How Defense Unicorns achieved a near-zero CVE state and reduced container image sizes by 140 MB across 32 images — without slowing mission-critical deployments.
Defense Software & Mission Systems
Harden containers at scale without delaying delivery to defense customers
RapidFort Platform and RapidFort Curated Images
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 As a veteran-founded company, its team has personally experienced the burden of outdated software in the DoD and is committed to building solutions that enable modern, secure software delivery.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.
Hardening containers at scale was complex and labor-intensive.
Internal security processes would delay delivery to defense customers.
Achieving a strong security baseline without slowing down mission readiness required a new approach.
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 Curated 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:
Defense Unicorns used the RapidFort Platform to harden containers for proprietary products such as UDS Registry, an OCI-compliant registry launched in June 2025.
Defense Unicorns used the RapidFort Platform to harden containers for proprietary products such as UDS Registry, an OCI-compliant registry launched in June 2025.
Smaller image sizes, reduced by 140 MB total (5.9%), enabled faster deployments in both low-bandwidth and tactical-edge environments.
The collaborative nature of the partnership played a key role especially when engineers required new FIPS-compliant images or encountered issues with existing builds.
CEO, Defense Unicorns
By working with RapidFort, Defense Unicorns achieved the following results:
of a near-zero CVE UDS platform without building in-house hardening pipelines
by reducing UDS Core image sizes by a total of 140 MB (across 32 images)
by embedding FIPS-validated modules across their curated images
on security improvements through responsive engineering support
Defense Unicorns selected RapidFort to support its mission of delivering secure, reliable software. With RapidFort Curated 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.
Eliminate up to 99.9% of CVEs Continuously without Code Changes, OS Changes, or Pipeline Modifications
