Microservices Security

Microservices security is the specialized practice of protecting applications built with a microservices architecture, where an application is composed of many small, independent, and loosely coupled services. Unlike traditional monolithic security which focuses on a strong perimeter, this discipline addresses an expanded attack surface where each service and its API is a potential vulnerability. Key concerns include securing service-to-service communication (east-west traffic), implementing robust authentication and authorization for every API call, managing secrets across distributed components, and hardening the underlying container and orchestration platforms, ultimately aiming for a "zero-trust" model where no component is trusted by default.

1. Introduction to Microservices Security
   1. Overview of Microservices Security
      1. Definition and Scope
      2. Importance in Modern Architectures
      3. Security Challenges Unique to Microservices
   2. Core Concepts of Microservices Architecture
      1. Service Decomposition
         1. Principles of Decomposition
         2. Domain-Driven Design
         3. Bounded Contexts
      2. Independent Deployability
         1. Continuous Deployment Implications
         2. Versioning Strategies
         3. Service Lifecycle Management
      3. Decentralized Data Management
         1. Polyglot Persistence
         2. Data Consistency Challenges
         3. Database per Service Pattern
      4. API-based Communication
         1. RESTful APIs
         2. gRPC and Other Protocols
         3. Synchronous vs. Asynchronous Communication
         4. Event-Driven Architecture
   3. Shifting Security Paradigms
      1. From Monolith to Microservices
         1. Security Model Changes
         2. New Trust Boundaries
         3. Distributed Security Responsibilities
      2. The Dissolving Perimeter
         1. Perimeterless Security Models
         2. Implications for Network Security
         3. Zero Trust Foundations
      3. Expanded Attack Surface
         1. Increased Entry Points
         2. Microservice-Specific Threats
         3. Inter-Service Attack Vectors
   4. Key Security Challenges
      1. Securing East-West Traffic
         1. Internal Service Communication Risks
         2. Lateral Movement Prevention
      2. Distributed Identity and Access Management
         1. Managing Identities Across Services
         2. Identity Propagation
      3. Secrets Sprawl
         1. Proliferation of Sensitive Data
         2. Secret Distribution Challenges
      4. Increased Network Complexity
         1. Service Discovery and Security
         2. Network Segmentation
         3. Dynamic Service Topology
      5. Observability and Monitoring
         1. Security Visibility Requirements
         2. Distributed Logging Challenges