Rule Information
Tags
docker-composecomposeipchost-ipcsecurityisolationnamespaceshared-memoryinformation-disclosure
CWE References
Interactive Playground
Experiment with the vulnerable code and security rule below. Edit the code to see how the rule detects different vulnerability patterns.
pathfinder scan --ruleset docker-compose/COMPOSE-SEC-010 --project .1
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rule.py
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About This Rule
Understanding the vulnerability and how it is detected
This rule detects services using `ipc: host`, which disables IPC (Inter-Process Communication) namespace isolation. This allows the container to share shared memory segments, semaphores, and message queues with the host system, potentially enabling information disclosure and process interference.
Security Implications
Potential attack scenarios if this vulnerability is exploited
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Semaphore Manipulation
```bash ipcs -s # List semaphores # Can potentially cause deadlocks or race conditions ```
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Message Queue Interception
```bash ipcs -q # List message queues # Can read/modify IPC messages ```
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Information Disclosure
Shared memory may contain sensitive data like: - Database connection pools - Session data - Cache contents - Cryptographic keys
How to Fix
Recommended remediation steps
- 1Review your Dockerfile to address the using host ipc mode issue
- 2Follow Docker official best practices for image building
- 3Use docker build --check to validate Dockerfile syntax and best practices
References
External resources and documentation
Similar Rules
Explore related security rules for Docker Compose
LOW
Container Filesystem is Writable
Service has writable root filesystem. Consider making it read-only for better security.
MEDIUM
Missing no-new-privileges Security Option
Service does not have no-new-privileges security option. Without this, processes inside the container can gain additional privileges via setuid binaries or capability escalation.
MEDIUM
SELinux Separation Disabled
Service has label:disable in security_opt, which disables SELinux mandatory access control. This removes an important defense-in-depth layer for container isolation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Using Host IPC Mode
Service uses host IPC namespace. Container shares inter-process communication with host.
Review the secure code example in the playground above and apply the recommended pattern to your Dockerfile or docker-compose.yml.
New feature
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The Using Host IPC Mode rule runs in CI and posts inline review comments on the exact lines — no dashboard, no SARIF viewer.