Docker is world famous software, it is a platform where it has sets of service products, which use operating system-level virtualization. Docker delivers software packages, which are known as containers. The software, which hosts these containers is known as Docker Engine. This software is developed by Docker, inc. It first came into the scene in 2013. In layman’s terms, Docker is a software platform that simplifies the process of building, managing, running, and distributing applications, it’s all done by virtualizing the operating system of the computer on which it is installed on.
Now docker image is a file that executes code in the docker container, which we’ve already discussed. A Docker image is like a snapshot in a virtual machine or perhaps a saved game data, it is a set of instructions provided to build the docker container. Docker image is a read-only file.
Though the Docker image is pretty handy, it comes with a few vulnerabilities. Docker gets thousands of containers deployed every passing hour, they get more complex with every addition. Therefore one needs to know ways to protect their docker containers. You might not be a security expert, but we’re here to help, we will tell you exactly how to protect your Docker containers. So that you can tightly secure your registries at every development phase and make sure that the container gets deployed safely. Let’s begin now, shall we?
Implement Docker Bench
Always implement Docker bench for higher security standards. The bench is a script, script is just a bunch of commands that are executed one after the other automatically, the bench keenly inspects every docker container that is deployed to the server in real-time. It analyzes, evaluates and tests its deployment into production. Mostly these are based on CIS Docker benchmarks and these standards are set by the Center of Internet Security, aka CIS. But this command is known to be a bit messy on certain operating systems, so you must be careful before doing so, maybe you can first test it out thoroughly before implementing directly. Adding a Docker bench will avoid most of the dangerous vulnerabilities that Docker has.
Follow least privileged user:
To prevent Docker vulnerabilities in the first place, you must follow the least privileged user principles. This means, that when Docker files don’t specify a user, the default is set to root privileges. This can easily lead to major security threats. To put it simply, this could mean your container has root access to Docker’s host. So, you must create a dedicated user and group, to which privileges can be assigned. Of course, this helps in minimizing the attack surface, boosts system stability, and will strengthen data security. Moreover, these techniques help to minimize the chance of being associated with malware. Therefore, follow the least privileged user to keep Docker vulnerabilities away from your system.
Use Publisher Verified Docker Images:
To tighten your security, only use publisher-verified Docker images to defend against vulnerabilities. Specifically, many developer teams recommend only using the Docker hub, which is Docker’s official image registry. Here, you’ll find plenty of official publisher-verified, and certified images available for download. Here, you can use multiple highly secure and available registries. By doing so, you can distribute assets across your organization securely and safely. Moreover, this helps teams to automate development processes, helps improve team collaboration, and gains deeper insights into operating system (OS) level issues. Also, they allow you the functionality to store, distribute, secure, and deploy valuable Docker images. Therefore, only use publisher-verified images to correct and prevent any Docker image vulnerabilities.
Work With Trusted Base Images
Every security-focused software developer will strongly suggest you work with trusted base images for Docker image vulnerability defence. Working with unmaintained and untrusted images can lead you to accumulate all these existing bugs and vulnerabilities. If you want to use a custom base image, do it on your own, and build it for yourself. You should also try updating the images frequently. Or, you can simply keep rebuilding over them. There is no guarantee that images from public registries actually originate from the Docker file. Even if it is, you cannot confirm whether the script is currently up-to-date or not. Indeed, only work with trusted base images to keep your vulnerabilities hidden from your Docker production environment.
Automate Pipeline Scanning:
One of the most convincing fixes is to automate pipeline scanning operations. Integrates vulnerability scans into every possible stage of your development lifecycle. You can automate these processes with AI-powered technologies. With such automation, you can minimize security threats, save plenty of time, and more importantly eliminate human error. You’ll most likely save time and valuable resources as well. Most importantly, you can find harmful bugs, flaws, and errors before nasty hackers do. Of course, this is crucial to promote insightful reporting, issue prioritization, and rapid mean-time-to-restoration, aka MTTR. Definitely automate pipeline scanning to effectively fix Docker image vulnerabilities.
Conclusion:
These are five important fixes to remember for Docker image vulnerabilities. Primarily, dedicate time to automate pipeline scanning. This can easily be achieved with AI-powered continuous integration and delivery technologies. One must only work with official, publisher-verified images. Remember to implement the Docker bench for strengthened security protocols. Also, follow the least privileged user principle. To further defend yourself, use only trusted containerized base images. This is particularly true if you plan on developing your own custom base images. In such cases, be sure to regularly update and maintain them. To learn more about Docker Hub, you can go read their documentation of the same, here’s the link https://docs.docker.com/. If you have any other query or issue, you can contact Docker hub from here https://www.docker.com/company/contact/.
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