With the rapid proliferation of cloud computing, lean deployment methods, such as containers, have become common practice. According to CIO.com, 70% of global companies are expected to be running multiple apps simultaneously using a containerized framework, like Kubernetes in the next few years. But as Kubernetes' use becomes more widespread, so do the vulnerabilities inherent to containerization. According to a 2019 Forbes article, Kubernetes had at least 7,000 identified vulnerabilities in the beginning of 2019 alone. Couple that with the fact that cyber attacks involving containerization have increased a whopping 240% since 2018, and you'll understand the value of security should your company use a solution like Kubernetes to handle its container orchestration.
What Causes Kubernetes Security Blindspots?
To understand how to best optimize your
Kubernetes experience, it's worthwhile to understand the basic ways security issues arise in a containerized
framework.
Images are the core building blocks of
containerization; they are the executable process at the center of your
container. As a result, anything that exposes an image to a broader audience
puts the container at risk of being hijacked. One of the primaries ways this
occurs is by using out-of-date software. Using old software gives malicious
actors a small incongruence that they can exploit within the code.
Another problem is poorly-defined user access
roles. If sensible changes aren't made to an orchestration tool's default
settings, inappropriate parties may have access to alter the container's core
executable.
Containerization gives you a way to manage a
large amount of processes easily and with increased adaptability. As a result,
automation makes it impossible to keep your eyes on everything at once. Here
are some best practices that can help you counter the wide range of
vulnerabilities inherent to containerization and Kubernetes in
general.
Kubernetes Security Best Practices
Given the architecture of the Kubernetes
framework, security risks are a constant and evolving threat. Luckily, Google
made Kubernetes an open source application under the auspices of the Cloud Native Computing
Foundation where solutions to new security issues are actively
crowdsourced by the community. Regardless, there are a number of things
that you can do during the build, deployment, and runtime phases to make your
Kubernetes implementation more secure.
Take care of your images
Images are the heart of every container.
Executable functions are essential, so images must be well-maintained and in
good working order. Only use up-to-date images, scanning them regularly
for security issues. As a rule of thumb, you should also avoid including
unnecessary tools and functions in your image coding as they can inadvertently
give hackers an access route.
Ensure that your secrets remain secret
The term "secrets" refers to any
private information such as login credentials, tokens, or other sensitive data.
While it's not customary to keep sensitive data stored adjacent to the
container's image, the scenario has come up before. Keep secret data as far
from the image as possible in order to increase security.
Keep up-to-date with scans and security patches
The community does a good job of patching
Kubernetes when issues arise. If you don't take the time to update both your OS
and Kubernetes' security, you give malware additional avenues of attack.
Updates should be performed at least every nine months, if not more often. Due
to the nature of how Kubernetes works, if you are using an outdated version,
you could actively be spreading issues when the container is deployed
elsewhere.
Take advantage of customization to define user roles and
access
A container orchestration tool like Kubernetes
is a complex web running thousands of processes across numerous machines. That
means hundreds of end-users involved with the application. Take advantage of
Kubernetes' administrative functions to clearly define user roles, limiting
full access for those who don't need it. As they say, too many cooks spoils the
broth.
Keeping Kubernetes Simple and Safe
Containers are an agile, lightweight framework for cloud computing, but manually deploying the correct containers to their destinations can quickly become overwhelming. An orchestration tool like Kubernetes is the perfect solution to managing your containerization, but the security risks inherent to this model can be restrictive. By keeping a few key practices in mind when implementing Kubernetes into your workflow, you can help you promote safety while streamlining your processes.
To Sum It All Up
Kubernetes has become the centerpieces of the
Cloud Native landscape and a notable advantage for organizations to rapidly
manage and deploy their containerized business logic. But certain security best
practices must be followed such as working with reliable docker images,
properly defined resource quotas, network policies, work with namespaces for
access control and authentication\authorization, and more.
To learn more about Prevasio integration and
security for K8s containers, contact us today.