1. Container threats

Containers have become the darling of the enterprise–they make it possible for businesses to deploy microservices and applications at an unheard of rate and scale–but with that popularity comes the threat of attack. One of the most obvious points of entry is the container image. There was a significant rise in security issues within container images in 2019.

Many developers are removing unofficial images from official repositories, which illustrates that the initial point of entry needs serious vetting and security. Considering how many containers are deployed from vulnerable images (until the likes of GitHub figured out how to better secure the images housed on the platform) containers continue to include a level of risk many businesses aren’t willing to take.

The lesson? If you’re serious about your container security, use only official images or build your own.

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2. The rise of Kubernetes tools

Tools like Harbor, Clair, Istio, and Grafeas have been cast into the spotlight to bring some much-needed security to the Kubernetes landscape. Although some of these tools have been around a while, it wasn’t until 2019 they received the attention they deserved. If this year was any indicator, look for these tools to become even more popular, and I expect more new security platforms will join the fray.

Kubernetes will remain at the top of the enterprise heap and will be the target of more attacks. Security tools will be at a premium in 2020–you can count on that.

3. Continued threat of Android malware

According to IDC, global Android market share rose to 87% in 2019. With over 2.5 billion active Android devices, logic dictates that it is the biggest target for attacks, and logic is correct. Attacks like xHelper and Joker, as well as the adware attacks found in Google Play Store apps, prove that Android has a way to go before it can claim to be a fully secure platform.

Fortunately, Google is always working to harden the operating system; only recently, it announced that it is looking into moving toward the Linux mainline kernel. If that happens, the Android kernel could be updated in a timely fashion, giving it a much-needed security boost.