System and Method for Providing Security in a Distributed Computation System Utilizing Containers

A server has a processor and a memory connected to the processor. The memory stores instructions executed by the processor to collect operating signals from machines, where each operating signal characterizes the state or a change in operational state of a designated application operating within a designated container, where the designated container is an isolated process in user space designated by an operating system kernel. The operating signals are compared to models that incorporate summarizations of data sets that represent observed benign operating signals and malicious operating signals for the designated application operating within the designated container. Risks associated with the operating signals are characterized.