Container and Orchestration Threats

Container adoption in cloud environments introduces additional threat vectors. Container images might harbor vulnerabilities or malicious code. Base images from public registries require careful vetting. The build process itself might be compromised, injecting malware into all subsequent containers. Supply chain attacks through container dependencies multiply these risks.

Kubernetes and other orchestration platforms add complexity. The Kubernetes API, if exposed, provides cluster-wide access. RBAC misconfigurations might grant excessive permissions. Network policies might not be enforced by the underlying CNI plugin. Secrets management often relies on base64 encoding rather than encryption. Each component requires specific threat analysis.

Runtime threats in containerized environments differ from traditional applications. Container escape vulnerabilities might allow access to the host system. Resource exhaustion attacks could affect co-located containers. Kernel vulnerabilities affect all containers on a host. The dynamic nature of container scheduling makes forensics and incident response challenging. Threat modeling must consider both build-time and runtime threats.

Service mesh implementations like Istio add security capabilities but also complexity. Mutual TLS between services provides strong authentication but requires proper certificate management. Authorization policies might conflict or create gaps. Observability features could leak sensitive information. The additional attack surface of service mesh components themselves requires consideration.