Container-Aware Vulnerability Scanner Service
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing scanning techniques for detecting vulnerabilities in computing systems are not aware of container management services, leading to inefficient attribution of vulnerabilities to nodes rather than specific containers.
Innovation Solution
A scanner service aware of a container management service identifies and scans managed containers for vulnerabilities, attributing findings to specific containers and avoiding redundant scans of containers with the same identifier.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If existing scanning techniques are used to detect vulnerabilities in computing nodes, then vulnerabilities can be detected, but vulnerabilities are incorrectly attributed to nodes rather than specific containers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces container identifiers as an intermediary element between the scanning service and the containerized processes. The scanner service obtains container identifiers from the container management service, uses these identifiers to attribute vulnerabilities precisely to specific containers, and the container management service maintains the mapping between identifiers and actual container instances. This intermediary mechanism resolves the contradiction by enabling precise vulnerability attribution without losing container identification information.
2Reliability
If all managed containers are scanned for vulnerabilities, then comprehensive vulnerability detection is achieved, but redundant scans of containers with the same identifier increase resource consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the scanner service check whether a container identifier has been previously scanned before performing a vulnerability scan. The system maintains a record of scanned container identifiers and compares incoming scan requests against this record. If a container with the same identifier has already been scanned, the system skips the redundant scan. This preliminary check ensures comprehensive vulnerability detection while preventing wasteful re-scanning, thus resolving the contradiction between detection completeness and scanning efficiency.
3Measurement precision
If container-aware scanning is implemented, then precise vulnerability attribution to containers is achieved, but system complexity increases due to integration with container management service
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing the container management service to perform multiple functions: it not only manages the lifecycle of managed containers but also provides container identifier information to the scanner service and maintains records of container scanning status. By making the container management service multi-functional, the system achieves precise vulnerability attribution without requiring separate dedicated components for each function, thus reducing overall system complexity while maintaining precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A scanner service can be configured to scan one or more nodes associated with a container management service. The container management service can be configured to manage a set of services by allocating managed containers associated with the set of services to the one or more nodes. The scanner service can be configured to identify vulnerabilities of processes running on the one or more nodes. The vulnerabilities can be attributed to the containers and/or the associated services rather than to the nodes. The scanner service is aware of the container management service and communicates vulnerabilities of associated containers.