Attack Vectors on Container Environments and Protection Methods

Container environments have become a priority target for attackers, who use them as an intermediate platform to establish persistence within the system. Attackers aim either to escalate to the host operating system level or to gain control over infrastructure via the orchestration API.

The main attack vectors include secret compromise, privilege misconfigurations, API vulnerabilities, and supply chain attacks.

The research provides a detailed breakdown of containerization principles and current hacking methods. Special attention is paid to exploiting host system vulnerabilities and malicious activities conducted inside containers.

A key aspect is the analysis of container escapes using privileged modes. The specific capabilities provided by CAP_SYS_ADMIN, CAP_SYS_MODULE, CAP_SYS_PTRACE, and CAP_NET_ADMIN rights are examined.

Protection against such threats requires a multi-layered security system. It must include host protection, strict access control in the orchestrator, and minimization of container privileges.

Effective countermeasures require verifying components throughout the supply chain and monitoring orchestration API usage.

The full research breakdown is available at the link:

• Containerization Principles
• Current Attack Vectors
• Exploiting Host System Vulnerabilities
• Malicious Actions Inside Containers
• Container Escape: Privileged Containers, CAP_SYS_ADMIN, CAP_SYS_MODULE, CAP_SYS_PTRACE, CAP_NET_ADMIN
• Orchestration API Usage
• Supply Chain Attacks

Detailed research is available at https://securelist.ru/container-attack-vectors/115817/