Container Security

Container security protects containerized workloads across development, deployment and runtime. It combines container vulnerability scanning, access control, runtime threat detection and cloud infrastructure visibility to reduce risk in Kubernetes and other container environments.

Modern container security integrates with CI/CD pipelines and cloud-native tooling. It identifies risky configurations in Dockerfiles or Helm charts, monitors workloads for unexpected behavior and links those issues to identity or network exposure.

The goal is to prevent cyber risks from reaching production in the first place.

Containers are core to cloud-native architectures. They scale fast, deploy automatically and often run from shared images.

But without security controls, they can introduce misconfigurations, secrets exposure and runtime vulnerabilities.

CWPP solutions are essential for cloud-native workloads that spin up quickly or operate in ephemeral environments, where traditional scanners fall short.

For instance, Tenable's recent research, including insights from the 2025 Cloud Security Risk Report, highlights the ongoing challenge of securing complex cloud workloads, including containerized environments, which frequently present misconfigurations and vulnerabilities that demand continuous runtime visibility.

This underscores the persistent challenge of securing dynamic container environments and the critical need for continuous runtime visibility.

Attackers look for weak links like:

• Exposed ports or admin consoles in containers
• Containers running with root privileges
• Secrets hardcoded into container images
• Insecure base images downloaded from public registries

If these containers connect to over-permissioned identities or sensitive data, they can become high-impact attack paths.

Containers don’t live in isolation. They run on shared infrastructure, communicate over APIs and interact with data and identities. That creates compound risks that go beyond individual flaws.

Common risks include:

• Containers deployed with vulnerable or outdated images
• Misconfigured Kubernetes role bindings granting cluster-admin access
• Sidecar containers exposing secrets or environment variables
• Privileged containers escaping sandbox boundaries
• Workloads exposed to the internet via misconfigured Ingress or LoadBalancer settings

These risks scale quickly in dynamic cloud environments. That’s why container security must span build time, deploy time and runtime.

Container security includes tools and processes that monitor containers through their entire lifecycle.

Key components include:

• Image scanning to check container images for vulnerabilities, exposed secrets and compliance violations before they’re deployed.
• CI/CD integration to enforce policies in pipelines using tools like GitHub Actions, GitLab CI or Jenkins. Block builds that violate security rules.
• Runtime container protection to detect anomalies like unexpected file access, reverse shells or privilege escalation during execution.
• Identity linkage to map containers to service accounts, roles and entitlements to detect toxic combinations or excessive permissions.
• Exposure management to show containers connections from the internet or sensitive assets.

Platforms like Tenable combine these features into a CNAPP or CWPP for full context across containers, identities and cloud services.

Container security focuses on the containerized unit: its image, runtime behavior and orchestrator configuration.

Cloud workload protection platforms (CWPPs), by contrast, secure all workloads: containers, virtual machines and serverless functions.

Here’s how they differ:

• Container security tools specialize in Docker/Kubernetes visibility.
• CWPPs provide broader protection across multiple workload types.
• CNAPPs unify CWPP with CSPM, CIEM and DSPM to show how container risks relate to identity or data exposure.

In short, container security is a critical component of workload protection. But without broader context, it can miss attack paths that span services.

Kubernetes introduces new cloud security risks because of its architecture. Each cluster has nodes, pods, service accounts and network policies that you must secure.

Best practices include:

• Avoid running containers as root or with privileged access
• Use role-based access control (RBAC) to scope permissions tightly
• Isolate containerized workloads in namespaces with network policies
• Scan Helm charts and manifests for risky configurations
• Monitor API server logs and audit events for abnormal access

Security teams should adopt Kubernetes security posture management (KSPM) tools that continuously assess cluster configurations and map risks to runtime workloads.

To scale container security, look for platforms that integrate security into both developer workflows and cloud runtime environments. That’s where CWPPs and CNAPPs deliver value.

Key capabilities to look for:

• CI/CD pipeline integration for image scanning and policy enforcement
• Runtime anomaly detection tied to workload identity
• Exposure graphs that connect container flaws to internet access or sensitive data
• Policy-as-code support for Kubernetes and cloud infrastructure

The Tenable CNAPP includes CWPP, CIEM, CSPM and DSPM in one unified platform to help your teams secure containers in context.

What are the most common container security risks?

The biggest container security risks include vulnerable base images, exposed secrets, privileged containers and misconfigured Kubernetes RBAC or network policies.

How do you secure containers in Kubernetes?

Use RBAC to scope permissions, isolate workloads with namespaces and policies, scan images pre-deploy and monitor API activity. A KSPM tool helps maintain posture over time.

What’s the difference between container security and CWPP?

Container security is focused on containers only. CWPP covers containers, virtual machines and other workloads for runtime protection, identity integration and exposure-aware risk scoring.

Which tools are good for container security?

Common tools include image scanners, Kubernetes admission controllers, runtime monitoring agents and CI/CD policy engines. CNAPP platforms combine these into one solution.

Why is runtime protection important?

Containers can behave differently in production than expected. Runtime protection detects threats like reverse shells or unexpected privilege use after deployment.

What role does CIEM play in container security?

CIEM tools map container workloads to identities. That helps detect when a low-risk container connects to sensitive data via a high-permission service account.

To learn more about how Tenable can help secure containers, check out our container security solution.