Falco

Falco manages runtime security in cloud-native environments by providing real-time detection and alerting for abnormal behavior and potential security threats. At its core, Falco is a kernel monitoring and detection agent that leverages eBPF (Extended Berkeley Packet Filter) to observe system events such as syscalls, network activity, and file operations. This approach allows for deep visibility into host, container, and Kubernetes environments without the overhead of traditional logging or agent-based solutions.

The technical architecture of Falco is built around custom rules that can be defined to detect specific security threats or compliance violations. These rules can be enhanced with metadata from container runtimes and Kubernetes, providing a rich context for event analysis. Falco integrates with various cloud services through plugins, enabling the monitoring of activities in AWS CloudTrail, GitHub, Okta, and other platforms. The alerts generated by Falco can be forwarded to over 50 third-party systems, including SIEM and data lake solutions, for further analysis and action.

Operationally, Falco is designed for scalability and real-time response. It minimizes storage costs and complexity by adopting a streaming detection approach, which ensures that alerts are generated in real-time without the need for extensive historical data storage. However, this real-time focus can sometimes lead to performance degradation under extremely high event volumes. Additionally, while Falco is highly customizable, the complexity of rule management and integration with other security tools can be a consideration, especially in large-scale deployments.

Technically, Falco runs on both x64 and ARM CPUs and is deployable in various Kubernetes environments such as GKE, EKS, and AKS. It uses a JSON format for alerts, making it easy to store, analyze, or trigger reactions. The community-driven nature of Falco, with its roots in the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF), ensures continuous updates and improvements, backed by a robust ecosystem of contributors and users.