Securing Containers and Kubernetes Ecosystem

Learn best practices and security controls for containers and the Kubernetes ecosystem using a simple five-factor security model.

Containers have transformed the way applications are built, deployed, and managed. But it’s only a matter a time before a vulnerability or misconfiguration leads to a newsworthy security breach. Establishing security controls is essential to protect applications being deployed in orchestration systems like Kubernetes. This course explains how to secure containers and the Kubernetes ecosystem using a simple five-factor model. Instructor Sam Sehgal—a security strategist and architect —reviews the containers and Kubernetes technology architecture, the application development and deployment life cycle, as well as the attack surface and vectors. He then introduces his five-factor security model to protect Kubernetes and its components, and shows how to apply security controls to the design and code, images and registries, containers and hosts, applications, and Kubernetes clusters.

Introduction

• Protect your containers and Kubernetes ecosystem
• What you need to know

1. Demystifying Containers and Kubernetes

• What are containers?
• Virtualization
• Isolation and OS security features
• Container runtime
• What is Kubernetes?
• Kubernetes master node
• Kubernetes worker node

2. Security Model for Containers and Kubernetes

• Overall technology architecture
• Container deployment and orchestration lifecycle
• Attack surface and vectors
• Five factors

3. Factor #1: Securing Containerized Application Code

• Secure design before code
• Secure code

4. Factor #2: Securing Images

• Secure container images, part 1
• Secure container images, part 2
• Image registries
• Image registry access control

5. Factor #3: Securing Hosts and Container Working Environment

• Container working environment
• Container network security
• Container port and interface security
• Host OS protection

6. Factor #4: Securing Applications in Kubernetes

• Securing applications in Kubernetes
• Access management
• Authenticating users
• Authenticating service accounts
• Authorization
• Admission control
• Security context
• Security policy
• Kubernetes network security
• Secrets management

7. Factor #5: Securing Kubernetes Cluster

• Cluster security goals
• Securing API server traffic
• Securing cluster components

8. Additional Security Considerations

• Infrastructure security
• Logging and monitoring

Conclusion

• Next steps