# Generate GPG key for signing
gpg --full-generate-key
 
# Package and sign chart
helm package ./mychart --sign --key "helm-signing@example.com" --keyring ~/.gnupg/pubring.gpg
 
# Verify chart signature
helm verify mychart-0.1.0.tgz --keyring ~/.gnupg/pubring.gpg

# Verify chart from repository
helm pull myrepo/mychart --verify --keyring /path/to/keyring.gpg
 
# Check chart provenance file
cat mychart-0.1.0.tgz.prov

# Render templates without deploying
helm template myrelease ./mychart --values values-prod.yaml > rendered.yaml
 
# Scan with kubesec
kubesec scan rendered.yaml
 
# Scan with checkov
checkov -f rendered.yaml --framework kubernetes
 
# Scan with trivy
trivy config rendered.yaml
 
# Scan with kube-linter
kube-linter lint rendered.yaml

# Lint chart
helm lint ./mychart --values values-prod.yaml --strict
 
# Lint with debug output
helm lint ./mychart --debug

# values.yaml - Security hardened defaults
securityContext:
  runAsNonRoot: true
  runAsUser: 1000
  runAsGroup: 3000
  fsGroup: 2000
  readOnlyRootFilesystem: true
  allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
  capabilities:
    drop:
      - ALL
 
podSecurityContext:
  seccompProfile:
    type: RuntimeDefault
 
resources:
  limits:
    cpu: 500m
    memory: 512Mi
  requests:
    cpu: 100m
    memory: 128Mi
 
networkPolicy:
  enabled: true
 
serviceAccount:
  create: true
  automountServiceAccountToken: false
 
image:
  pullPolicy: Always
  # Use digest instead of tag for immutability
  # tag: "1.0.0"
  # digest: "sha256:abc123..."

# templates/deployment.yaml
apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: {{ include "mychart.fullname" . }}
spec:
  template:
    spec:
      automountServiceAccountToken: {{ .Values.serviceAccount.automountServiceAccountToken }}
      securityContext:
        {{- toYaml .Values.podSecurityContext | nindent 8 }}
      containers:
        - name: {{ .Chart.Name }}
          securityContext:
            {{- toYaml .Values.securityContext | nindent 12 }}
          image: "{{ .Values.image.repository }}:{{ .Values.image.tag }}"
          resources:
            {{- toYaml .Values.resources | nindent 12 }}

# templates/external-secret.yaml
apiVersion: external-secrets.io/v1beta1
kind: ExternalSecret
metadata:
  name: {{ include "mychart.fullname" . }}-secrets
spec:
  refreshInterval: 1h
  secretStoreRef:
    name: aws-secretsmanager
    kind: ClusterSecretStore
  target:
    name: {{ include "mychart.fullname" . }}-secrets
  data:
    - secretKey: db-password
      remoteRef:
        key: production/database
        property: password

# Install helm-secrets plugin
helm plugin install https://github.com/jkroepke/helm-secrets
 
# Encrypt values file
helm secrets encrypt values-secrets.yaml
 
# Deploy with encrypted secrets
helm secrets install myrelease ./mychart -f values.yaml -f values-secrets.yaml
 
# Decrypt for editing
helm secrets edit values-secrets.yaml

# helm-deployer-role.yaml
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: Role
metadata:
  name: helm-deployer
  namespace: production
rules:
  - apiGroups: ["", "apps", "batch", "networking.k8s.io"]
    resources: ["deployments", "services", "configmaps", "secrets", "ingresses", "jobs"]
    verbs: ["get", "list", "create", "update", "patch", "delete"]
  - apiGroups: [""]
    resources: ["pods", "pods/log"]
    verbs: ["get", "list"]
 
---
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: RoleBinding
metadata:
  name: helm-deployer-binding
  namespace: production
subjects:
  - kind: ServiceAccount
    name: helm-deployer
    namespace: production
roleRef:
  kind: Role
  name: helm-deployer
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io

# .github/workflows/helm-security.yaml
name: Helm Chart Security
on:
  pull_request:
    paths: ['charts/**']
 
jobs:
  lint-and-scan:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
 
      - name: Helm lint
        run: helm lint ./charts/mychart --strict
 
      - name: Render templates
        run: helm template test ./charts/mychart -f charts/mychart/values.yaml > rendered.yaml
 
      - name: Scan with kube-linter
        uses: stackrox/kube-linter-action@v1
        with:
          directory: rendered.yaml
 
      - name: Scan with trivy
        uses: aquasecurity/trivy-action@master
        with:
          scan-type: config
          scan-ref: rendered.yaml
 
      - name: Scan with checkov
        uses: bridgecrewio/checkov-action@master
        with:
          file: rendered.yaml
          framework: kubernetes