP resources to scan:
  • ✅ Compute Engine instances
  • ✅ Cloud Storage buckets
  • ✅ Cloud SQL databases
  • ✅ IAM policies and permissions
  • ✅ Network security groups
2

Scan Frequency

Set your scanning schedule:
  • Daily: Recommended for production environments
  • Weekly: Suitable for development environments
  • On-demand: Manual scans only
3

Severity Levels

Configure which findings to report:
  • Critical: Always report
  • High: Always report
  • Medium: Report (recommended)
  • Low: Optional

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Advanced Configuration

Resource Filters
  • Exclude test/development projects
  • Focus on production environments
  • Filter by resource labels or tags
Vulnerability Filters
  • Exclude known false positives
  • Custom severity scoring
  • Compliance framework alignment
Immediate Alerts
  • Critical vulnerabilities (Slack/Email)
  • New security findings (Email)
  • Compliance violations (Email)
Scheduled Reports
  • Weekly security summary
  • Monthly compliance report
  • Quarterly risk assessment
Security Team
  • All critical and high findings
  • Compliance status changes
  • Scan completion notifications
Development Teams
  • Findings specific to their projects
  • Remediation recommendations
  • Fix verification notifications

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Step 5: Run Initial Scan

After configuration:
  1. Click Run Initial Scan
  2. Monitor scan progress in the Security Dashboard
  3. Initial scan may take 30-60 minutes depending on resource count
The first scan will establish your security baseline. Subsequent scans will focus on changes and new findings.

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Step 6: Review and Prioritize Findings

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Understanding Scan Results

Immediate Action Required
  • Publicly accessible resources with sensitive data
  • Unencrypted databases or storage
  • Overprivileged service accounts
  • Known vulnerabilities with active exploits

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Remediation Workflow

  1. Triage: Review findings with your security team
  2. Prioritize: Use WALT Carbon’s risk scoring
  3. Assign: Delegate fixes to appropriate teams
  4. Track: Monitor remediation progress
  5. Verify: Confirm fixes with follow-up scans

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Compliance Frameworks

WALT Carbon supports multiple compliance standards:

CIS Benchmarks

Center for Internet Security best practices

NIST Framework

National Institute of Standards and Technology

ISO 27001

International security management standard

SOC 2

Service Organization Control requirements

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Monitoring and Maintenance

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Regular Activities

1

Weekly Review

  • Review new findings
  • Check remediation progress
  • Update risk priorities
2

Monthly Assessment

  • Analyze security trends
  • Update scan configurations
  • Review compliance status
3

Quarterly Planning

  • Security posture evaluation
  • Policy updates
  • Training needs assessment

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Performance Optimization

To optimize scan performance:
  • Schedule scans during low-usage periods
  • Exclude unnecessary resources from scans
  • Use incremental scanning for large environments
  • Batch remediation activities to reduce scan noise

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Troubleshooting

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Common Issues

Symptoms: Scans not completing or returning errorsSolutions:
  • Verify API permissions are correctly configured
  • Check service account has not been modified
  • Ensure APIs are enabled in target projects
  • Review resource quotas and limits
Symptoms: Expected resources not appearing in scansSolutions:
  • Verify resource scope configuration
  • Check IAM permissions for target resources
  • Confirm resources are in supported regions
  • Review resource labels and filters
Symptoms: Security findings not generating alertsSolutions:
  • Check notification settings and recipients
  • Verify email addresses and Slack channels
  • Review alert severity thresholds
  • Test notification channels manually

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Best Practices

Security Scanning Best Practices
  1. Start Small: Begin with critical production resources
  2. Iterate: Gradually expand scope and refine settings
  3. Integrate: Embed security scanning into CI/CD pipelines
  4. Educate: Train teams on interpreting and acting on findings
  5. Measure: Track metrics like time-to-remediation and risk reduction

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Next Steps

After completing security scan configuration:
  1. Set up BigQuery Analytics for advanced security reporting
  2. Configure 2FA for additional account security
  3. Explore Cost Management features for comprehensive platform utilization

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Support

Need help with security scanning?
  • 📧 Security support: security@waltlabs.io
  • 📚 Knowledge base: Access in-platform help center
  • 🔧 Schedule consultation: Available through your account manager
Keep your security scan configuration up-to-date as your GCP environment evolves. Review and adjust settings quarterly or after major infrastructure changes.