Container supply chain attacks are rising faster and more sophisticated.
Briefing about the cyber-attacks and cybercriminals
Cyber-attacks are launched by computer criminals using their computers to sophisticate an organization’s operations, carried out by computer networks. According to the reports from Aqua Security, cyber-attacks against container infrastructure and supply chains are growing faster since the attackers are finding new ways to corrupt the security systems of an organization. The reports from Aqua- Security have also revealed that attackers manage to exploit half of their new targets in less than an hour.
Cybercriminals have adapted to the new methods to attack cloud-native environments due to the advancement of technology. The methods frequently implemented by cybercriminals include malware injection and side-channel attack, which involves adding a virus to the target machine and co-residing the virtual machine to the victim machine, respectively.
Unfortunately, they target the cryptographic implementation in the target machine. Researchers also revealed that after the auto-build process of code warehouses, archives, and incorporation of service providers, battles against supply chains are rampant.
Crypto-currency mining is the major interest for many hackers and attackers as revealed by the Aqua-Security reports. In that scenario, cybercriminals use the side channel and malware injection methods to create backdoors that would enable them to steal credentials to exploit an organization’s processes. The Aqua-Security can use the Dynamic Threat Analysis tool to analyze attacks that may take place within six months. It is supported by Tracee, which is an open-source project.
Cloud computing vulnerability
According to the report, hackers are intensifying methods to better masquerade their attack techniques from being exposed. As a result, they have gone after both the software supply chain and the infrastructure rendering the cloud-native applications vulnerable. About one-third of companies worldwide are utilizing cloud computing currently, which can easily be accessed via the internet, making cloud security more vulnerable.
Ultimately, attackers have enhanced their hacking skills by hiding their IP addresses to prevent cloud computing security experts from finding them. It has become an endless game such that when security experts tighten the cloud computing security, hackers are busy finding new ways to penetrate computer systems.
How hackers manage to control the entire computer system
Morag said that about two to three years ago, the researchers frequently identified attacks to mining cryptocurrency. Now the techniques of attack have been improved by hackers to be used as leverage. Attackers first ensure that they gain access to the cloud computing environment which will be used as a loophole to get full control over the entire environment of the victim’s network. Once they take full control of the system, it easy for them to carry out all the operations that could be done by the system administrator.
Because containers operate as secluded processes on the host computer, they are more vulnerable since hackers can manage to affect other processes on the host once they manage to break into the system’s container.
Attackers can also hide malware such as Trojan horse into the container images, which can be shared through the Docker-Hub public register to give them other privileges to control the entire system. The computer security expert must employ both the proactive and the reactive security approaches to prevent the attack.