Vulnerability tagging for kubernetes workloads in a data protection system

A system for dynamically prioritizing backups of datasets in a network, comprising:

• a backup server executing one or more protection policies to back up the datasets according to a defined prioritization;
• a hardware-based monitor monitoring events that affect data of a dataset to be protected by the one or more protection policies;
• an event analyzer processing the monitored events to characterize each event in terms of a severity of potential damage to the data by each event;
• a hardware-based calculator calculating a vulnerability measure for a dataset as the product of the number of occurrences of each event based on the severity associated with each event and assigning a numerical score to the calculated vulnerability measure;
• and
• a tagger tagging the score as metadata to a payload of the dataset, wherein the backup server uses the score to modify the defined prioritization for backing up the dataset in the one or more protection policies to accommodate a vulnerability of the dataset as indicated by the vulnerability measure.

A tangible computer program product having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by a process, cause the processor to perform a method of prioritizing data assets for data protection operations in a data protection system, comprising:

• defining one or more protection policies to back up the datasets according to a defined prioritization;
• monitoring events that affect data of a dataset to be protected by the one or more protection policies;
• processing the monitored events in an event analyzer to characterize each event in terms of a severity of potential damage to the data by each event;
• calculating a vulnerability measure for a dataset as the product of the number of occurrences of each event based on the severity associated with each event;
• assigning a numerical score to the calculated vulnerability measure;
• tagging the score as metadata to a payload of the dataset;
• and
• using the score to modify the defined prioritization for backing up the dataset in the one or more protection policies to accommodate a vulnerability of the dataset as indicated by the vulnerability measure.