AWS Container Security Best Practices

Organizations moving workloads to AWS need to secure their infrastructure, applications, and data effectively. While AWS provides security tools and services, customers must configure and manage them according to their requirements. Following security best practices helps minimize risk, maintain compliance, and protect resources.

This post explores AWS containers, security best practices, and considerations for scalable cloud operations.

Understanding AWS container security

It’s important to have background knowledge of what AWS containers are before implementing container security. Following is foundational information on AWS containers. 

What are containers on AWS?

Containers are a way to package and run applications in isolated environments using container technology. They allow developers to bundle application code with dependencies and configurations, ensuring consistency across development, testing and production. AWS offers several managed container services:

• Amazon ECS 
• Amazon EKS 
• AWS Fargate 

These services help deploy, scale and operate containers without managing the underlying infrastructure. These services integrate with the broader AWS services ecosystem for networking, security, monitoring and automation, making it easier to run containerized applications at scale.

AWS container services comparison: Amazon ECS, Amazon EKS, AWS Fargate

Amazon ECS, Amazon EKS and AWS Fargate are services for running containers on AWS that integrate with other AWS services for networking, AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), logging and monitoring. These AWS container services support auto scaling and container scheduling and can run workloads across multiple Availability Zones. 

Each service is designed to help teams manage containers more efficiently, but they differ in how they approach orchestration, control, and abstraction.

Amazon ECS is AWS’s native container orchestration service. It is tightly integrated with AWS and is ideal for teams that want a straightforward way to deploy and scale containers.

Amazon EKS is a managed Kubernetes service that allows users to run Kubernetes workloads on AWS. It supports standard Kubernetes APIs and tooling. It is well-suited for teams that are already invested in Kubernetes or requiring multi-cloud portability. While EKS provides more customization options than Amazon ECS, it requires more operational oversight.

AWS Fargate is a serverless compute engine for running containers without managing servers. It can be used with either ECS or EKS to eliminate the need to provision or scale infrastructure manually. Fargate simplifies operations and improves isolation, but it may have cost and feature trade-offs compared to managing EC2-based container instances.

Top container security risks

While AWS provides a secure foundation for running containers, misconfigurations and overlooked best practices can expose workloads to threats. Understanding the most common risks helps teams build more secure containerized environments and respond effectively to potential issues.

• Overly permissive IAM roles. Granting broad permissions can lead to privilege escalation or unauthorized access to AWS services.
• Exposed secrets. Storing credentials in container images or environment variables increases the risk of secret leakage.
• Unverified container images. Using untrusted or outdated images can introduce known vulnerabilities or malicious code.
• Insecure network configurations. Misconfigured security groups, open ports or lack of segmentation can expose containers to external threats.
• Lack of runtime protection. Without runtime monitoring, malicious activity or compromised containers may go undetected.
• Insufficient logging and monitoring. Incomplete or disabled logging limits visibility into security events and slows incident response.
• Neglecting patch management. Failing to update base images and dependencies leaves containers vulnerable to known exploits.
• Improper use of shared responsibility model. Assuming AWS secures all layers can lead to overlooked configuration and application-level risks.
• Weak encryption practices. Unencrypted data in transit or at rest may be intercepted or accessed by unauthorized actors.
• Non-compliance with standards. Ignoring regulatory or industry requirements can lead to security gaps and audit failures.

AWS container security best practices

Running containers on AWS provides flexibility and scalability, but it also introduces security considerations that require careful attention. From access control to monitoring, a layered security approach helps protect containerized applications from threats throughout their lifecycle. The following best practices provide a foundation for securing containers in AWS.

IAM

Use AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) to enforce least privilege access. Define fine-grained roles for users, services and containers and avoid using overly permissive policies. Integrate IAM roles with services like ECS or EKS to control access to AWS resources without exposing static credentials.

Networks and runtime

Isolate container workloads using Amazon VPCs, security groups and network ACLs. Minimize the container attack surface by limiting open ports and restricting communication paths. Implement runtime protections to detect and block unexpected behavior, such as privilege escalation or unusual network traffic.

Secrets

Never hardcode secrets in images or configuration files. Use AWS Secrets Manager or AWS Systems Manager Parameter Store to securely manage and retrieve sensitive data like API keys and database credentials. Configure containers to access secrets at runtime with tightly scoped permissions.

Shared responsibility

Understand the shared responsibility model. AWS secures the infrastructure, but you’re responsible for securing what you run on top of it, including container configurations, access controls and application-level vulnerabilities. Align security practices accordingly across your DevOps teams.

Container Image Security

Use only trusted base images from verified sources and regularly scan images for vulnerabilities. Keep images minimal by removing unnecessary packages and tools. Sign images using tools like AWS Signer or Notary and store them in Amazon ECR with lifecycle policies to manage outdated versions.

Encryption

Encrypt data at rest and in transit using AWS-native tools. Use EBS volume encryption for ECS or EKS workloads and ensure TLS is used for service communication. Manage encryption keys securely with AWS KMS and rotate them according to compliance or organizational policies.

Observability

Enable logging at all levels to capture activity and detect threats. Use Amazon CloudWatch, AWS CloudTrail and GuardDuty to monitor container operations, audit access and alert on suspicious behavior. Aggregate logs with centralized tools for streamlined analysis and response.

Compliance

Map your container environments to industry compliance frameworks using AWS tools like Security Hub and Config. Use conformance packs, audit reports and automated checks to track configuration drift, enforce policies and demonstrate compliance with standards such as CIS, PCI or HIPAA.

Automated vulnerability scanning

Regularly scan container images for known vulnerabilities using automated tools integrated with your CI/CD pipeline. AWS services like Amazon ECR can automatically scan images on push and notify you of critical CVEs. This proactive approach helps catch issues before containers are deployed and ensures that your environment remains compliant with security standards over time.

Principle of immutable infrastructure

Treat containers as immutable artifacts that should not be modified once deployed. Instead of patching live containers, rebuild and redeploy updated images to reduce drift and maintain consistency across environments. This practice minimizes configuration errors, simplifies rollback and strengthens the integrity of your container deployments.

Should you be using an AWS container security tool?

Organizations running containerized workloads on AWS should consider implementing container security tools to enhance their security posture. While AWS provides secure infrastructure, container security tools help maintain visibility and protect workloads throughout their lifecycle.

Understanding Container Security Tools

A container security tool detects, prevents, and responds to container-specific threats from build to runtime. These tools typically include image scanning, vulnerability management, secret detection, compliance monitoring, and runtime protection capabilities.

Benefits of Security Tools

Security tools automate critical tasks like scanning container images for vulnerabilities before deployment, validating configurations against baselines, and protecting sensitive data. They monitor container activity in real time to identify unusual behavior or unauthorized access attempts. Integration with AWS services like CloudTrail, CloudWatch, and GuardDuty enables comprehensive security monitoring and analysis.

Using a dedicated container security tool strengthens your adherence to the AWS shared responsibility model by securing what you run on AWS — including your container images, configurations and runtime environments. It reduces human error, supports audit readiness and enables faster responses to security incidents. As threats evolve and cloud environments scale, having the right tools in place is critical to maintaining a strong security posture.

How will AWS container security approaches change in the future?

As container adoption continues to grow across industries, AWS container security is poised to evolve in response to emerging threats, compliance demands and operational complexity. Future approaches will emphasize automation, intelligence and deeper integration to help teams secure workloads at scale. Below are key trends and changes expected to shape AWS container security in the coming years.

AI-driven security

Artificial intelligence and machine learning will play a larger role in detecting and mitigating container security threats. AI models will analyze vast amounts of behavioral and system data to identify anomalies, adapt to evolving attack patterns and reduce false positives. These capabilities will improve real-time threat detection and accelerate response times without requiring constant manual tuning.

Enhanced development integration

Security will move even further into the development lifecycle, embedding checks and policies directly into CI/CD pipelines. Container builds will automatically trigger vulnerability scans, misconfiguration checks and policy enforcement before deployment. This shift-left approach will help developers catch issues earlier, reduce rework and strengthen overall security posture.

Expanded zero trust adoption

AWS environments will implement more comprehensive zero trust models tailored for containers. Fine-grained identity, network segmentation and continuous verification will become standard in containerized architectures.

Greater use of serverless container runtimes

Serverless compute options like AWS Fargate will continue to grow, reducing infrastructure management and minimizing the attack surface. With fewer administrative layers to secure, organizations will benefit from simpler security models and tighter container runtime security. These advantages will encourage the wider use of serverless container strategies for sensitive workloads.

Automated compliance

As regulations become more complex, AWS container security tools will offer more out-of-the-box compliance frameworks and automated evidence collection. Security audits will be streamlined by integrating conformance packs, policy rules and continuous validation directly into the container lifecycle. This will help organizations demonstrate compliance more efficiently and reduce the burden on security teams.

Unified observability and response

Security, performance and operational observability will converge into unified platforms with container-native context. Logs, metrics and traces will feed into a single control plane that offers actionable insights and automated remediation. This holistic visibility will allow teams to understand the full impact of a threat and respond faster across distributed environments.

AWS container security best practices: Final thoughts

Securing containerized workloads in AWS requires a comprehensive security approach that addresses multiple layers. Following established security practices helps organizations reduce risk and maintain compliance requirements. This includes proper IAM role management, data encryption, and runtime monitoring.

As container deployments become more complex, implementing the right security controls becomes increasingly important. Organizations should focus on:

• Understanding their security responsibilities under the shared responsibility model
• Implementing proper access controls and encryption
• Maintaining continuous monitoring and threat detection
• Following security best practices throughout the container lifecycle

To learn how SUSE can help you build secure, scalable container solutions on AWS, visit our container security page.

AWS container security best practices FAQs

Are AWS containers secure?

Yes, AWS provides a secure infrastructure and native services that support strong container security when configured correctly. However, security ultimately depends on how containers are built, deployed and managed by the user.

What are the most common AWS container security risks?

Common risks include overly permissive IAM roles, exposed secrets, vulnerable container images and insecure network configurations. Lack of monitoring, runtime protection and poor patching practices also increase the attack surface.

What is the shared responsibility model?

The shared responsibility model defines security roles between AWS and the customer. AWS secures the cloud infrastructure, while customers are responsible for securing what they deploy in the cloud, including container configurations and application code.