Security › Module 5 › Lesson 2
Zero Trust Fit
Microservices security literacy names service identity, mTLS, API gateways, secrets management, and observability — draft microservice row on YOUR $ARCH_LAB before cloud reference patterns.
Visual · t41_microservices_security
Microservices security literacy. $ARCH_LAB only. Original Cyberlium.
Opening
Monolith assumptions fail in service meshes — literacy teaches microservices security patterns so fictional org services on $ARCH_LAB get identity and boundary controls.
Microservices multiply trust boundaries — each service needs identity, authenticated inter-service calls, centralized secrets rotation, API gateway policy enforcement, and distributed tracing for security events. On Cyberlium you map fictional LAB-ARCH-001 services — example.local orders API, inventory worker — under $ARCH_LAB, not employer production Kubernetes exports without scope. Cyberlium writes microservice row on YOUR $ARCH_LAB — service name, identity method, inter-service control, observability note for one fictional LAB-ARCH-001 pair. Next: Cloud Reference Patterns.
1. Microservices security components (named)
Service identity: workload SPIFFE or IAM role on YOUR fictional cluster. mTLS: encrypted authenticated service-to-service on LAB-ARCH-001 mesh. API gateway: external authZ and rate limits at edge. Secrets: vault or managed secrets — no hardcoded keys in lab templates. Observability: security event correlation across services.
On $ARCH_LAB, write microservice row — service pair, identity, inter-service control, log/trace note.
Command guide
Try these commands — Microservices security components (named)
═══ TOOLS & WEBSITES ═══ Browse / read these (authorized learning only — stay in YOUR lab / program scope)
C4 model — https://c4model.com/ (architecture diagram literacy) Microsoft SDL — https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/securityengineering/sdl/ OWASP ASVS — https://owasp.org/www-project-application-security-verification-standard/
═══ INSTALL ═══
Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):
Command — copy this
sudo apt install python3
macOS:
Command — copy this
brew install python3
Windows: Download https://python.org/downloads/
═══ LINUX / macOS ═══
Command — copy this
export ARCH_LAB=${ARCH_LAB:-$HOME/cyberlium-lab/t41-arch}
export ARCH_DESIGN=${ARCH_DESIGN:-$ARCH_LAB/LAB-ARCH-001/security-design}
cat > "$ARCH_DESIGN/context-diagram.md" <<'EOF'
# Context Diagram — LAB-ARCH-001 (literacy)
```mermaid
flowchart LR
Customer([Customer Browser]) -->|HTTPS| SaaS[LAB-ARCH-001 SaaS Platform]
Admin([Admin User]) -->|HTTPS+MFA| SaaS
Partner([Partner API Client]) -->|OAuth2 mTLS| SaaS
SaaS -->|Tokenized| Pay[Payment Processor - external]
SaaS -->|Metrics| Obs[Observability SaaS - external]
```
Trust: all external actors are untrusted until authenticated
LAB SAMPLE — fictional system boundary — NOT production architecture
EOFCommand — copy this
grep -E 'mermaid|LAB SAMPLE|Trust' "$ARCH_DESIGN/context-diagram.md"
python3 -c "print('Context diagram: system + external actors — defensive boundary literacy')"Primary tools to practice this lesson: grep, python3. Reference sites: C4 model (https://c4model.com/); Microsoft SDL (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/securityengineering/sdl/); OWASP ASVS (https://owasp.org/www-project-application-security-verification-standard/). Run every command in the box — install first, then the usage lines — only on YOUR lab / program scope.
2. Why microservices change architecture review
East-west traffic dominates — perimeter firewall alone misses service-to-service abuse. Shared service security vocabulary aligns platform and application teams. Documented identity patterns survive design review on lab templates.
Students draft lab microservice notes — production patterns follow platform engineering and change control.
3. Lab boundary
Forbidden: copying real employer service mesh config with live secrets into lab. Allowed: microservices security card — fictional services with $ARCH_LAB placeholders.
Ship: microservice security row for YOUR lab services. Next: Cloud Reference Patterns.
4. What you ship: microservices security row for $ARCH_LAB
Service pair, identity, inter-service control, observability. $ARCH_LAB named. chmod 600.
5. What you record before the next lesson
Date. Microservice row. $ARCH_LAB named. File t41-m05-l02-microservices-security.txt chmod 600.
6. Wrong vs right: offensive playbooks vs YOUR threat models
Worked failure — same MSF word, opposite target. Right never needs a café Wi-Fi or classmate laptop.
Wrong
Hardcode API keys in lab template because 'it's fictional.' Skip service identity because 'internal only.'
Right
Write microservices security row for YOUR $ARCH_LAB fictional services. Next: Cloud Reference Patterns.
Mission: document microservice security on YOUR lab
1) Name two fictional LAB-ARCH-001 services. 2) Document identity and mTLS or gateway control. 3) Add observability note. 4) chmod 600.
Stuck? Ask Cyberlium AI Mentor
Even lab templates should not normalize hardcoded secrets — use placeholder vault references.
Knowledge Check
APPLY: Microservices security on Cyberlium includes:
Multiple choice
Knowledge Check
APPLY: True or False: East-west service traffic needs authentication controls — not just perimeter firewall.
True or False
Knowledge Check
APPLY: Microservices security literacy on Cyberlium uses:
Multiple choice