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Writer's pictureDebajit Banerjee

Comprehensive Kubernetes Hardening Guide


It is a Cybersecurity Technical Report published on March 2022 by National Security Agency(NSA) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency(CISA).

NSA and CISA developed this document in furtherance of their respective cybersecurity missions, including their responsibilities to develop and issue cybersecurity specifications and mitigations.


Kubernetes® is an open-source system that automates the deployment, scaling, and management of applications run in containers, and is often hosted in a cloud environment. Using this type of virtualized infrastructure can provide several flexibility and security benefits compared to traditional, monolithic software platforms. However, securely managing everything from microservices to the underlying infrastructure introduces other complexities. This report is designed to help organizations handle Kubernetes-associated risks and enjoy the benefits of using this technology.

Three common sources of compromise in Kubernetes are supply chain risks, malicious threat actors, and insider threats. Supply chain risks are often challenging to mitigate and can arise in the container build cycle or infrastructure acquisition. Malicious threat actors can exploit vulnerabilities and misconfigurations in components of the Kubernetes architecture, such as the control plane, worker nodes, or containerized applications. Insider threats can be administrators, users, or cloud service providers. Insiders with special access to an organization’s Kubernetes infrastructure may be able to abuse these privileges.

This guide describes the security challenges associated with setting up and securing a Kubernetes cluster. It includes strategies for system administrators and developers of National Security Systems, helping them avoid common misconfigurations and implement recommended hardening measures and mitigations when deploying Kubernetes. This guide details the following mitigations:

  • Scan containers and Pods for vulnerabilities or misconfigurations.

  • Run containers and Pods with the least privileges possible.

  • Use network separation to control the amount of damage a compromise can cause.

  • Use firewalls to limit unneeded network connectivity and use encryption to protect confidentiality.

  • Use strong authentication and authorization to limit user and administrator access as well as to limit the attack surface.

  • Capture and monitor audit logs so that administrators can be alerted to potential malicious activity.

  • Periodically review all Kubernetes settings and use vulnerability scans to ensure risks are appropriately accounted for and security patches are applied.


Happy Reading......!


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