Debunking Cloud Container Security: 7 Troubles, 7 Triumphs

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Cloud containers are one of the most popular technologies for developing and deploying cloud-native applications, with benefits like portability, scalability, efficiency, and agility. However, cloud container security poses many challenges as new attack vectors get introduced, increasing their complexity, and requiring different tools and processes.

The GitLab 2022 Global DevSecOps Survey reveals that only 64% of security professionals have a security plan for containers, and many DevOps teams still need a plan for other cutting-edge software technologies.

This article delves into the details of container security and debunks some common cloud security issues and solutions regarding cloud and container security. It shows how to overcome the most prevalent troubles and achieve the best practices for securing containerized workloads. Dive into the latest statistics and trends on cloud container security based on various reports and surveys from industry experts.

Whether just beginning or enhancing expertise in cloud container security, this article will dive into valuable insights and tips on improving security posture and protecting cloud assets from threats. The topics covered are:

• How to deal with the high number of vulnerabilities in container images and prioritize the ones that matter most
• How to cope with containers' short lifespan and dynamic nature and conduct container security monitoring and auditing effectively
• How to secure the communication and network traffic between containers and other components, such as microservices, APIs, and serverless functions
• How to implement a DevSecOps culture and strategy that integrates security into every stage of the container life cycle
• How to leverage tools for cloud container security, such as Kubernetes, Docker, Sysdig, Red Hat, GitLab, and more

Learn about cloud container security’s state, challenges, opportunities, best practices, and solutions. It will aid in benchmarking the organization's cloud container security against standard parameters.

According to the Expert Insights 2023 Cloud Security Stats Report, 45% of breaches are cloud-based, and 96% of organizations have experienced significant cloud security challenges when implementing their strategy.

This underscores the significance of cloud-native security and container security for business applications.
 

1. The Business Value of Securing Cloud Containers

Cloud container security involves implementing mechanisms and processes to protect containerized applications and workloads in the cloud. Containers are lightweight application code packages and dependencies that can run on any cloud platform. They offer several benefits for businesses, such as:

1.1 Faster and More Efficient Software Deployment

Containers enable developers to create, test, and deploy applications faster and more reliably, as they can run the same code on different cloud environments without compatibility issues.

1.2 Smaller Attack Surface

Containers isolate applications from each other and the host operating system, reducing the risk of compromise and lateral movement. Containers also have a shorter lifespan than virtual machines, limiting exposure to persistent threats.

1.3 Less Configuration Drift

Containers are immutable, meaning they do not change after they are created. This ensures consistency and reproducibility across different cloud platforms and prevents configuration errors that could lead to security vulnerabilities.
 

2. Navigating the Challenges in Cloud Container Security

Container security is a major concern for many companies and presents several challenges. Some of the challenges include a lack of visibility, expertise, governance, input, and standardization.

There are four generalized use cases that should cover security requirements within the host-container threat landscape:

• Protecting a container from applications inside it
• Inter-container protection,
• Protecting the host from containers, and
• Protecting containers from a malicious or semi-honest host

The first three use cases utilize software-based solutions that mainly rely on Linux kernel features and Linux security modules, while the last use case relies on hardware-based solutions such as trusted platform modules and trusted platform support. Create robust container security by identifying the pitfalls and challenges, such as:

2.1 Lack of Visibility

Activities inside the container are primarily invisible to security teams, making it difficult to monitor which containers are running, what they are running, or flag network behavior. This means that security teams cannot see what is happening inside the container, such as which processes are running, which files are accessed, or which network connections are established. This makes it hard to detect and prevent malicious activities or unauthorized changes.

2.2 Insecure Images

Containers are built using either a parent or base image, which may contain vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. These files contain the code and dependencies for creating and running a container. These images may introduce security risks to the container environment if they are not verified or scanned for vulnerabilities. For example, an attacker may compromise an image and insert malicious code or backdoors.

2.3 Privileged Containers

Containers with privileged flags can pose a security risk as they can access sensitive information and system resources. These are containers that have more permissions and access rights than regular containers. They can perform actions that affect the host system or other containers, such as mounting devices, modifying files, or changing network settings. This can be dangerous if the container is compromised or misconfigured, as it may allow an attacker to escalate privileges and cause more damage.

2.4 Unrestricted Communication among Containers

Containers not adequately isolated from one another can communicate freely, potentially allowing attackers to move laterally throughout the container environment. This means that containers can communicate with each other without any restrictions or controls. This can create a large attack surface and allow an attacker to move laterally from one container to another, spreading malware or stealing data. It can also expose sensitive information or services to unauthorized or malicious containers.

2.5 Running Malicious and Rogue Processes in Containers

Attackers may be able to run malicious processes within containers, compromising the security of the entire system. These processes are not supposed to run in a container because they are malicious or unauthorized. They may be injected by an attacker who exploits a vulnerability in the container or the host system or spawned by a legitimate process that is compromised or misbehaving. These processes can consume resources, disrupt operations, or perform malicious actions.

2.6 Misconfigured Containers

Some developers often have a ‘set and forget’ mentality, and there might be default insecure configurations they are not aware of. Containers are often deployed with default or insecure configurations, leaving them vulnerable to attacks. For example, a container may be configured to run with excessive privileges or have weak authentication or encryption settings. Attackers can exploit these misconfigurations to gain unauthorized access or perform malicious actions.

2.7 Vulnerabilities in Container Infrastructure

The Sysdig 2023 Cloud-Native Security and Usage Report shows that 87% of container images have high or critical vulnerabilities, and 54% live for fewer than five minutes.

A container infrastructure stack typically consists of application code, configurations, libraries, and packages built into a container image running inside a container on the host operating system kernel via a container runtime. Vulnerabilities in any of these components can compromise the security of the entire container environment. For example, an attacker may exploit a vulnerability in the container runtime to escape the container and gain access to the host system.
 

3. Addressing Container Security Challenges

Prioritizing overcoming cloud container security challenges helps fortify container security and create robust business continuity. Here are some of the best solutions to help mitigate them:

3.1 Visibility

Monitor and audit container activities with tools such as network connections, file accesses, and process executions. Implement monitoring and logging mechanisms to detect and respond to suspicious or anomalous events. Scan and inventory container images and configurations with tools to identify vulnerabilities and misconfigurations.

Effectively prioritizing the vulnerabilities is easy by following a risk-based approach by tracking parameters such as CVE severity, CVSS score, and CVE exploitability and actively running vulnerable workloads. Another system is to follow a three-step process to create secure container images:

• Securing code and its dependencies
• Building up a minimal base image from a trusted source
• Managing the tools and packages added to container images throughout the development lifecycle

3.2 Secure Images

Use trusted and verified sources, such as official repositories or registries, to obtain container images. Scan container images regularly for vulnerabilities and patch them as soon as possible. Enforce policies and prevent unauthorized or untrusted images from running in the container environment with the help of cloud security management tools.

3.3 Least Privileged Containers

Follow the principle of least privilege and run containers with the minimum permissions and access rights required for their functionality. Avoid running containers as root or with privileged flags unless necessary. Restrict or limit the capabilities of containers and isolate them from the host system and other containers using tools.

3.4 Encrypt Container Communication

Implement network segmentation and isolation for containers, such as firewalls, network policies, or service meshes. Define and enforce rules for allowing or denying communication between containers based on their roles, functions, or labels. Encrypt network traffic between containers using protocols such as TLS or HTTPS.

3.5 Prevent Malicious and Rogue Processes in Containers

Detect and block malicious processes from running in containers using tools such as antivirus, anti-malware, or intrusion prevention systems. Perform behavioral analysis and anomaly detection with tools to identify rogue strategies deviating from standard patterns. Sandbox or quarantine containers that are compromised or infected with the help of appropriate tools.

3.6 Automated Container Configuration

Check and validate container configurations against security best practices and standards, such as CIS benchmarks or NIST guidelines, with tools such as Puppet. These automate container configuration management and enforcement, such as configuration management systems or policy engines. Other tools, such as PingSafe, Datadog Cloud SIEM, Anchore, and Sophos Cloud Native Security, provide feedback and recommendations for improving container security posture, such as security scanners or scorecards.

3.7 Vulnerabilities in Container Infrastructure

Utilize tools such as Snyk that can scan and patch the components of the container infrastructure stack, such as the application code, libraries, packages, container runtime, kernel, and host operating system. Isolate or protect the container infrastructure from external attacks with tools such as encryption, authentication, authorization, or encryption at rest or in transit. Update or replace the container infrastructure components with tools without disrupting the application functionality, such as rolling updates or blue-green deployments. These minimize downtime and allow for easy rollback.
 

4. The Future of Securing Cloud Containers

Securing cloud containers has become a top priority for cloud-native applications. Cloud security trends  aim to leverage it to safeguard cloud containers effectively.

• Containers are highly portable code execution environments that rely on a shared kernel, which poses some security challenges and complexities.
• Blockchain, data loss prevention, and data classification are some of the trends that will define the future of cloud security.
• Security teams need solutions that enable, rather than hinder, the entire lifecycle of containers and Kubernetes, from building to deploying to running.
• To ensure the safety and protection of sensitive data, security solutions should integrate seamlessly into existing development workflows and support role-based access controls, transparency, and accountability.
• In order to maintain the highest level of security, security solutions should also provide scanning for vulnerabilities, applying security policies, and container security monitoring for anomalies in container environments.

While securing cloud container environments can be challenging at times, tools and technologies offer security teams enhanced protection. In essence, the future of securing containers and Kubernetes in 2023 and beyond is extremely bright. The cloud-native landscape increasingly relies on containers to build, deploy, and run production-ready workloads. This raises the need for security teams to work with cloud container security solutions that enable, rather than hinder, their full lifecycles.