Pipeline integrity is the assurance that CI/CD build, test, approval, and release steps have not been altered, bypassed, or abused. It means the software delivery path is behaving as designed, with trusted inputs, controlled execution, and verifiable outputs.
This matters because attackers often target the pipeline instead of the application itself. If they can tamper with build scripts, steal developer credentials, modify runners, or inject malicious dependencies, they may ship harmful code while appearing legitimate. Defenders protect pipeline integrity with signed commits, strict access control, isolated build environments, policy gates, audit logs, artifact signing, and runtime monitoring for unusual changes. In practice, integrity checks help detect unauthorized edits, suspicious build behavior, and release drift before compromised software reaches production.