NISTIR 8176 Security Assurance Requirements for Linux Application Container Deployments R amaswamy Chandramouli T his publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8176 NISTIR 8176 Security Assurance Requirements for Linux Application Container Deployments Ram aswamy Chandramouli Computer Security Division Information Technology Laboratory Thi s publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.IR.8176 Oc tober 2017 U.S. Dep artment of Commerce Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., Secretary Na tional Institute of Standards and Technology Walter Copan , NIST Director and Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology NISTIR 8176 SECURITY ASSURANCE FOR LINUX CONTAINERS i This p ublication is available free of charge from: http s://doi.org/10.6028/ NIST.IR.8176 National Institute of Standards and Technology Internal Report 8176 37 pages (October 2017 ) T his publication is available free of charge from: https://doi.org/10.6028/ NIST.IR.8176 Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this document in order to describe an experimental procedure or concept adequately. Such identification is not intended to i mply recommendation or endorsement by NIST, nor is it intended to imply that the entities, materials, or equipment are necessarily the best available for the purpose. There may be references in this publication to other publications currently under development by NIST in accordance with its assigned statutory responsibilities. The information in this publication, including concepts and methodologies, may be used by f ederal agencies even before the completion of such companion publications. Thus, until each publication is completed, current requirements, guideline s, and procedures, where they exist, remain operative. For planning and transition purposes, f ederal agencies may wish to closely follow the development of these new publications by NIST. Organiza tions are encouraged to review all draft publications during public comment periods and provide feedback to NIST. Many NIST cybersecurity publications , ot her than the ones noted above, are available at https://csrc.nist.gov/publications . C omments on this publication may be submitted to: National Institute of Standards and Technology Attn: Computer Security Division, Information Technology Laboratory 100 Bureau Drive (Mail Stop 8930) Gaithersburg, MD 20899 -8930 Email: NISTIR8176@nist.gov All comments are subject to release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). NISTIR 8176 SECURITY ASSURANCE FOR LINUX CONTAINERS ii This p ublication is available free of charge from: http s://doi.org/10.6028/ NIST.IR.8176 Reports on Computer Systems Technology The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) promotes the U.S. economy and public welfare by providing technical leadership for the Nation’s measurement and standards infrastructure. ITL develops tests, test methods, reference data, proof-of- concept implementations, and technical analyses to advance the development and productive use of information technology. ITL’s responsibilities include the development of management, administrative, technical, and physical standards and guidelines for the cost -effective security and privacy of other than national s ecurity -related information in f ederal informa tion systems. Abstract Application Containers are slowly finding adoption in enterprise IT infrastructures. Security guidelines and countermeasures have been proposed to address security concerns associated with the deployment of application container platforms. To assess the effectiveness of the security solutions implemented based on these recommendations , it is necessary to analyze those solutions and outline the security assurance requirements they must satisfy to meet their intended objective