Securing modern cloud-native environments built on containers requires moving beyond traditional perimeter defenses. True security hinges on gaining deep visibility into the kernel, where container activity ultimately executes. This is where technologies offering kernel insights become indispensable.
At the forefront of this shift is eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter), a powerful framework allowing programs to run safely within the Linux kernel. eBPF provides unprecedented capabilities for observing, debugging, and securing systems without modifying kernel code or loading modules. It enables fine-grained tracing of system calls, network events, process execution, and much more.
Leveraging the power of eBPF, tools like Cilium offer advanced network security and policy enforcement for containers. Cilium uses eBPF to provide identity-based security policies at the kernel level, ensuring microsegmentation and enforcing communication rules efficiently.
Complementing network security, tools such as Tetragon provide crucial runtime security observability and enforcement. Tetragon, also powered by eBPF, offers deep visibility into runtime security events like process execution, file access, and network connections directly from the kernel. This enables granular monitoring and rule-based enforcement to detect and prevent suspicious activities within containers in real-time.
Before deployment, understanding the components within your containers is vital. SBOMs (Software Bill of Materials) provide a comprehensive list of all software components, libraries, and dependencies. Generating and analyzing SBOMs is critical for identifying known vulnerabilities in the supply chain before code runs in production, significantly reducing the attack surface.
Combining the proactive vulnerability management provided by SBOMs with the powerful runtime visibility, policy enforcement, and threat detection capabilities offered by eBPF-based tools like Cilium and Tetragon creates a robust and multi-layered container security posture. This approach ensures security is deeply integrated into the cloud-native stack, providing the necessary kernel insights to protect against sophisticated threats. By adopting these advanced strategies, organizations can significantly enhance their container security and gain confidence in their cloud-native deployments.
Source: https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2025/06/18/ebpf-cilium-tetragon-sboms-security/
