Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Cloud and workloadsReview Docker host hardening recommendations
In brief
The article now includes prerequisites and steps for finding and remediating Docker host misconfigurations, along with updated wording and metadata.
What Defender admins need to know
Administrators can use the added prerequisites and remediation steps when reviewing Docker host hardening recommendations.
Summaries are generated from the documentation change itself.
Documentation change
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Review Docker host hardening recommendations
The Defender for Servers plan in Microsoft Defender for Cloud identifies unmanaged containers hosted on IaaS Linux VMs, or other Linux machines running Docker containers. Defender for Servers continuously assesses the configuration of these Docker hosts, and compares them with the Center for Internet Security (CIS) Docker Benchmark.
This article explains how to review Docker host hardening recommendations, identify configuration issues, and remediate findings in Defender for Cloud.
- Defender for Cloud includes the entire ruleset of the CIS Docker Benchmark and alerts you if your containers don't satisfy any of the controls.
- When
itDefender for Servers finds misconfigurations,Defender for Serversit generates security recommendations to address the findings. - When vulnerabilities are found, they're grouped inside a single recommendation.
Prerequisites
Before you review Docker host hardening recommendations, make sure the following prerequisites are met:
- You need Defender for Servers Plan 2 to use this feature.
- These CIS benchmark checks will not run on AKS-managed instances or Databricks-managed VMs.
- You need Reader permissions on the workspace to which the host connects.
Identify Docker configuration issues
Use the following steps to find and remediate Docker host misconfigurations in Defender for Cloud.
From Defender for Cloud's menu, open the Recommendations page.
Filter to the recommendation Vulnerabilities in container security configurations should be remediated and select the recommendation.
@@ -2,26 +2,32 @@ title: Review Docker host hardening recommendations description: How to protect your Docker hosts and verify they're compliant with the CIS Docker benchmark with Microsoft Defender for Cloud. ms.topic: how-to-ms.date: 05/28/2026-ms.custom: sfi-image-nochange+ms.date: 07/03/2026+ms.custom: sfi-image-nochange, msecd-doc-authoring-1013 ai-usage: ai-assisted --- # Review Docker host hardening recommendations The Defender for Servers plan in Microsoft Defender for Cloud identifies unmanaged containers hosted on IaaS Linux VMs, or other Linux machines running Docker containers. Defender for Servers continuously assesses the configuration of these Docker hosts, and compares them with the [Center for Internet Security (CIS) Docker Benchmark](https://www.cisecurity.org/benchmark/docker/). +This article explains how to review Docker host hardening recommendations, identify configuration issues, and remediate findings in Defender for Cloud.+ - Defender for Cloud includes the entire ruleset of the CIS Docker Benchmark and alerts you if your containers don't satisfy any of the controls.-- When it finds misconfigurations, Defender for Servers generates security recommendations to address findings.+- When Defender for Servers finds misconfigurations, it generates security recommendations to address the findings. - When vulnerabilities are found, they're grouped inside a single recommendation. ## Prerequisites +Before you review Docker host hardening recommendations, make sure the following prerequisites are met:+ - You need [Defender for Servers Plan 2](defender-for-servers-overview.md) to use this feature. - These CIS benchmark checks will not run on AKS-managed instances or Databricks-managed VMs. - You need Reader permissions on the workspace to which the host connects. ## Identify Docker configuration issues +Use the following steps to find and remediate Docker host misconfigurations in Defender for Cloud.+ 1. From Defender for Cloud's menu, open the **Recommendations** page. 1. Filter to the recommendation **Vulnerabilities in container security configurations should be remediated** and select the recommendation.