Industry
Defense Software & Mission Systems
Challenge
Harden containers at scale without delaying delivery to defense customers
Solution
RapidFort Platform and Curated Near Zero CVE Images
The Challenge
Defense Unicorns delivers software for defense missions, often in classified environments, where security is non-negotiable. As a veteran-founded company, its team has personally experienced the burden of outdated software in the DoD and is committed to building solutions that enable modern, secure software delivery. While building their secure runtime platform, Unicorn Delivery Service (UDS), the team encountered several critical hurdles:
Complex Hardening at Scale
Hardening containers at scale was complex and labor-intensive.
Delivery Delays
Internal security processes would delay delivery to defense customers.
Balancing Security and Speed
Achieving a strong security baseline without slowing down mission readiness required a new approach.
The Solution
Defense Unicorns conducted a thorough “build-versus-buy” evaluation and determined that partnering with RapidFort offered the most effective path to delivering mission value at the speed required. The company licensed RapidFort’s Curated Near Zero CVE Images to secure UDS and other internal environments. These images enabled the team to achieve a near-zero CVE state across the platform, providing flexibility for both open-source and custom-built tools. To further strengthen security and streamline operations, Defense Unicorns leveraged several key capabilities of the RapidFort Platform:
Container Hardening for Proprietary Tools
Defense Unicorns used the RapidFort Platform to harden containers for proprietary products such as UDS Registry, an OCI-compliant registry launched in June 2025.
FIPS-Validated Modules
RapidFort delivered FIPS-validated modules for all 32 UDS Core images, supporting deployment into compliance-sensitive environments.
Optimized Image Sizes
Smaller image sizes, reduced by 140 MB total (5.9%), enabled faster deployments in both low-bandwidth and tactical-edge environments.
Collaborative Partnership
The collaborative nature of the partnership played a key role, especially when engineers required new FIPS-compliant images or encountered issues with existing builds.
"RapidFort’s experience within classified environments and collaborative approach have made the company a trusted partner in helping us deliver secure, reliable software to the teams who need it most, without slowing down mission-critical deployments."
Rob Slaughter
CEO, Defense Unicorns
By working with RapidFort, Defense Unicorns achieved the following results:
Accelerate Delivery
of a Near-Zero CVE UDS platform without building in-house hardening pipelines
Optimize Deployment
by reducing UDS Core image sizes by a total of 140MB (across 32 images)
Strengthen Compliance Posture
by embedding FIPS-validated modules across their curated images
Collaborate Effectively
on security improvements through responsive engineering support
Conclusion
Defense Unicorns selected RapidFort to support its mission of delivering secure, reliable software. With RapidFort’s Curated Near Zero CVE Images and a flexible hardening platform, they enhanced their container security posture while maintaining the speed and agility required in defense operations. The partnership continues to be shaped by shared values, responsiveness, and an understanding of the unique demands of delivering national security software.
Start Secure, Stay Secure with RapidFort
Remediate 95% of CVEs Automatically
without Code Changes, OS Changes, or Pipeline Modifications