Threat Management

This page explains how to manage threats using Mitigation Rules in Prevasio.

Mitigation Rules are used by the CI pipeline in GitHub and the CD pipeline in AWS ECR (Elastic Container Registry) and Azure Container Registry (CR) to determine if container images should be flagged as high-risk.

By scanning container images both statically and dynamically, Prevasio ensures comprehensive coverage against a wide range of security threats. Prevasio detonates the containers to analyze their behavior dynamically across different behavioral characteristics like IP addresses, Domains, Countries and Open Ports. Static scanning includes the detection of any malware and vulnerabilities within images.

Prevasio classifies rules into six different classes of artifact types.

  1. IP Addresses
  2. Domains

  3. Countries

  4. Open Ports

  5. CVEs

  6. Malware names

The built-in default lists of Mitigation Rules Prevasio uses are collected from a number of sources including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), US government databases, the OECD, other public websites, and the ClamAV engine, updated daily.

The default values of the artifact rules include the artifact item and its risk severity level. You can define the minimum risk-level Prevasio will use to block pull requests (in the CI pipeline in GitHub) and to lock repositories (in the CD pipeline). For example, when the minimum risk-level is set to high in CI/CD Container Security, an IP address defined as medium-level risk in Mitigation Rules will not be blocked in a GitHub pull request. However, if the minimum risk-level is set to medium in CI/CD Container Security, an IP address that is defined as a medium-level risk in Mitigation Rules will be blocked in a GitHub pull request.

You can adjust default individual mitigation rules to meet your specific use case by maintaining a Custom Blocklist to extend the existing Default (Block)lists or by using a Default Allowlist to override definitions in the Default (Block)lists.

Accessing Mitigation Rules

To access the list of mitigation rules for each artifact type:

Do the following:

  1. Click on Mitigation Rules in the left menu. The list of artifacts opens.

  2. Choose an artifact from the menu to open its page.

Below is a technical rundown of the six categories of artifacts that Prevasio monitors. The first four artifacts are dynamic and the last two are static:

IP Addresses

The following details IP address rules management, including how Prevasio identifies and responds to IP address-related threats in CI/CD environments.

Details

Description

Scanning Action

Prevasio scans for attempts to connect to high-risk remote IPs.*

Analysis type

Dynamic

CI Blocking Mechanism

If a container attempts to connect to a high-risk IP address, Prevasio will block the GitHub pull request before that container is deployed into the production environment.

CD Protection Strategy

Prevasio scans containers pushed to AWS ECR and will block those with high-risk characteristics, to prevent them from entering the production environment.

Default Blocklist

Prevasio generates a fresh list daily of almost 30,000 high-risk IP addresses across more than 100 categories known to be associated with malicious activities.

Severities

  • Critical

  • High

  • Medium

  • Low

  • Informational

Custom Blocklist

Customers can extend the Default Blocklist by adding specific IP addresses (or the CIDR notation of that IP address) they wish to block.

Custom Allowlist

Customers can allow IP addresses (or the CIDR notation of that IP address), preventing these from being flagged by Prevasio as high-risk.

* Prevasio will block pull requests (in the CI pipeline in GitHub) and to lock repositories (in the CD pipeline) based on user-defined minimum risk-levels.

Domains

The following details domains rules management, including Prevasio identifies and responds to domain-related threats in CI/CD environments.

Details Description
Scanning Action Prevasio scans and analyzes if traffic is directed to known high-risk domains*.
Analysis type Dynamic
CI Blocking Mechanism When a container connects to a high-risk domain, Prevasio blocks the related GitHub pull request to prevent deployment to production.
CD Protection Strategy Containers pushed to AWS ECR are scanned for domain risks, and those with connections to high-risk domains can be blocked by Prevasio to prevent it from entering the production environment.
Default Blocklist Prevasio compiles a fresh list daily of over half a million high-risk domains across more than 2000 categories.
Severities

Domains are categorized by risk level, with a vast array of categories to cover the spectrum of internet-based threats.

  • Critical

  • High

  • Medium

  • Low

  • Informational

Custom Blocklist You can personalize the Default Blocklist by adding domains you specifically want to block.
Custom Allowlist You can create exceptions by adding domains to the Custom Allowlist, preventing those domains from being flagged as high-risk.

* Prevasio will block pull requests (in the CI pipeline in GitHub) and to lock repositories (in the CD pipeline) based on user-defined minimum risk-levels.

Open Ports

The following details Open Ports rules management, including Prevasio identifies and responds to Open Ports-related threats in CI/CD environments.

Details Description
Scanning Action Prevasio checks for open ports that could expose vulnerabilities.*
Analysis type Dynamic
Database Source  
CI Blocking Mechanism If a container has high-risk ports open, Prevasio will block the associated GitHub pull request to prevent CI deployment.
CD Protection Strategy If high-risk open ports are detected, Prevasio will block the container's delivery to AWS ECR to prevent it from entering the production environment.
Default Blocklist Prevasio maintains a list of high-risk ports known to introduce vulnerabilities within containers. Updated daily.
Severities

Ports in the Default Blocklist are considered critical vulnerabilities that require immediate attention and are blocked to protect the container's security.

  • Critical

  • High

  • Medium

  • Low

  • Informational

Custom Blocklist Users can add to the Default Blocklist by specifying additional ports they want to block based on their security policies or risk assessments.
Custom Allowlist Users can override the Default Blocklist by adding ports to the Custom Allowlist if they are necessary for their operations and are not considered a security risk.

* Prevasio will block pull requests (in the CI pipeline in GitHub) and to lock repositories (in the CD pipeline) based on user-defined minimum risk-levels.

Countries

Prevasio manages geographical IP address risks associated with container traffic, offering a framework for users to adapt security measures based on country risk assessments and specific operational needs.

Details Description
Scanning Action Prevasio checks container traffic to determine if the geographical location of an IP is a potential risk.*
Analysis Type Dynamic
Database Source US government published lists on embargoed countries. OECD info comes from OECD website.
CI Blocking Mechanism Blocks containers during CI if they communicate with high-risk countries.
CD Protection Strategy Blocks deployment of containers in the CD phase if they are associated with high-risk countries.
Default List

Countries are categorized by OECD status and risk level, indicating allowed and blocked connections. Updated daily.

  • Embargo/Sanctioned: Flagged as Critical.
  • Non-OECD: Considered high severity.

  • OECD Accession: Low severity, unlikely to be blocked.

  • OECD Membership: Informational level, not blocked.

Severities
  • Critical

  • High

  • Medium

  • Low

  • Informational

Custom Blocklist Users can add countries to block that are not included in the Default List.
Custom Allowlist Users can allow countries to prevent them from being blocked, overriding the Default List settings.

* Prevasio will block pull requests (in the CI pipeline in GitHub) and to lock repositories (in the CD pipeline) based on user-defined minimum risk-levels.

CVEs

The following details CVEs rules management, including how Prevasio identifies and responds to CVE-related threats in CI/CD environments.

Details Description
Scanning Action Prevasio identifies and assesses vulnerabilities in containers, focusing on known exploitable CVEs.*
Analysis Type Static
Source Open source databases and US government (CISA) database of known exploited vulnerabilities
CI Blocking Mechanism Prevasio blocks the GitHub pull request if a container has known exploitable vulnerabilities.
CD Protection Strategy Blocks the deployment of containers into the AWS ECR if they contain exploitable vulnerabilities.
Default Blocklist Compiled daily, this list includes CVEs that are currently being exploited in the wild. Updated daily.
Severities Known exploited vulnerabilities are prioritized; CVEs that are critical but not exploited may not result in blocking.
Custom Blocklist Users can add CVEs to this list to ensure containers with these vulnerabilities are blocked, extending the coverage beyond the default list.
Custom Allowlist Users have the option to allow CVEs, preventing them from triggering a block if they believe the vulnerability does not pose a risk in their specific context.

* Prevasio will block pull requests (in the CI pipeline in GitHub) and to lock repositories (in the CD pipeline) based on user-defined minimum risk-levels.

Malware names

The following details malware rules management, including how Prevasio identifies and responds to malware-related threats in CI/CD environments.

Details Description
Scanning Action Prevasio scans Docker container files for malware using the ClamAV engine.*
Analysis Type Static
Source ClamAV engine
CI Blocking Mechanism Prevasio blocks the GitHub pull request if high-risk malware is detected in the container.
CD Protection Strategy Blocks the deployment of containers into the AWS ECR if they contain high-risk malware.
Default Blocklist

Uses ClamAV's database to detect malware, adware, corrupted files, and EICAR test files within containers. Updated daily.

  • Malware: Critical risk
  • Adware: High risk

  • Corruptedfiles: Medium risk

  • EICAR Testfiles: Informational.

Severities
  • Critical

  • High

  • Medium

  • Low

  • Informational

Custom Blocklist Users can customize this list to block additional malware names that they are concerned about.
Custom Allowlist Users can allow certain malware names if they believe they do not pose a risk in their specific context or for files like EICAR test files.

* Prevasio will block pull requests (in the CI pipeline in GitHub) and to lock repositories (in the CD pipeline) based on user-defined minimum risk-levels.

Custom Blocklists

The Mitigation Rules page for each artifact type contains three tabs:

  • Default (Block)list: Contains a built-in set of threat management rule-sets.

  • Custom Blocklist: You can extend Default (Block)list by adding your own custom definitions.

  • Custom Allowlist: Override the Default (Block)list by adding your own custom definitions

Adding IPs to the Custom Blocklist

To extend your network’s security by adding definitions to the Custom Blocklist, follow these steps:

  1. Click on Mitigation Rules in the left menu. The list of artifacts open.

Adding IPs to the Custom Allowlist

If there are specific IP addresses that need uninterrupted access despite being on the Default Blocklist, you can add them to the Custom Allowlist.

To override default definitions to the Custom Blocklist, follow these steps:

  1. Click on Mitigation Rules in the left menu. The list of artifacts open.