Kubernetes Security - Challenge and Opportunity

Presented at BalCCon2k22 - Loading (2022), Sept. 23, 2022, 2:30 p.m. (45 minutes).

For anyone in software development, there is no way around Kubernetes. Containerization has changed the way software is developed, deployed and operated. Microservices is the new paradigm. Many teams around the world discuss just now: What does containerization and Kubernetes mean to security and how to fit this technology into our existing architectures and processes?

In this talk we will dissect the various components of Kubernetes and explain how they work technically under the hood. We will discuss common pitfalls and how they could be exploited by attackers to compromise the whole cluster. There will be a demo of kernel exploits and their risks to container isolation mechanisms.

But not all is bad: With the right approach, Kubernetes environments can even lead to security improvements. This talk will provide the key principles for designing secure Kubernetes architectures.

For anyone in IT, there is no way around Kubernetes. Containerization has changed the way software is developed, deployed and operated. Microservices is the new paradigm. Many teams around the world discuss just now: What does containerization and Kubernetes mean to security and how to fit this technology into our existing architectures and processes?

In this talk we will dissect the various components of Kubernetes and explain how they work technically under the hood. We will discuss common pitfalls and how they could be exploited by attackers to compromise the whole cluster. There will be a demo of kernel exploits and their risks to container isolation mechanisms.

But not all is bad: With the right approach, Kubernetes environments can even lead to security improvements. This talk will provide the key principles for designing secure Kubernetes architectures.


Presenters:

  • Marc Nimmerrichter
    Marc has worked for many years as pentester and IT-security consultant and specialized in Kubernetes security years ago, at a time when Kubernetes security guides barely existed. Marc has performed Kubernetes security audits for clients in software development, telecommunications, health care and in the public sector and discovered previously unknown vulnerabilities in related products.

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