Secrets Revealed in Container Images: An Internet-wide Study on Occurrence and Impact

2023/07/05 by Markus Dahlmanns, Constantin Sander, Robin Decker +2 · 2 voices · 4 citations
Computer Science · #Advanced Malware Detection Techniques #Security and Verification in Computing #Digital and Cyber Forensics

paper · pdf · doi:10.1145/3579856.3590329

Abstract

Containerization allows bundling applications and their dependencies into a single image. The containerization framework Docker eases the use of this concept and enables sharing images publicly, gaining high momentum. However, it can lead to users creating and sharing images that include private keys or API secrets—either by mistake or out of negligence. This leakage impairs the creator’s security and that of everyone using the image. Yet, the extent of this practice and how to counteract it remains unclear.

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• Extended Version: It Should Be Easy but... New Users Experiences and Challenges with Secret Management Tools
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Discussions

• Thousands of images on Docker Hub leak auth secrets, private keys [lemmy, 209 points, 41 comments]
• Cyber Security Today, July 17, 2023 – USB-based attacks rising, attacks on AWS increasing and more [lemmy, 4 points, 0 comments]

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