Troubleshooting: Addressing OS vulnerabilities from outdated libraries in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8

Problem

Certain operating system (OS) libraries in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 8 may be outdated and vulnerable to known security issues. These outdated libraries can pose a risk to application and system security, especially in containerized environments where base images may not always be current.

• Cause: This typically occurs when Docker images are built using older RHEL 8 base images that do not include the latest security updates. If the images are not regularly updated, vulnerabilities can accumulate over time.

Solution

To address and mitigate these OS vulnerabilities, ensure that the base image used for building custom containers is updated during the image build process.

• Update All OS Libraries:
  To update all outdated libraries in the base image, include the following command in your Dockerfile:

  RUN dnf -y update
  

  This command upgrades all installed packages to the latest available versions, applying the latest security patches and bug fixes.

• Update a Specific Library:
  If you are aware of a specific vulnerable library, you can update just that package. For example, to update the expat library, use:

  RUN dnf update expat*
  

  This will update the expat library to the latest available version. For example:

  Updated: expat-2.2.5-17.el8_10.x86_64

• Post-Update Steps:

  Rebuild the Docker image using the updated Dockerfile.

  Test the updated image thoroughly to ensure that all application functionality remains intact and no regressions have occurred due to the library upgrades.

Recommendation

• Incorporate regular update checks in your image build pipeline to avoid security debt.

• Monitor vulnerability databases or Red Hat Security Advisories (RHSA) for patches relevant to your base OS image.