🎯 Goal
Secure containerized applications from development to production. Understand Docker, Kubernetes, and the tools and practices needed to prevent misconfigurations, detect runtime threats, and respond to incidents in container-native environments.
🔑 Key Skills to Learn
- Docker Fundamentals: Images, containers, registries, Dockerfiles, layer caching, multi-stage builds.
- Container Image Security: Scanning for vulnerabilities, minimizing attack surface (distroless, Alpine), signing images (Cosign/Notary).
- Kubernetes (K8s) Architecture: Pods, Services, Deployments, Nodes, Control Plane (API Server, etcd, controller manager, scheduler).
- Kubernetes RBAC & Authentication: ServiceAccounts, Roles, ClusterRoles, RoleBindings, OIDC.
- Pod Security: Pod Security Standards (Privileged, Baseline, Restricted), SecurityContext, capabilities, seccomp, AppArmor profiles.
- Network Policies: Micro-segmentation, ingress/egress rules, CNI plugins (Calico, Cilium).
- Secrets Management: Kubernetes Secrets, External Secrets Operator, Vault integration.
- Supply Chain Security: CI/CD pipeline hardening, admission controllers (OPA/Gatekeeper, Kyverno), software bill of materials (SBOM).
- Runtime Security: Behavioral monitoring (Falco), immutable containers, eBPF-based observability.
- Kubernetes Hardening: CIS Kubernetes Benchmark, kubelet security, etcd encryption, audit logging.
🛠️ Essential Tools & Technologies
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Trivy | Vulnerability scanner for containers, filesystems, and Git repos. |
| Docker Bench Security | Checks Docker host configuration against CIS benchmark. |
| kube-bench | CIS Kubernetes benchmark scanner. |
| Falco | CNCF runtime security project, detects anomalous activity via syscalls and K8s audit events. |
| Kyverno / OPA Gatekeeper | Policy engines for admission control (validate, mutate, generate). |
| kubectl | Kubernetes command-line tool for cluster interaction. |
| kubescape | Kubernetes security posture management (scanning, compliance, RBAC visualization). |
| K9s | Terminal-based UI for managing and monitoring K8s clusters. |
| Cosign | Container signing, verification, and storage in OCI registry. |
| Snyk / Anchor (free tiers) | Image vulnerability scanning and dependency analysis. |
📖 Free Learning Resources
- Kubernetes Basics (Official Documentation) – Interactive tutorials for absolute beginners. Link
- Docker Official “Get Started” Guide – Learn Docker fundamentals. Link
- Play with Kubernetes (PWK) – Free, in-browser Kubernetes cluster for learning (4-hour sessions). Link
- KubeAcademy (VMware) – Free, bite-sized video courses on K8s fundamentals. Link
- Linux Foundation: Introduction to Kubernetes Security (LFS460) – Free audit on edX. Link
- Kubernetes Security Best Practices (CNCF) – Free whitepaper and checklist. Link
- Falco Documentation & Try Falco – Interactive training environment. Link
- Secure Kubernetes (YouTube – Kubesimplify) – Practical walkthroughs and tutorials. Link
🔗 Roadmap Placement
- Prerequisites: Cloud Security fundamentals (AWS/Azure/GCP concepts, IAM, networking), Linux, and basic command-line container usage.
- Directly Enables: DevSecOps, Cloud-Native Security Engineer, Platform Security roles, and advanced Kubernetes penetration testing.