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WeAreDevelopers LIVE • Feb 3, 2021

A practical guide to writing secure Dockerfiles

Madhu Akula

Hardcoded credentials and bloated base images are quiet supply chain killers. Lock down your Dockerfiles using minimal images, secure credential mounting, and dynamic OPA policies.

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#1 about 5 min

Introduction to Docker and container deployment foundations

How Dockerfiles script the deployment environment to package scalable and portable applications.

#2 about 3 min

Understanding Dockerfile structure and cloud environment security risks

How hardcoded secrets and misconfigured instructions in Dockerfiles compromise entire cloud environments.

#3 about 5 min

Docker official best practices for container image architecture

Implementing minimal base images, build caching, and multistage structures to reduce container vulnerabilities.

#4 about 5 min

Applying tactical security configurations to Docker container layers

Applying specific package manager flags, non-root users, and absolute image tags to minimize runtime exploits.

#5 about 5 min

Passing credentials securely with Docker BuildKit ephemeral mounts

Mounting AWS credentials and SSH sockets securely during image builds without exposing them in container history.

#6 about 3 min

Automating security best practices with Dockerfile static linters

Utilizing static linting tools like Hadolint to automatically detect unoptimized patterns such as improper file insertions.

#7 about 3 min

Auditing container configurations against CIS benchmark security standards

Validating Docker images against CIS benchmarks to catch root user privileges and exposed environmental secrets.

#8 about 2 min

Minimizing image size and generating automated security profiles

Using DockerSlim to heavily shrink container images and automatically generate AppArmor or seccomp execution profiles.

#9 about 4 min

Inspecting internal image layers for container security forensics

Investigating suspicious changes and injected malicious files across individual container layers using the Dive utility.

#10 about 8 min

Implementing programmatic policy checks with Open Policy Agent

Using Conftest and the Rego language to programmatically test and enforce custom security safeguards on Dockerfiles.

#11 about 3 min

Enforcing custom organizational repository rules with Rego scripting

Preventing images from pulling from public registries by enforcing trusted internal software repository compliance checks.

#12 about 2 min

Integrating custom security checks into automated CI/CD workflows

Incorporating custom organizational policies and linting utilities natively into CI pipelines and Git pre-commit hooks.

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