---
title: "HOST-CTR-015 Docker Content Trust Not Enabled"
canonical: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-CTR-015.html
html: https://openvapt.com/checks/HOST-CTR-015.html
site: OpenVAPT, https://openvapt.com/
license: OpenVAPT Source-Available Licence 1.3, https://openvapt.com/legal/licence-text.html
modified: 2026-10-14
version: 0.1.0-alpha.6
---

# HOST-CTR-015 Docker Content Trust Not Enabled

Checks whether DOCKER_CONTENT_TRUST=1 is set system-wide so that only signed images are pulled.

- Domain: Server
- Severity: Low
- Control category: Secure Configuration
- Fix effort: medium
- CVSS v3.1 vector: `CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:H/PR:N/UI:R/S:U/C:N/I:L/A:N`
- CIS Controls v8: 4.1
- NIST CSF 2.0: PR.PS-01
- CWE: CWE-494, CWE-347
- NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5: SI-7, CM-14
- Benchmark topic: CIS Docker Benchmark 4.5 (enable content trust) (topic only, no benchmark text)

## Why It Matters

Without content trust, docker pull accepts whatever the registry or a tampering proxy returns for a tag. Signature verification makes a substituted image fail to pull instead of running as root on your host.

## How It Detects

Reads /etc/environment, /etc/profile, /etc/profile.d/*.sh and the Docker service drop-ins for DOCKER_CONTENT_TRUST=1. Fails when Docker is installed and the variable is not set anywhere system-wide.

## How to Fix

Add  DOCKER_CONTENT_TRUST=1  to /etc/environment (or a file in /etc/profile.d) and sign your own images with docker trust sign; images without signatures then need an explicit --disable-content-trust for a deliberate exception.

## How to Verify

```
grep -r DOCKER_CONTENT_TRUST /etc/environment /etc/profile.d
```

## Learn the Theory

- [P9 Containers and Kubernetes](https://openvapt.com/academy/p9.md)
- [A5 Container Runtime Hardening Depth](https://openvapt.com/academy/a5.md)

## References

- [Docker documentation, Content trust in Docker](https://docs.docker.com/engine/security/trust/)
- [CIS Docker Benchmark (referenced by recommendation number)](https://www.cisecurity.org/benchmark/docker)

## Source Code

https://github.com/OpenVAPT/openvapt/blob/574f7f3333c44b75a3c649e2d93a76d507f75adf/internal/checks/host/containers_depth.go

Run it: `openvapt scan --only HOST-CTR-015`. Read it offline: `openvapt explain HOST-CTR-015`.

---

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