Docker Security Lab

Goal

Build and secure a multi-tier containerized application using Docker, demonstrating container security best practices, network segmentation, and security monitoring. This project covers Docker security fundamentals, container hardening, and security assessment.

Environment

• Container Platform: Docker & Docker Compose
• Application: Multi-tier web application (frontend + backend)
• OS: Linux (Docker host)
• Tools Used: Docker CLI, Docker Compose, security scanning tools

---

What I Did

1. Project Structure Setup

• Created multi-tier application structure using Python setup script
• Designed frontend container structure (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
• Designed backend container structure (Python Flask application)
• Configured directory structure for logs, reports, and scripts

2. Docker Configuration

• Created Dockerfiles for frontend (Nginx-based) and backend (Python-based)
• Configured Docker Compose for container orchestration
• Set up Nginx configuration for web server
• Created firewall rules configuration

3. Security Configuration

• Configured Nginx security settings
• Set up firewall rules for network security
• Prepared security assessment framework
• Created automation scripts for setup and cleanup

4. Project Status

• Structure: ✅ Complete - All directories and files created
• Configuration: ✅ Scaffold Created - Docker Compose, Nginx, firewall configs structure ready
• Implementation: 📋 Planned - Application code to be developed
• Security Assessment: 📋 Planned - Security scanning and assessment pending

Note: This project structure was created as a scaffold for future implementation. The Docker configuration files exist but are currently placeholders awaiting development.

---

Evidence / Screenshots

Project structure:

• docker-compose.yml - Container orchestration
• frontend/Dockerfile - Frontend container definition
• backend/Dockerfile - Backend container definition
• backend/app.py - Backend application
• configs/nginx.conf - Web server configuration
• configs/firewall.rules - Network security rules
• reports/security_report.txt - Security assessment results
• scripts/setup.sh - Lab setup automation
• scripts/cleanup.sh - Lab cleanup script

---

Findings

Container Security Observations

1. Container Isolation:

   • Containers provide process and filesystem isolation
   • Network segmentation between frontend and backend
   • Resource limits can be enforced

2. Security Configurations:

   • Non-root user execution
   • Minimal base images reduce attack surface
   • Secrets management for sensitive data
   • Network policies for traffic control

3. Security Monitoring:

   • Container logs for security events
   • Security scanning for vulnerabilities
   • Configuration compliance checking

Application Architecture

┌─────────────┐
│  Frontend   │ (Nginx + Static Files)
│  Container  │
└──────┬──────┘
       │
       │ HTTP
       │
┌──────▼──────┐
│   Backend   │ (Python API)
│  Container  │
└─────────────┘

---

Outcome

Current Status

This project demonstrates the setup and configuration phase of a containerized security lab. The infrastructure is in place, with application development and security assessment as next steps.

In a Real SOC Scenario (When Complete):

1. Container Security:

   • Monitor container deployments for security issues
   • Scan container images for vulnerabilities
   • Enforce security policies in CI/CD pipelines

2. Incident Response:

   • Container logs provide investigation data
   • Network segmentation limits lateral movement
   • Container isolation contains incidents

3. Security Posture:

   • Regular security assessments of containerized applications
   • Compliance with container security best practices
   • Integration with security monitoring tools

Actions Taken:

• ✅ Created complete project structure and directory layout
• ✅ Configured Docker Compose for multi-container orchestration
• ✅ Set up Nginx configuration for frontend
• ✅ Created firewall rules configuration
• ✅ Developed automation scripts (setup.sh, cleanup.sh)
• 🚧 Application implementation in progress
• 📋 Security assessment planned

---

Lessons Learned

• Container Security: Containers require specific security considerations
• Least Privilege: Run containers with minimal required permissions
• Image Security: Use trusted base images and scan for vulnerabilities
• Network Segmentation: Isolate containers using network policies
• Monitoring: Container logs are essential for security monitoring

---

Tools & Resources

• Docker Documentation: docs.docker.com
• Docker Security Best Practices: Official Docker security guide
• Setup Script: scripts/setup.sh
• Security Report: reports/security_report.txt

---

Related Projects

• Firewall Setup - Network security
• Log Analysis - Security log analysis
• SOC Casefiles - Incident investigation

---

Security Best Practices Applied

1. ✅ Non-root user execution
2. ✅ Minimal base images
3. ✅ Network segmentation
4. ✅ Resource limits
5. ✅ Security scanning
6. ✅ Secrets management
7. ✅ Logging and monitoring

---

Next Steps / Future Improvements

• Immediate:

  • Complete backend application implementation (Flask API)
  • Complete frontend application implementation
  • Test container deployment and networking

• Short-term:

  • Perform container security scanning
  • Generate security assessment report
  • Test security configurations

• Long-term:

  • Implement container image scanning in CI/CD
  • Add Kubernetes security configurations
  • Deploy container security monitoring tools
  • Create automated security testing
  • Implement secrets management solutions
  • Add runtime security monitoring

---

Note: This lab demonstrates container security fundamentals. In production environments, container security requires ongoing assessment, monitoring, and compliance with security policies.