How to Address Kubernetes Risks and Vulnerabilities Head-on

According to Gartner, more than 90% of global organizations will be running containerized applications in production by 2027. This is a significant increase from fewer than 40% in 2021. As container adoption soars, Kubernetes remains the dominant container orchestration platform.

Realizing the full benefits of Kubernetes requires implementing processes and solutions to fight vulnerabilities, threats and risks, including issues stemming from human error such as misconfigurations, and inherent vulnerabilities like those from container images. DevOps and security teams need the right solutions to mitigate the risks and enjoy the full benefits of Kubernetes.

Mitigating the Impact of Misconfigurations

While container adoption has taken off, the industry still lacks skilled Kubernetes experts. Kubernetes is a complex platform, and personnel without the right skillset inadvertently — and frequently — make mistakes that create misconfigurations.

In the Red Hat State of Kubernetes Security Report 2023, more than 50% of respondents said they were concerned about misconfigurations and vulnerabilities. And with good reason: The simplest way for attackers to get to a company’s data, applications or code is through a misconfigured Kubernetes cluster. A bad actor needs just one small misconfiguration to wreak havoc.

There are several stand-alone and platform tools that address this problem by finding and listing all misconfigurations and vulnerabilities. With the ever-widening gap between resources and the uptick in software vulnerabilities, having a preventive strategy is paramount. Taking preventative measures is more effective than reacting to every misconfiguration or common vulnerability and exposure (CVE) that is reported.

Putting strong microsegmentation practices in place limits the amount of damage bad actors can inflict from exploiting misconfigurations. However, microsegmentation is not a standardized process; it differs across industries and use cases, creating challenges for widespread adoption.

Deploying the right Kubernetes-specific security solutions can help organizations achieve microsegmentation easily and efficiently. For example, software equipped with policy recommendations monitors traffic over a period of time and then recommends policies to achieve microsegmentation. Out-of-the-box solutions eliminate the need for employees to have the skills required to “do it from scratch.” Ultimately, microsegmentation is necessary for the mass adoption of Kubernetes, underscoring the importance of such solutions.

Addressing Vulnerabilities in Container Images

Existing vulnerabilities or malware in container images also pose a significant risk. While container images are key in Kubernetes deployments, leveraging outdated or vulnerable images introduces security risks. Malicious actors can target known vulnerabilities within container images to gain unauthorized access or execute malicious code. Vulnerabilities in an image can be inherited from open source libraries, base images and other third-party components — some of which are known and others that are yet to be discovered. Vulnerability management is crucial to administer at the build stage to determine whether an image can be deployed or not.

Continuously scanning for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in software before deployment and blocking deployments that fail to meet security requirements are key. Assess container and registry image vulnerabilities by scanning first- and third-party images for vulnerabilities and misconfigurations and by using a tool that scans multiple registries to identify vulnerabilities from databases, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s National Vulnerability Database. It’s critical to continuously monitor images, workloads and infrastructure against common configuration security standards (such as CIS Benchmarks). This enables an organization to meet internal and external compliance standards, and also quickly detect and remediate misconfigurations in their environment, ultimately eliminating potential attack vectors.

Closing the Gaps

Practicing good cyber hygiene and creating a strong security posture for applications is critical to avoid costly Kubernetes issues. When following the principles of zero trust, users, applications and devices are allowed to communicate and access only the resources required within their role. This helps secure sensitive data at the user, application and network layers, and helps prevent data theft or exfiltration if a bad actor gains access.

Adopting the right solutions is critical to fight and mitigate the impact of misconfigurations and to address vulnerabilities in container images. Ultimately, this helps avoid breaches and other potentially devastating consequences including compliance issues.

While it may be impossible to fix everything and remove all risks from an environment, DevOps and security teams can close security gaps by following best practices and deploying solutions to prevent and mitigate risks.

To learn more about Kubernetes and the cloud native ecosystem, join us at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe in Paris on March 19-22.

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