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This article mainly explains "what are the ways to protect the security of Docker containers?" the content in the article is simple and clear, and it is easy to learn and understand. Please follow the editor's train of thought to study and learn "what are the methods to protect the security of Docker containers"?

Containerization of an application involves packaging application code and its dependencies (required libraries, frameworks, and configuration files) in a virtual container. This approach contributes to portability and can run consistently across a variety of computing environments and infrastructures without reducing efficiency.

Docker is a particularly popular container platform. Organizations use Docker to develop applications with the following characteristics:

Efficient optimization

Highly scalable

Portable

Agile

The Docker container shares the underlying operating system through its lightweight runtime environment to host applications that support the DevOps environment. As a key element of the Cloud-Native framework, Docker brings many benefits to your software development lifecycle (SDLC). However, these benefits are not without risks. You may face complexity, especially when it comes to protecting the Docker framework.

The Docker container is secure by default. However, you must be aware of possible vulnerabilities before you can adopt an approach that prevents potential security risks.

Therefore, in this article, we will explore best practices for securing Docker-based architectures in three key areas:

infrastructure

Mirror image

Access and authentication

Let's get started.

1. Protect the Docker infrastructure

A container is a virtual unit that can host an application. To do this, the container can hold:

Code binary

Configuration file

Correlation dependence

Because containers are the basis of cloud native settings, it is critical to protect them from potential attack vectors throughout the container lifecycle. The overall way to protect this framework is not only to protect the Docker container, but also its infrastructure.

Let's break down the best way to secure the infrastructure and see how it works.

Update your Docker version regularly

First, make sure your version of Docker is up to date. Outdated versions are vulnerable to security attacks. New releases usually include patches and bug fixes to address vulnerabilities in older versions.

The same is true of the host environment: ensure that supported applications are up-to-date and free from known errors or security vulnerabilities.

Keep the container clean

The extended container environment expands the attack surface and is more prone to security vulnerabilities than lean settings. To avoid this, configure your container to contain only the components necessary for them to work as expected:

Software kit

Library

Configuration file

In addition, check the host instance periodically for unused containers and base images, and discard those unused containers and base images.

Configure API and Network

Docker Engine uses HTTP API to communicate over the network. Improperly configured API contains security vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.

To avoid this, protect your container by securely configuring API, which restricts the public display of containers. One way is to implement encrypted communication by enabling certificate-based authentication.

(get more details about protecting Docker API *.) *

Limit the use of system resources

Set a limit on the proportion of infrastructure resources that each container can use. These infrastructure resources include:

a central processor

Memory

Network bandwidth

Docker uses control groups to restrict resource allocation and allocation between different processes. This approach prevents corrupted containers from consuming too many resources that may disrupt service delivery in the event of a security breach.

Maintain host isolation

Run containers with different security requirements on different hosts.

Maintaining container isolation through different namespaces protects critical data from full-scale attacks. This approach can also prevent noisy neighbors from consuming too many resources on pool-based isolation, thus affecting the services of other containers.

Limit container function

By default, the Docker container can maintain and obtain other privileges that may or may not be needed to run its core services.

As a best practice, the permissions of the container should be limited to only those required to run its application. To do this, use the following command to remove all privileges for the Docker container:

Copy

$docker run-cap-drop ALL

Then, use the * *-cap-add** flag to add specific privileges to the container. This approach restricts the Docker container from obtaining unnecessary privileges that can be exploited during a security breach.

Filter system calls

Apply a system call filter that allows you to choose which calls the container can make to the Linux kernel.

This method enables secure computing mode, thus reducing the possible exposure points, thus avoiding the occurrence of security accidents, especially the exploitation of kernel vulnerabilities.

two。 Protect Docker image

Now, let's turn to security best practices outside of the infrastructure. Docker images are executable code templates used to create containers and host applications. The Docker image consists of the runtime library and the root file system, making the image one of the most critical foundations of the Docker container. Here are some best practices when protecting your Docker image.

Use a trusted image

Obtain the Docker base image only from the latest and correctly configured trusted sources.

In addition, ensure that the Docker image is properly signed by enabling the Docker content trust feature to filter out suspected sources of insecurity.

Scan the image periodically

It is critical to maintain reliable Docker image security profiles and regularly scan them for vulnerabilities. Before downloading the image, in addition to the initial scan, do this to ensure that you can safely use it.

With regular image scanning, you can also minimize exposure by:

Review key files and directories

Update them with the latest security patches

Support for the smallest basic image

Avoid using larger generic Docker images on smaller generic Docker images to minimize security vulnerabilities. This provides two valuable results:

Reduce the attack surface

Get rid of the default configuration that is more vulnerable to hackers

3. Access and authentication management

The last category of Docker Security involves access and authentication.

Protecting the security of Docker Daemon through access control is often referred to as application layer 1 security. If you do not secure Docker Daemon, then everything will be vulnerable:

Basic operation

Application field

Business function

Implement the user with the least privilege

By default, processes in Docker containers have root privileges, which grant them administrative access to containers and hosts. This opens up security vulnerabilities that may be exploited by hackers to containers and underlying hosts.

To avoid these vulnerabilities, set the least privileged user who grants only the privileges required to run the container. Alternatively, restrict the runtime configuration to prohibit the use of privileged users.

Use secret management tools

Do not store secrets in Dockerfile, which may misplace users accessing Dockerfile, abuse or compromise the security of the entire framework.

The standard best practice is to securely encrypt key secrets in third-party tools such as Hashicorp Vault. You can use this method to access container secrets other than credentials.

Restrict direct access to container files

Temporary containers require consistent upgrades and bug fixes. As a result, such container files are exposed every time the user accesses them.

As a best practice, maintain container logs outside the container. This greatly reduces the consistent direct use of container files. It also allows your team to solve the problem without having to access the logs in the container directory.

Enable encrypted communication

Restrict access to Docker Daemon to only a few critical users. In addition, direct access to container files is restricted by enforcing SSH-only access to general users.

Use TLS certificates to encrypt host-level communications. It is also important to disable unused ports and make the default ports public only for internal use.

Thank you for your reading, the above is the content of "what are the methods to protect the security of Docker containers". After the study of this article, I believe you have a deeper understanding of the methods to protect the security of Docker containers, and the specific use needs to be verified in practice. Here is, the editor will push for you more related knowledge points of the article, welcome to follow!

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