Skip to main content

Scan Images for Known Vulnerabilities

Updated Mar 11, 2022 ·

Vulnerability​

A vulnerability is a weakness in software, hardware, or network systems that attackers can exploit to breach security. Common sources of vulnerabilities include:

  • Human error
  • Design flaws
  • Configuration issues
  • Third-party components
  • Unpatched software
  • Zero-day vulnerabilities

For more information, please see Vulnerabilities.

CVE​

CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) is a system for identifying known vulnerabilities in software and hardware.

  • Provides unique vulnerability identifiers.
  • Helps prioritize and track security issues.

Identifier​

A CVE identifier has three parts:

  • CVE: Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures.
  • YEAR: The year the CVE was assigned or made public.
  • NUMBER: Unique number for the specific vulnerability.

Severity Rating​

CVE vulnerabilities are given severity ratings to indicate their impact and help prioritize fixes.

  • Assesses risk based on potential damage.
  • Helps organizations focus on critical vulnerabilities first.

Common Vulnerability Scoring System​

The Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) assigns scores to CVEs based on their severity. It includes the following components:

  • Base Score:

    • Based on impact, exploitability, and complexity.
    • Reflects the severity of a vulnerability.
    • Helps prioritize vulnerabilities based on risk.

  • Vector String:

    • Summarizes metrics used to calculate the Base Score.
    • Factors: confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
    • Concise view of the vulnerability's characteristics.

CVE Scanners​

CVE scanners for containers detect vulnerabilities in the execution environment, including applications inside containers. More packages usually mean more potential vulnerabilities.

Some popular CVE scanning tools for containers and Kubernetes:

  1. Trivy

    • Open-source scanner for containers and OS packages.
    • Supports multiple formats.
    • Integrates with CI/CD pipelines.
    • GitHub: aquasecurity/trivy

  2. Clair

    • Open-source scanner for container vulnerabilities.
    • Integrates with container registries.
    • Provides detailed reports.
    • GitHub: quay/clair

  3. Kube-bench

    • Scans configurations against CIS security benchmarks.
    • Checks for security configurations and vulnerabilities.
    • GitHub: aquasecurity/kube-bench

  4. Kube-hunter

    • Actively scans Kubernetes clusters for vulnerabilities.
    • Identifies potential attack vectors.
    • GitHub: aquasecurity/kube-hunter

  5. Kubeaudit

    • Scans Kubernetes manifests for issues and best practices.
    • Focuses on misconfigurations.
    • GitHub: kubeaudit/kubeaudit

  6. Tranchess

    • Scans containers for vulnerabilities
    • Checks misconfigurations and license compliance.
    • Provides security posture insights.
    • GitHub: tranchess/tranchess

  7. Kritis

    • Policy engine for Kubernetes
    • Enforces container image signing.
    • Ensures only signed images are deployed.
    • GitHub: kritis-compliance/kritis

  8. Gatekeeper (OPA Gatekeeper)

Make sure to integrate these tools into your CI/CD pipeline or regular security scans.

Trivy​

Trivy is a comprehensive security scanner that detects vulnerabilities across various targets and identifies security issues.

Targets (what Trivy can scan):

  • Container Image
  • Filesystem
  • Git Repository (remote)
  • Virtual Machine Image
  • Kubernetes
  • AWS

Scanners (what Trivy can find there):

  • OS packages and software dependencies in use (SBOM)
  • Known vulnerabilities (CVEs)
  • IaC issues and misconfigurations
  • Sensitive information and secrets
  • Software licenses

To use Trivy to scan an image:

trivy image <image-name>

We can pass other flags to filter the severities:

trivy image --severity CRITICAL nginx:1.18.0 
trivy image --severity CRITICAL,HIGH nginx:1.18.0
trivy image --ignore-unfixed nginx:1.18.0

We can also scan images that are in archive format:

docker save nginx:1.18.0 > nginx.tar 
trivy image --input archive.tar

For more information, please see the official Trivy Github repository.

Best Practices​

To ensure container security, follow these best practices:

  • Rescan images regularly
  • Integrate with Kubernetes Admission Controllers
  • Use a repository with pre-scanned images
  • Include scanning in your CI/CD pipeline