kenning-cli 1.0.6

AI-powered contextual risk analysis tool for AWS infrastructure - identifies compound security and cost risks

Kenning CLI

🚀 Step-by-Step Setup Guide

1. Install Python 3 and pip

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip

Fedora/RHEL/AlmaLinux:

sudo dnf install -y python3 python3-pip

CentOS (older):

sudo yum install -y python3 python3-pip

macOS (Homebrew):

brew install python3

Windows (Chocolatey):

choco install python

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2. Install Kenning CLI and AWS CLI

pip3 install kenning-cli awscli

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3. Configure AWS Credentials

aws configure

Follow the prompts to enter your AWS Access Key, Secret Key, and default region.

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4. (Optional) Use the Interactive AWS Setup Assistant

cd /path/to/kenning-cli
./scripts/setup-aws.sh

This script checks your AWS CLI, credentials, and permissions interactively.

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5. (Optional) Install Ollama for Local AI Explanations

All Linux/macOS:

curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

Start Ollama (only once):

ollama serve &

Download the recommended model:

ollama pull phi3

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6. Verify Installation

kenning --help

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7. Run Your First Scan

kenning scan

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Docker Alternative (No Python Needed):

# Install Docker & Docker Compose (see https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/)
git clone https://github.com/kenningproject/kenning-cli.git
cd kenning-cli/docker
docker compose up --build
# To run CLI commands:
docker compose run kenning scan

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What is Kenning CLI?

Kenning CLI is a command-line tool that:

• Scans your AWS account for cost and security risks
• Correlates findings to reveal high-impact "compound risks"
• Uses AI (OpenAI, Ollama, or local LLMs) to explain risks in plain English
• Generates actionable Markdown reports for teams and compliance

Why? Because real-world cloud risks are never just about cost or security—they’re about context.

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Features

• 🔍 Comprehensive Audits: EC2, S3, and more
• 🧠 Contextual Correlation: Finds where cost and security risks overlap
• 🤖 AI Explanations: Human-readable, actionable insights
• 📄 Markdown Reports: Shareable, compliance-ready output
• 🛠️ CLI-First: Fits DevOps, SRE, and CI/CD workflows

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Usage

# Scan your AWS account
kenning scan

# Explain findings with AI
kenning explain

# Generate a Markdown report
kenning report

See kenning --help for all options.

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Requirements

• Python 3.9+
• AWS account with read-only EC2/S3 permissions
• (Optional) Ollama or OpenAI API for AI explanations

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Contributing

Pull requests are welcome! See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

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License

MIT. See LICENSE for details.

Our interactive setup assistant will:
- Check if AWS CLI is installed
- Guide you through credential configuration
- Validate your permissions
- Run a test scan to ensure everything works

**Option B: Manual Configuration**
```bash
aws configure

You'll need:

• AWS Access Key ID (from IAM user)
• AWS Secret Access Key (from IAM user)
• Default region (e.g., us-east-1)

Option C: Environment Variables

export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=your_access_key
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=your_secret_key
export AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-east-1

Option D: Check Current Configuration

kenning check-config

This command validates your AWS setup and permissions.

📚 For detailed AWS setup instructions, see AWS_SETUP.md

Required AWS Permissions: Kenning CLI needs read-only access to EC2 and S3 services. You can either:

• Attach the ReadOnlyAccess managed policy (easiest)
• Create a custom policy with specific permissions (most secure - see AWS_SETUP.md)

3. Run Your First Scan

# Basic scan
kenning scan

# Scan specific region with verbose output
kenning scan --region us-west-2 --verbose

# Use specific AWS profile
kenning scan --profile production

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🧩 Components & Responsibilities

1️⃣ Audit Engine (Core)

• Collect AWS metadata for EC2 instances and S3 buckets.

• Identify cost inefficiencies:

  • Idle/underutilized EC2 instances.
  • Public S3 buckets (increased data egress potential).

• Identify security risks:

  • Open security groups (0.0.0.0/0).
  • Public S3 buckets (misconfiguration).

• Output structured RiskItem objects containing:

  • Resource Type, ID, Region
  • Risk Type (Cost, Security, Both)
  • Metadata for correlation.

2️⃣ Correlator

• Identify compound risks (e.g., idle EC2 with open SSH).

• Assign severity scores:

  • Low / Medium / High
  • Based on cost impact, security risk, and exposure.

• Maintain a simple rule engine for extensibility.

3️⃣ AI Explainer Agent

• Uses OpenAI GPT API / Ollama.

• Generates plain-English explanations:

  • Risk cause.
  • Why it matters.
  • One actionable remediation step.

• Supports structured output in Markdown.

4️⃣ Report Generator

• Generates Markdown reports:

  • Table of identified risks with metadata.
  • GPT-based explanations.
  • Severity overview.

• Allows easy sharing with teams or for documentation pipelines.

6️⃣ Testing & Validation

• Includes comprehensive pytest-based test suite with:
  • 8 core tests for audit engine correctness and correlator logic
  • AI data packaging demos for OpenAI, Claude, local LLMs, and custom ML models
  • Mocked AWS services using moto for reliable, fast testing
  • Future scalability examples demonstrating enterprise-grade compatibility

Quick Test Commands

# Easy way - run all tests
./run_tests.sh

# Or run specific categories
./run_tests.sh core      # Core logic tests (8 tests)
./run_tests.sh ai        # AI agent data formatting demos
./run_tests.sh debug     # Debug data collection flow
./run_tests.sh future    # Future scalability examples

• Cross-platform compatibility: Tests work on Linux, macOS, and Windows

• No hardcoded paths: Uses dynamic path resolution for open source distribution

• Complete documentation: See tests/README.md for detailed guidance

• Ensures reliability during CLI usage and validates AI integration pipeline.

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⚙️ Tech Stack

• Language: Python 3.11+
• CLI: click
• AWS SDK: boto3
• LLM Integration: OpenAI SDK (GPT-4, GPT-3.5) / Ollama
• Reporting: Markdown generation
• Testing: pytest
• Formatting/Linting: black, flake8
• Version Control: Git + GitHub
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions (optional, for test automation)

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💡 Novelty & Research Contributions

• ✅ Fills a research gap by combining cost optimization and security auditing in AWS within a single, context-aware tool.
• ✅ Uses LLMs to generate human-readable explanations for technical audit results, improving clarity for DevOps engineers.
• ✅ CLI-first design for practical DevOps/SRE workflows.
• ✅ Modular and extensible architecture for further research and productization.
• ✅ Evaluated in live AWS environments, providing measurable practical value.

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📦 Final Deliverables

• ✅ Working CLI tool with core commands (scan, explain, report).
• ✅ Structured JSON outputs from audit for further processing.
• ✅ Markdown reports summarizing audit findings with GPT explanations.
• ✅ Unit-tested core modules (audit, correlator, GPT integration).
• ✅ Clean, well-documented GitHub repository with clear structure.
• ✅ Demo video showcasing the CLI tool in action.

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🛠️ Development Workflow

• ✅ Use Git and GitHub for version control.
• ✅ Use VS Code with Python, Pylance, and Copilot extensions.
• ✅ Use GitHub Actions for optional test automation.
• ✅ Format regularly using black . and lint using flake8 ..
• ✅ Test frequently with pytest.
• ✅ Commit using a consistent structured format:

feat(audit): add EC2 idle instance detection

✅ Use branches for features:

git checkout -b feat/cli-scan

✅ Push regularly and use Pull Requests for clean history.

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🛡️ Why Kenning CLI Matters

• Cloud cost optimization and security are deeply interconnected in real-world DevOps and SRE environments.
• Existing tools often focus on either cost or security in isolation, lacking context-aware compound risk analysis.
• LLMs can transform raw audit data into actionable insights for engineers, improving decision-making and response times.

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