Introduction and Overview
The paper discusses a two-level security architecture for microservices. The first level is at the service level, where microservices are protected by authentication and authorization mechanisms. The second level is at the micro-service level, where a security boundary protects each microservice. Hannousse and Yahiouche (2021) provide an overview of the current state of microservices security. They begin by discussing the challenges of microservices security, including the lack of standardization and the distributed nature of microservices. They then review the existing literature on microservices security and identify gaps in the current research. Finally, they propose a research agenda for future work in this area. The paper is well-organized and provides a comprehensive overview of microservices security. The authors identify several gaps in the existing research, suggesting that there is still much to be learned about securing microservices. They also offer many recommendations for future work in this area.
What does the author advocate for in terms of security? Are these views valid?
The authors of this paper advocate for a more comprehensive approach to security for microservices and microservice architectures. They argue that current policies are not comprehensive enough, leaving gaps that attackers can exploit. A more comprehensive approach would include access control, authentication, and authorization. They also argue that current approaches to security do not consider the microservices themselves but only the underlying infrastructure. They believe that this is a mistake, as microservices are often the target of attacks (Hannousse & Yahiouche, 2021). The study is based on interviews with experts in the field, providing a comprehensive overview of these systems’ current state of security. They feel these measures are necessary to protect against various threats, including data theft and attacks on the underlying infrastructure. The author’s views are valid; they provide a comprehensive overview of microservice architectures’ security issues. Security for microservices and microservice architectures is an important issue, and there is a need for more comprehensive approaches to security. While not all of their recommendations will be applicable in every scenario, the overall approach is sound.
What security architecture is proposed at the service and micro-service levels?
The paper proposes a two-level security architecture: at the service level, microservices are protected by authentication and authorization mechanisms; at the micro-service level, each microservice is protected by a security boundary (Pereira-Vale et al., 2021). The author suggests that this two-level architecture is necessary to protect against service and micro-service threats. While this approach may be suitable in some cases, it may not be applicable in all cases. For example, if the microservices are deployed on a single platform, it may be sufficient to protect them at the service level.
What threats are discussed as part of the article?
The paper addresses data theft and attacks on the underlying infrastructure by proposing security measures, including authentication and authorization mechanisms at the service level and security boundaries at the micro-service level. While these measures are necessary to protect against threats at service and micro-service levels, they may not be applicable in all cases. For example, if the microservices are deployed on a single platform, it may be sufficient to protect them at the service level (Chondamrongkul & Warren, 2020). The article discussed data theft and attacks on the underlying infrastructure, such as data breaches.
Conclusion
While authentication and authorization mechanisms are necessary to protect against data theft and attacks on the underlying infrastructure, they may not be sufficient to protect against other threats, such as data integrity and security breaches. The authors advocate for some security measures, including identification and authentication of microservices users, isolation of microservices components, and secure communication between microservices.
References
Chondamrongkul, N., Sun, J., & Warren, I. (2020, March). Automated security analysis for microservice architecture. In 2020 IEEE International Conference on Software Architecture Companion (ICSA-C) (pp. 79-82). IEEE. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/9095669/
Hannousse, A., & Yahiouche, S. (2021). Securing microservices and microservice architectures: A systematic mapping study. Computer Science Review, 41, 100415. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1574013721000551
Pereira-Vale, A., Fernandez, E. B., Monge, R., Astudillo, H., & Márquez, G. (2021). Security in microservice-based systems: A multivocal literature review. Computers & Security, 103, 102200. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167404821000249