Skip to content

Change Types

A change type is a structured, typed operation that Nexplane knows how to execute and roll back. Every change request is associated with exactly one change type. Change types define:

  • What connector they require
  • What parameters they accept
  • What the execution steps are
  • What the rollback operation is

Categories

Compute

Compute changes affect running infrastructure -- virtual machines, containers, and cloud instances.

Change Type Connectors Description
Snapshot EC2 Instance AWS Create an EBS snapshot before a risky change
Stop/Start Instance AWS, GCP, Azure, OCI Power operations with rollback
Cordon/Uncordon Node Kubernetes Control workload scheduling
Patch Deployment Kubernetes Update image or configuration

See Compute.

Identity

Identity changes affect user accounts, service accounts, and authentication configurations.

Change Type Connectors Description
Lock User Account LDAP, Keycloak, AWS, GCP, PostgreSQL, MongoDB Disable a user account
Unlock User Account LDAP, Keycloak, AWS, GCP, PostgreSQL, MongoDB Re-enable a user account
Add to Group LDAP, Keycloak Modify group membership
Remove from Group LDAP, Keycloak Modify group membership

See Identity.

Credentials

Credential changes rotate or revoke secrets, API keys, and passwords.

Change Type Connectors Description
Rotate IAM Access Key AWS Create new key, deactivate old key
Rotate Service Account Key GCP Create new key, delete old key
Rotate Client Secret Azure, Keycloak Generate new secret
Rotate OCI API Key OCI Upload new key, delete old key
Rotate KV Secret Vault Write new secret version
Rotate Database Password PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis Update password
Rotate Local Password SSH, WinRM Set new OS account password

See Credentials.

Hardening

Hardening changes improve the security posture of a host or system by applying configuration baselines.

Change Type Connectors Description
Apply CIS Profile SSH, WinRM, Agent Apply a CIS benchmark profile
Disable Unused Service SSH, WinRM, Agent Disable a named system service
Set File Permission SSH, Agent Fix insecure file permissions
Set Sysctl Parameter SSH, Agent Apply kernel hardening settings

See Hardening.

Vulnerability Remediation

Vulnerability changes address specific CVEs or misconfigurations identified by a scanner.

Change Type Connectors Description
Install Package Update SSH, Agent Update a package to a specific version
Remove Vulnerable Package SSH, Agent Remove a package with no available fix
Revoke Exposed Credential AWS, GCP, Azure, LDAP, Vault Immediately revoke a known-compromised credential

See Vulnerability Remediation.

Risk Scoring

Each change type has a base risk score. The final risk score for a change request is calculated from:

  • Base risk score of the change type
  • Environment label of the connector (prod scores higher than staging)
  • Blast radius of the target (how many systems depend on it)
  • Whether rollback is available for this change type

Risk levels:

Score Level Default Approval Required
1-3 Low None (auto-approved in non-prod)
4-6 Medium Single approver
7-9 High Two approvers
10 Critical Two approvers + time delay