Lab 01 — Docker Security Assessment

Mission Information

Property	Value
Lab Name	Docker Security Assessment
Module	Module 06 — Container Security
Lab Number	Lab 01
Difficulty	Intermediate
Estimated Time	90–120 Minutes
Cloud Provider	Local Docker / AWS EC2 / Azure VM / GCP Compute Engine
Environment	Docker Engine
Prerequisites	Complete Lessons 01–10
Tools Used	Docker CLI, Docker Bench for Security, Trivy, Nmap, Linux CLI

Mission Brief

CloudNova Technologies has been hired by MedSecure Global to perform a security assessment of its enterprise Docker platform.

The customer operates Docker hosts supporting development, testing, CI/CD pipelines, and production workloads. Executive management wants assurance that Docker environments are securely configured and aligned with enterprise security standards.

You have been assigned as the Lead Cloud Penetration Tester responsible for evaluating Docker security, identifying weaknesses, assessing business risk, and recommending remediation actions.

Learning Objectives

By completing this lab you will learn how to:

Review Docker Engine security.
Assess Docker daemon configuration.
Evaluate container isolation.
Review Docker networking.
Assess Docker storage configuration.
Validate authentication and authorization.
Identify insecure Docker configurations.
Produce a professional assessment report.

Enterprise Scenario

During this engagement you will assess:

Docker Engine
Docker Daemon
Docker Images
Running Containers
Docker Networking
Docker Volumes
Docker Socket
Host Security

Lab Architecture

Cloud Penetration Tester

↓

Docker Host

├── Docker Engine
├── Docker Daemon
├── Images
├── Containers
├── Networks
├── Volumes

↓

Linux Operating System

↓

Assessment Report

Lab Tasks

Task 01 — Review Docker Installation

Verify:

Docker version
Host operating system
Installed components
Docker service status

Expected Outcome:

Understand the Docker environment before beginning the assessment.

Task 02 — Review Docker Daemon Configuration

Assess:

daemon.json
Remote API configuration
TLS configuration
Default runtime
Logging configuration

Expected Outcome:

Identify insecure daemon settings.

Task 03 — Review Running Containers

Evaluate:

Running containers
Privileged containers
Root containers
Mounted volumes
Host networking

Expected Outcome:

Identify workloads that violate enterprise security standards.

Task 04 — Assess Docker Images

Review:

Base images
Image age
Installed packages
Vulnerabilities
Image provenance

Expected Outcome:

Determine whether images follow enterprise security best practices.

Task 05 — Assess Docker Networking

Review:

Bridge networks
Host networking
Published ports
Container communication
Network isolation

Expected Outcome:

Evaluate network exposure and segmentation.

Task 06 — Review Docker Storage

Assess:

Docker volumes
Bind mounts
Host filesystem exposure
Sensitive directories
Persistent storage

Expected Outcome:

Identify storage-related security risks.

Task 07 — Review Docker Authentication

Evaluate:

Docker group membership
Administrative users
Docker socket permissions
Authentication controls

Expected Outcome:

Validate least privilege implementation.

Task 08 — Run Docker Bench for Security

Execute an enterprise Docker configuration assessment.

Review:

CIS Benchmark findings
Host configuration
Runtime configuration
Docker daemon settings

Expected Outcome:

Collect configuration findings aligned with CIS Docker Benchmark recommendations.

Task 09 — Document Security Findings

Categorize findings as:

Critical
High
Medium
Low
Informational

Prioritize remediation based on business impact.

Task 10 — Produce Executive Assessment Report

Prepare:

Executive Summary
Technical Findings
Risk Register
Remediation Recommendations
Security Scorecard

Expected Deliverables

At the end of this lab you should produce:

Docker Security Assessment Report
Configuration Review
Risk Register
Executive Summary
Remediation Plan
Evidence Screenshots

Success Criteria

You have successfully completed this lab when you can:

Explain Docker architecture.
Assess Docker Engine security.
Identify insecure configurations.
Review container runtime security.
Evaluate networking and storage.
Prioritize risks.
Produce professional consulting documentation.

Real-World Skills Gained

After completing this lab you will be able to perform tasks expected of:

Cloud Penetration Tester
Container Security Engineer
DevSecOps Security Engineer
Docker Security Consultant
Cloud Security Consultant
Enterprise Security Assessor

Lab Summary

In this lab, you performed an enterprise Docker security assessment using the GoHackersCloud Enterprise Container Security Assessment Framework.

You reviewed Docker Engine configuration, container runtime security, networking, storage, authentication, and host hardening before documenting technical findings and business risks in a professional consulting report.

Next Lab

➡️ Lab 02 — Container Image Analysis

In the next lab, you will assess enterprise container images by identifying vulnerable packages, reviewing image provenance, validating image signatures, generating Software Bills of Materials (SBOMs), and evaluating image security using enterprise assessment methodologies.