Airtight Kubernetes Security Policy

FEATURE

CHECK POINT

AIRTIGHT KUBERNETES SECURITY POLICY

Written by: Saad Nizam, Cloud Security Architect at Check Point Software Technologies, Middle East

Kubernetes gives developers a lot of power in terms of automating the deployment, management, scalability, and availability of containerized apps. According to data from 2021, the industry's preferred container orchestration engine is now used by over 5.6 million developers.

Kubernetes and containerization, on the other hand, present additional complexities that pose new security challenges. Security remains the top concern in container strategy, according to Red Hat's 2021 State of Kubernetes Security study, with 94 percent of respondents reporting at least one security incident in their Kubernetes settings in the previous 12 months.

It's vital to employ Kubernetes within the framework of an appropriate security strategy to retain the agility obtained by containerized development and to ensure security issues don't creep into production environments. But how would such a policy be implemented? Read on to get four top tips for ensuring airtight Kubernetes security.

WHAT ARE KUBERNETES’ MOST COMMON SECURITY CONCERNS?

Returning to the Red Hat report mentioned earlier, real-world data sheds light on the most prevalent security risks with Kubernetes. The four most prominent security issues with Kubernetes environments mentioned by DevOps, engineering, and security experts were:

Saad Nizam

Cloud Security Architect, Check Point

Detected misconfiguration:

The declarative nature of container orchestration lends to significant misconfiguration risks that opportunistic threat actors could exploit. These risks may increase the attack surface for your cloudnative applications or even expose sensitive data.

Security incident during

runtime: The second most prominent concern makes sense given that many of the misconfiguration errors in the build phase will only become evident during runtime after containers have been deployed.

Major vulnerability to

remediate: Major vulnerabilities are severe flaws that could lead to the worst business outcomes, such as data loss/breach or extended application downtime.

Failed audit: An audit of Kubernetes logs can uncover compliance issues in your container ecosystems.

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT KUBERNETES SECURITY

The first reason to be concerned about Kubernetes security is that it directly influences your work as a developer. When security concerns start interfering with build and deployment procedures, the agility promised by container orchestration soon diminishes.

BCG APPOINTS PABLO MARTINEZ TO HEAD THE MIDDLE EAST REGION

Amana Capital, one of the trading specialists in the MENA region, has announced two new appointments to its product leadership team aiming bring better user experience to customers in line with the company’s digital transformation. The firm has named Matt Carstens as the new Director of Product Experience and Justin Biebel as Director of Product Implementation. Matt Carstens will lead the Amana app’s product functions and design, making sure the app is easy to use and includes innovative tools compelling to customers. He brings to Amana over two decades of crossindustry expertise, grounded in an entrepreneurial and commercial track record. Matt Carstens has acted in advisory and consultancy roles for Gain Capital, ThinkForex, UrbanStat, Ninja Trader, and Finalto.

Justin Biebel will oversee backend and infrastructure development for Amana’s digital offerings as Director of Product Implementation. Justin holds a background in risk management, market-making, and product development with a unique expertise in multi-

Pablo Martinez

Firm’s Head, ME Region

asset derivatives. He began his trading career as an independent market maker at CBOE in 1999 and has since held roles as an FX options trader, quantitative product developer, portfolio manager.

Metaverse: Bedu appoints Alexis Christodoulou as Vice-President of Creative Design for2117

Bedu, a Dubai-based of Metaverse solution provider, has announced the appointment of renowned digital artist Alexis Christodoulou as creative lead on the company’s pioneering Metaverse project, “2117”.

“I work from a desire to see fantastic spaces come to life that echo a modern, clean aesthetic,” Christodoulou said. “Bedu is out in front in the Metaverse race, and I can’t wait to join the expedition to the Web frontier. Through the 2117 project, we have an opportunity to write the next chapter in humankind’s digital saga.”

As a self-taught 3D artist, Christodoulou has spent the past 12 years building a collection of works focused on imaginary

Alexis Christodoulou

VP, Creative Design, Bedu architecture. Christodoulou’s explorations have drawn the attention of brands around the world and his works regularly sell out on prestigious NFT platforms. In 2021, he opened a studio in Amsterdam, Netherlands, under the name Color C Design Studio, and he has been featured in prestigious design-focused publications such as Wallpaper, Ignant, Dezeen, Nowness, and Architectural Digest.

Matti Zinder, Co-Founder and President of Bedu said, “we were struck by the hopeful aesthetic of Alexis’ architectural forms, such as his gardens and landscapes, and we cannot wait to see his endless creativity unleashed on our 2117 project.