Comprehensive Vulnerability Scanning Strategies

Comprehensive Vulnerability Scanning Strategies

Effective vulnerability scanning requires multiple scanning points throughout the image lifecycle. Build-time scanning catches vulnerabilities early, registry scanning protects stored images, and admission-time scanning prevents vulnerable deployments. This defense-in-depth approach ensures comprehensive coverage even if individual scanning points fail.

Vulnerability databases power scanning accuracy. The National Vulnerability Database (NVD), distribution-specific databases, and language-specific advisories provide vulnerability information. Scanners must stay updated with latest vulnerability data for effective detection. Some scanners aggregate multiple databases, providing broader coverage than single-source scanners.

# Trivy-Operator for continuous vulnerability scanning
apiVersion: v1
kind: ConfigMap
metadata:
  name: trivy-operator-config
  namespace: trivy-system
data:
  trivy.repository: "ghcr.io/aquasecurity/trivy"
  trivy.tag: "latest"
  trivy.mode: "Standalone"
  trivy.severity: "UNKNOWN,LOW,MEDIUM,HIGH,CRITICAL"
  trivy.ignoreUnfixed: "false"
  trivy.timeout: "5m"
  compliance.failEntriesLimit: "10"

---
# ClusterComplianceReport for CIS Kubernetes Benchmark
apiVersion: aquasecurity.github.io/v1alpha1
kind: ClusterComplianceReport
metadata:
  name: cis-kubernetes-benchmark
spec:
  compliance:
    id: cis-kubernetes
    title: "CIS Kubernetes Benchmark"
    version: "1.6.1"
  scanner:
    name: trivy
    version: "0.35.0"
  summary:
    passCount: 85
    failCount: 12

---
# Admission webhook for image scanning
apiVersion: admissionregistration.k8s.io/v1
kind: ValidatingWebhookConfiguration
metadata:
  name: image-security-webhook
webhooks:
- name: validate.image.security
  clientConfig:
    service:
      name: image-security-webhook
      namespace: security-system
      path: "/validate"
    caBundle: ${CA_BUNDLE}
  rules:
  - operations: ["CREATE", "UPDATE"]
    apiGroups: ["apps", "batch"]
    apiVersions: ["v1"]
    resources: ["deployments", "statefulsets", "daemonsets", "jobs"]
  admissionReviewVersions: ["v1", "v1beta1"]
  sideEffects: None
  failurePolicy: Fail
  namespaceSelector:
    matchLabels:
      image-security: enforced

Vulnerability prioritization helps teams focus on critical issues. CVSS scores provide standardized severity ratings, but organizations need additional context. Exploitability, whether fixes are available, and actual exposure in your environment affect real risk. Some vulnerabilities in unused code paths pose minimal risk, while others in exposed services require immediate attention.