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1. Lock down identities and Kubernetes API access
Start with the identities that can change cluster state. Give users, service accounts, workloads, and third-party integrations only the permissions they need. Review role bindings and cluster role bindings regularly, and remove unused identities and grants. Pay particular attention to integrations whose permissions may effectively confer cluster-admin access.
Protect etcd as a critical security boundary. The Kubernetes project says write access to the API backend is equivalent to root access across the cluster. Restrict network access so only the API servers can reach etcd, and use strong credentials and mutual TLS for API-server-to-etcd connections. Keep the Kubernetes API endpoint private or otherwise tightly restricted rather than exposing it broadly to the public Internet.
Check who can change the cluster
- Review which identities can create, read, update, or delete resources, especially secrets, roles, role bindings, and workloads.
- Remove stale users, service accounts, credentials, and integrations.
- Limit access to the API server and etcd to the clients and networks that need it.
2. Constrain pod-to-pod and external network traffic
Use a container network interface (CNI) plugin that implements Kubernetes NetworkPolicy; defining policies has no effect if the network plugin does not enforce them. A practical starting point is default-deny ingress and egress policies selecting all pods in each namespace, then adding only the flows each workload requires. Test policies against application dependencies before enforcing them, so legitimate service traffic is not accidentally blocked.
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Keep the kubelet API and etcd off the public Internet as well as restricting the Kubernetes API. Prevent pods from reaching cloud metadata APIs unless a documented workload requirement calls for it. Consider whether traffic between pods is encrypted by the CNI or by another layer; NetworkPolicy controls reachability, but does not by itself encrypt traffic.
What to assess in a network policy design
- Whether the CNI supports and enforces both ingress and egress policies.
- Whether policies cover all namespaces and workloads, including newly created pods.
- How in-cluster traffic encryption is provided, if required.
- Whether the rules are practical to maintain as services and dependencies change.
3. Reduce workload privilege and restrict deployment permissions
Apply an appropriate Pod Security Standard and use security contexts to remove unnecessary privileges. Run application containers as non-root where feasible, and avoid granting host-level access unless a workload has a specific, reviewed need. Separate workloads with different trust levels into distinct namespaces or other suitable boundaries where practical.
Do not treat permission to create a pod as harmless. Kubernetes warns that users who can create pods may be able to gain broad access to schedulable nodes unless additional admission controls constrain what they can run. Limit who can create, update, or patch workloads, and pair role-based access control (RBAC) with admission controls and Pod Security enforcement. Review deployment integrations for permissions that bypass these boundaries.
Review before allowing a workload to run
- Confirm the submitting identity is authorized for that namespace and workload type.
- Enforce the chosen Pod Security Standard and required security-context settings.
- Check whether the workload requests node, host, or other elevated access and whether that access is justified.
4. Protect Kubernetes Secrets, storage, and backups
Kubernetes Secret values are base64-encoded, not encrypted by that encoding. By default, Secret data is stored unencrypted in etcd unless encryption at rest is configured. Enable encryption at rest, tightly restrict who can get, watch, or list Secrets, and do not commit Secret manifests to source repositories or share them as ordinary files.
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Backups need protection independent of production. Encrypt backup data and avoid relying solely on the same identities and systems that an attacker could compromise in the cluster. CISA recommends offline encrypted backups and regular integrity and recovery testing. An offline copy can reduce the chance that a compromise with access to production also reaches the recovery copy.
Choose backup safeguards against your recovery needs
- Check encryption, retention, and whether backup access is isolated from production credentials.
- Verify that restore tests demonstrate usable data and working recovery procedures, not merely successful backup jobs.
- Assess immutable storage in context: CISA identifies it as a possible safeguard, while noting potential configuration and compliance concerns.
5. Control what enters the cluster
Define which images and deployment sources are permitted, who may deploy them, and where they may run. Protect the image and cluster-component supply chain, and use cryptographic identity checks for image artifacts where applicable. These controls reduce exposure to vulnerable or compromised software being introduced into the environment; they do not replace access control or runtime safeguards.
Continuous image scanning, private repositories, and sandboxing are also highlighted in CNCF’s 2022 summary of NSA and CISA Kubernetes hardening guidance. Use that summary as supplemental context and consult the original hardening guide for implementation details.
Make deployment decisions explicit
- Identify approved image sources and the identities allowed to deploy.
- Apply deployment restrictions by namespace or workload trust context where appropriate.
- Use artifact identity verification where supported, and keep the process for approving exceptions clear.
6. Make compromise observable and contain credentials
Enable Kubernetes audit logging and archive audit records on a secure server. Logs are useful only if they remain accessible and trustworthy during a degraded incident, so protect their storage and access separately from ordinary cluster workloads. Confirm that the records needed for investigation are being retained and can be retrieved by the incident response team.
Rotate infrastructure credentials and keep credential lifetimes short where feasible. Revoke bootstrap credentials once their setup purpose is complete. Include service accounts, deployment systems, and other integrations in credential reviews rather than focusing only on human logins.
Verify the incident evidence path
- Confirm audit events are reaching the intended archive.
- Restrict who can alter or delete the archived records.
- Ensure responders know how to access logs and revoke affected credentials.
7. Practice recovery and incident response
Identify the data, services, and dependencies that must be restored, then test availability, integrity, and restoration in a disaster-recovery scenario. A successful backup job does not prove that an application can be recovered. CISA warns that ransomware may seek accessible backups, which is why offline copies, encryption, and regular recovery tests matter.
Maintain and exercise an incident response and communications plan. Include decisions about isolating affected workloads or systems, protecting remaining credentials and backups, and coordinating recovery. Make sure the people responsible for restoration can locate the necessary backup data and follow the recovery procedure under realistic conditions.
What a useful restore test should establish
- The required backup copy is accessible to authorized responders and isolated from routine production access.
- Restored data passes integrity checks and critical services can be brought back with their dependencies.
- The response team can follow the procedure and communicate decisions during a simulated incident.
How to apply the seven steps to your environment
Kubernetes’ Security Checklist cautions that “Checklists are not sufficient for attaining a good security posture on their own.” Treat these steps as a way to find gaps, not as a guarantee against ransomware. Review provider-specific defaults, the CNI’s actual enforcement behavior, workload requirements, and applicable compliance obligations before changing controls. Prioritize protections that prevent a single compromised identity or reachable system from affecting the cluster, its data, and its recovery copies together.
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