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Container Scanning

Nulink allows you to scan Docker container images for known vulnerabilities without requiring any cloud or registry integrations.

This makes container scanning a quick and lightweight way to identify risks in containerized workloads.

Overview​

Container scans analyze Docker images to identify:

  • Known vulnerabilities (primarily CVEs)
  • Insecure or outdated packages
  • High-risk dependencies within the image

Scans are performed using publicly accessible container images and do not require access to your runtime environment.

Prerequisites​

  • An active Nulink account
  • A publicly accessible Docker container image (e.g. from Docker Hub or another public registry)

No cloud integrations or credentials are required.

Step 1: Navigate to Containers​

  1. In the Nulink platform, go to the Assets section
  2. Select Containers

This view displays previously scanned container images and their results.

📸 Assets → Containers view Container Scan Page

Step 2: Start a Container Scan​

To scan a new container image:

  1. Click the Actions button
  2. Select the option to Scan Container Image
  3. Enter the full name of a public Docker image
    • Example: nginx:latest

📸 Container scan action modal Selecting The Container Image

Once submitted, the scan will begin automatically.

Step 3: Review Scan Results​

After the scan completes, Nulink will display a list of detected vulnerabilities within the container image.

Scan Results Include​

  • Identified vulnerabilities (CVEs)
  • Severity levels
  • Affected packages and versions
  • Descriptions of each vulnerability
  • Recommended remediation or mitigation steps

This allows teams to quickly assess the risk associated with a container image before deployment.

📸 Container vulnerability results Selecting The Container Image

Understanding Container Vulnerabilities​

Most findings are mapped to known Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) and include contextual information to help teams understand:

  • How the vulnerability is introduced
  • Whether it affects runtime security
  • What actions can be taken to reduce risk

This makes it easier to decide whether to rebuild, update, or replace a container image.

When to Use Container Scanning​

Container scanning is especially useful for:

  • Evaluating third-party or base images
  • Pre-deployment security checks
  • CI/CD validation workflows
  • Identifying risks in legacy container images

Next Steps​

After scanning container images, you may want to:

  • Run cloud security scans for deployed workloads
  • Perform compliance scans on your cloud environment
  • Generate PDF reports to share findings
  • Combine container insights with inventory and resource attribution

If you encounter issues or unexpected results, refer to the FAQ & Troubleshooting section.