Buyer’s Guide on Kubernetes Security

The transition from on-premise systems to cloud native opens up new possibilities – and risks. As Kubernetes allows for many resources to be created in a single cluster, that also creates potential attack vectors.

Securing your next-generation Kubernetes environment requires next-generation protection. Read our buyer’s guide to better understand what components your Kubernetes security solution needs – or read on for an overview.

Kubernetes Security Risks

Securing a Kubernetes-based application requires thoughtful consideration of both internal and external factors. Every component has different requirements and limitations for communication, all of which present security risks. Carefully controlling data flow is critical from both a business and legal perspective.

Traditional security efforts, however, would negate the efficiency and cost benefits of using cloud native applications.

A high-quality Kubernetes security solution will address issues today around securing cloud native applications, but also provide the flexibility for the future.

Kubernetes Security Solutions

Our buyer’s guide compares the most popular Kubernetes security tools. We looked at how services communicate within them, what industry and governmental regulations are incorporated for data storage/sharing, and whether the tool can be adapted in this ever-changing environment. The tools included in the guide are:

• Anthos Service Mesh (Google)
• Kong Mesh (Kong)
• OpenShift Service Mesh (Red Hat)
• Tanzu Service Mesh (VMware)
• Gloo Platform (Solo)

Other Considerations

Getting the right tool for your Kubernetes security extends beyond ease of use and how it’s built. Also consider a solution that offers:

• Defense in depth: This approach applies many layers of security measures to safeguard against the failure or compromise of any single part and mitigates the risk of breaches as a result of misconfiguration.
• Zero trust security: All traffic and every connection, regardless of origin, must be validated and secured.
• Simplicity: The process of locking down Kubernetes-based applications should be as simple and as automatic as possible, preferably using a policy-based approach.
• Flexibility: While data should be secure, it also needs to be accessible. Secure programmatic access should be available through RESTful APIs and GraphQL, integrated with data loss prevention (DLP) and web application firewall (WAF) components, and supportive of single and multi-cluster applications.
• Integrations: The best solutions will automatically discover services like secrets management and internal certificate signing systems and leverage them as needed to accelerate an application’s time to market in a safe and scalable manner.

Want to know which Kubernetes security solution incorporates all of these considerations – and uses the best service mesh and API gateway technologies? Download our buyer’s guide today.