I'm running a self-managed Talos cluster and I would love some guidance on the best practices for managing CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures). I'm using tools like Trivy, which frequently flags vulnerabilities, even in typically reliable applications such as Cilium and Velero. I understand that not all vulnerabilities are critical and there's a lot of context involved. While there are paid solutions that offer less vulnerable images, my team is small and budget-conscious.
As we're just two people working on proofs of concept, I want to know: aside from keeping our applications up to date regularly, what are some low-cost strategies to mitigate CVEs in Kubernetes tools like Longhorn, Velero, and Cilium? I apologize if this question seems naive; I'm relatively new to Kubernetes, yet I have a solid background in security. Any helpful advice would be much appreciated.
5 Answers
I suggest creating a list of the software that is publicly accessible. Monitor just those and ensure your firewall is tight, only allowing the necessary traffic. Choose a specific day each month to check for updates or vulnerabilities regarding those softwares. This way, you won’t stretch your limited resources too thin while still maintaining some level of security vigilance.
If you installed these tools via helm, you can easily upgrade them when new versions come out. Keeping things updated is a straightforward yet effective way to handle vulnerabilities.
Absolutely! Regular updates are key to minimizing CVEs. It's the most cost-effective strategy if you're working with limited resources.
Managing vulnerabilities is all about prioritization. Here are some tips:
1. Don't rely solely on CVSS scores; they're often noisy. Instead, use EPSS for prioritizing what to patch, aiming for a threshold like 0.2.
2. Focus on vulnerabilities that affect exposed services first. These should be your priority, especially since once proof of concepts for exploits hit GitHub, they become targets.
3. Understand that many vulnerabilities are context-specific. A package may have a vulnerable piece of code, but it might not be exploitable unless configured a certain way. Make a judgment call on whether to update or to investigate further.
4. Consider Chainguard for minimal base images with fewer vulnerabilities, but be aware they only host the latest versions for free. If you're developing containerized applications, going with distroless images can also help reduce vulnerabilities overall.
Design your setup to enable easy updates and make it a point to do them promptly. This approach is the most efficient use of your time.
Keep your system as minimal as possible, and always check to see that the components you’re adding are actively maintained. The fewer moving parts, the better your system stability!
Exactly! The simpler your setup, the less room there is for vulnerabilities to creep in. Always vet anything new that goes into your stack.