Container Security

Checklist
Container Security Checklist

Table Of Contents
2 Build 4 Deploy with 6 Run
Securely Confidence Securely
▢ Secure ▢ Monitor in Real Time ▢ Respond Quickly
Container Images
▢ Enforce Assurance ▢ Secure Hybrid and
▢ Secure the Policies Multi-Cloud
Registry Environments
▢ Protect in Runtime
▢ Secure the Host
and Orchestration
Platform
▢ Manage Secrets
and Sensitive Data
Container Security Checklist

Introduction
In the dynamic world of modern application development, containerization is a
game-changer, enabling rapid deployment and scalability. However, as the dynamic
nature of containers continues to grow, so do the security challenges they present.
Ensuring the security of your containerized environment is not just a technical
necessity but a strategic imperative.

This checklist examines the critical aspects of container security, offering a

comprehensive guide to reinforce your defenses. Fromsecuring the images that form
the foundation of your containers to establishing robust incident response protocols,
these best practicesare designed to help you navigate the complexities of container
security with confidence and precision.

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Container Security Checklist

Build Securely
Continually scanning images and using trusted sources ensures that
your container environment is free from vulnerabilities, leading to
safer and more reliable deployments. Protecting your registry and
orchestration platforms with strict access controls and monitoring
reduces security risks and enhances overall system integrity.
Managing secrets and restricting access to only necessary containers
ensures that sensitive data remains secure, providing a strong
foundation for your containerized applications.

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Container Security Checklist

Secure Container Images Secure the Host and

Strengthen Kubernetes security: Harden Kubernetes environments Orchestration Platform
by implementing access controls, securing pod communications, and
using network policies to prevent lateral movement of attacks. Scan continually: Regularly scan container images for vulnerabilities
before and after deployment to identify and mitigate risks promptly.
Limit privileges: Use allow-list techniques to control access and
minimize the risks associated with over-privileged accounts within Use trusted sources: Ensure that images are sourced from trusted,
orchestration platforms. verified repositories to avoid the introduction of malicious code.

Harden the host: Ensure that the operating system hosting the Maintain a bill of materials: Document all software components
containers is secured with appropriate access controls and is within container images to track and manage security vulnerabilities
continually monitored for vulnerabilities. effectively.

Manage Secrets and Secure the Registry

Sensitive Data Secure the registry: Protect the container registry by enforcing
strict access controls and monitoring for unauthorized changes or
Avoid hardcoding secrets: Use dedicated secrets-management tools vulnerability escalations.
to securely store sensitive data like API keys and credentials, ensuring
that they are not hardcoded into images. Monitor continually: Implement continual monitoring to detect
vulnerabilities in stored images and lock down the registry server to
Implement access controls: Limit access to secrets to only those prevent unauthorized access.
containers and services that absolutely need them.

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Container Security Checklist

Deploy with
Confidence
Real-time monitoring with centralized logging and time-stamped data
collection enables quick detection and response to potential threats,
reducing the risk of incidents. Consistently enforcing security policies
across all containers ensures a secure and compliant environment,
giving you peace of mind during deployment. Automating compliance
further reduces the risk of human error, ensuring that your containerized
applications are always protected and ready for production.

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Container Security Checklist

Monitor in Real Time Enforce Assurance Policies

Centralize logging: Implement centralized logging to capture Define and enforce policies: Establish security policies and assurance
container activity across all environments, enabling efficient tracking gates that define what is allowed in the container environment and
and incident response. use automated tools to enforce these policies consistently across all
containers.
Monitor time-stamped data: Use monitoring tools that support
time-stamped data collection to accurately trace actions and identify Automate compliance: Automate the enforcement of security
potential security breaches. policies to ensure continuous compliance, reducing the risk of human
error.

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Container Security Checklist

Run Securely
Protect containers in runtime with prevention controls to lock down the
environment and with real-time behavioral detection to catch threats that
others miss. Respond quickly by using rich runtime context to prioritize
risks and running regular incident response drills for effective handling
of security incidents. Secure hybrid and multi-cloud environments
with a unified security framework and extend protections to serverless
components, ensuring consistent security across all cloud native
workloads.

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Container Security Checklist

Protect In Runtime Secure Hybrid and

Protect in real time: Identify threats by using behavior- and signature-based
detection methods to uncover known and unknown threats before they reach
Multi-Cloud Environments
production. Define and enforce policies: Establish security policies and assurance
gates that define what is allowed in the container environment and
Ensure workload immutability: Establish baselines for container behavior and use automated tools to enforce these policies consistently across all
monitor for any deviations that might indicate a security threat or compromise. containers.

Reduce the attack surface: Eliminate potential entry points for threats by hardening Automate compliance: Automate the enforcement of security policies to
the runtime environment, ensuring restricted access, and preventing any lateral ensure continuous compliance, reducing the risk of human error.
movement or escalation within or between workloads.

Respond Quickly
Respond with context: Leverage rich runtime context to focus only on the
highest-priority risks to make better remediation decisions, respond fast, and
save time.

Run simulations: Conduct regular incident response drills to ensure that your team
can handle real-world container security incidents effectively.

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Container Security Checklist

Conclusion
Ensuring comprehensive security for containerized applications
requires a multi-layered approach covering the entire life cycle, from
development to production. Implementing the best practices
outlined in this checklist can significantly enhance your
security posture.

Aqua Container Security is a leading solution that provides

full life cycle security for containerized applications, regardless of
deployment location. Aqua’s solution identifies common security
flaws early in the build phase, integrates acceptance gates within the
CI/CD pipeline to reduce the attack surface, and offers real-time
protection in production. By adopting the best practices in this checklist
and leveraging Aqua’s robust container security capabilities, you can
ensure a strong security posture for your containerized applications,
safeguarding them against potential threats and vulnerabilities.

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Aqua Security is the pioneer in securing containerized cloud native applications from development to production. Aqua›s full lifecycle solution prevents
attacks by enforcing pre-deployment hygiene and mitigates attacks in real time in production, reducing mean time to repair and overall business risk.
The Aqua Platform, a Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (CNAPP), integrates security from Code to Cloud, combining the power of agent
and agentless technology into a single solution. With enterprise scale that doesn’t slow development pipelines, Aqua secures your future in the cloud.
Founded in 2015, Aqua is headquartered in Boston, MA and Ramat Gan, IL protecting over 500 of the world’s largest enterprises. For more information,
visit https://www.aquasec.com.

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