Container security is about keeping containerized applications safe from threats and vulnerabilities. Containers package an application and all its dependencies into a single, lightweight unit, making it easy to run consistently across various environments. While this brings benefits like efficiency and scalability, it also creates new security challenges that must be dealt with.
- Vulnerability Prevalence: According to reports 87% of container images in public repositories contain high or critical vulnerabilities, which helps show the importance of implementing security measures before deployment (Business Wire).
- Security Incidents: In 2023 it was found that 59% of organizations experienced a security incident in their Kubernetes or container environments with many of these leading to significant business impacts and slow of operations (The world’s open source leader).
How does container security work?
Securing containers involves several practices and tools that protect them throughout their entire lifecycle, from development to deployment and runtime. Key areas include:
- Image security: Before deploying containers, it’s important to ensure they’re free from vulnerabilities. This means scanning the container images, libraries, and dependencies to find and fix any issues.
- Runtime security: Once containers are running, they need to be monitored for any suspicious activity. This involves setting rules to limit what containers can do, managing how they communicate over the network, and using tools to detect any unusual behavior.
- Configuration management: Container orchestrators, such as Kubernetes, must be securely configured. Container orchestrators, such as Kubernetes, must be securely configured.
- Compliance and auditing: Regularly checking container environments ensures they meet security policies and regulations. Tools that provide visibility into the security status of containers help keep everything in compliance and identify areas for improvement.
Why is container security important?
Container security is crucial for preventing issues that could impact your business. For example, a report by Red Hat found that 67% of organizations have delayed or slowed down deployments due to security concerns with Kubernetes. Security incidents can lead to major problems, including lost revenue and damaged customer trust.
What are the risks of not securing containers?
If you don’t secure your container environments, this can lead to several risks like:
- Data breaches: If containers are compromised, sensitive data could be exposed, leading to breaches that damage your company’s reputation and result in costly fines.
- Service disruptions: Security incidents can interrupt services, affecting business continuity and leading to financial losses.
- Regulatory non-compliance: Inadequate security can lead to non-compliance with industry regulations, which can result in legal penalties and fines.
Examples of security incidents
- The Tesla Kubernetes incident: In 2018, attackers accessed Tesla’s Kubernetes console, which wasn’t password-protected, to mine cryptocurrency. This shows the importance of securing access to container orchestrators (Ars Technica).
- Capital One data breach: In 2019, a misconfigured web application firewall allowed attackers to access sensitive data in AWS S3 buckets, highlighting the need for strong configuration management (Capital One).
The business value of container security
While containers offer benefits like faster development, better scalability, and efficient resource use, these advantages can only be fully realized if security is part of the process from the start.
- Enhanced agility and innovation: Secure containers provide rapid application development and deployment, allowing for innovation while maintaining security.
- Cost savings: By preventing security incidents, businesses can avoid the high costs of dealing with breaches and downtime.
- Compliance and trust: Maintaining strong container security helps meet regulatory requirements and builds customer trust, which is crucial for business sustainability.
How to secure your containers
There are various tools and solutions available to protect container environments:
- Container scanning tools: Tools like Clair and Anchore check container images for vulnerabilities and compliance issues.
- Runtime security tools: Solutions like Falco and Sysdig monitor running containers and respond to threats in real-time.
- Configuration management tools: Tools like Kube-bench and Open Policy Agent ensure Kubernetes environments are securely configured and policies are implemented.
- Integrated security platforms: Comprehensive platforms like Red Hat Advanced Cluster Security for Kubernetes offer complete security for containerized applications, integrating with CI/CD pipelines and providing continuous monitoring and protection.
If you want a combination: Aqua Security also provides similar services and offers tools to secure your containers. These include vulnerability scanning, runtime security, and Kubernetes configuration management, so you can be sure of the protection throughout the entire container lifecycle.
Conclusion
Container security is essential for protecting modern IT infrastructure. By implementing strong security practices and using the right tools, businesses can use the benefits of containerization while minimizing risks. This approach ensures that containerized applications stay secure, helping drive business growth and maintaining customer trust.
At SUE, we understand the importance of securing containerized environments as part of a robust cloud-native strategy. With our extensive experience in cloud consultancy and managed services, we address containerization’s security challenges and provide solutions to these ongoing challenges.
