A Cyber-security defense method using Docker containers

Abstract

Cyber-security for Internet-connected applications has become a critical area of research. Applications are continually under attack and finding ways to better defend them is a critical concern. This thesis explores a newer type of moving target defense that seeks to thwart attackers by continuously moving the location of an application and resetting it to a safe state. The hopping mechanism relies on a newer development in cloud computing, isolation based on containers rather than virtual machines. Containers provide the advantage of fast starts with most of the isolation benefits of more heavyweight virtual machines. This paper explores the quality of service impact of a moving target container hopping defense and shows that container hopping is a viable security mechanism.