> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developer.harness.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://developer.harness.io/security-testing-orchestration/use-sto/sto-scanner-configuration/shared/root-access-requirements.md).

# Root Access Requirements

You need to run the scan step with root access if either of the following apply:

* You need to add trusted certificates to your scan images at runtime.

{% hint style="info" %}
You can utilize custom STO scan images and pipelines to run scans as a non-root user. For more details, refer [Configure your pipeline to use STO images from private registry](/security-testing-orchestration/troubleshooting-and-resources/sto-use-cases/set-up-sto-pipelines/configure-pipeline-to-use-sto-images-from-private-registry.md).
{% endhint %}