Pre-commit Security Hooks with CloudTrail Queries and Automated Runbooks

The commit failed. The pre-commit security hook caught an anomaly before the code could ship. Seconds later, a CloudTrail query confirmed the risk: an IAM policy had been modified in a way that could open the account to attackers. The runbook lit up with clear, actionable steps. No damage done.

Pre-commit security hooks stop dangerous changes before they reach production. They integrate directly with developer workflows, running automated checks on changes in real time. When paired with AWS CloudTrail queries, these hooks gain context. They can inspect commit content against recent account activity to catch drift, misconfigurations, and potential compromise before deployment.

CloudTrail holds the raw activity feed of your AWS environment. By querying it automatically during commit checks, you see if sensitive resources or policies were touched outside approved processes. This heightens detection of insider threats and compromised credentials. A pre-commit hook can run a targeted CloudTrail query—searching for recent updates to IAM roles, S3 buckets, or security groups—and block the commit until an engineer verifies it.

Runbooks turn that detection into fast, repeatable action. Instead of relying on memory or ad-hoc Slack messages, the runbook outlines the steps needed: identify the change source, lock down affected roles, roll back policies, and confirm account integrity. When triggered by a pre-commit hook’s CloudTrail query result, runbooks ensure incidents are handled consistently, even under pressure.

Combining these three—pre-commit security hooks, CloudTrail queries, and automated runbooks—creates a continuous security feedback loop. Every commit is scanned, every relevant piece of account activity is cross-checked, and every incident response follows a tested path. The result is a development pipeline that enforces security without slowing down delivery.

Build this into your workflow now. See how hoop.dev runs pre-commit security hooks with CloudTrail query integrations and automated runbooks live in minutes.