Kubernetes security is becoming a more critical part of your attack surface as business operations continue to shift to containerized cloud-based apps.
In multi-cloud deployments, Kubernetes is the orchestrator that allows you to deploy and execute containers in various environments without friction, whether you use AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, or your data center.
In a hybrid setup, it’s more like mixing the best of two worlds—public and private clouds—without necessarily choosing between them. Kubernetes harmonizes everything in one coherent way, ensuring applications are always available and up where and when they’re supposed to be.
However, while Kubernetes is very effective, it can be challenging to control its size and complexity because it requires you to synchronize and deal with a large number of systems at once.
For instance, just the number of microservices and containers in the system means a lot of moving parts, and each of them could be an avenue for a hacker should they not be secured. Add multi-cloud and hybrid environments to the mix, and now you have different Kubernetes security policies and protocols from cloud to cloud, which makes it harder to enforce uniform protection across the board.
In this article, we’ll discuss the risks that come with a Kubernetes environment, how they can impact your cloud-hosted data, and the best ways to protect both your Kubernetes setup and cloud data.
Why Kubernetes Environments are Attractive to Attackers
Attackers love complex systems because there’s always room for gaps, misconfigurations, or weak points. And let’s face it, Kubernetes is an attractive target for a cyber attack because it often runs mission-critical workloads in a cloud environment. And those workloads hold sensitive data or processes that cybercriminals are keen to exploit.
Below are some of the common attacks that affect Kubernetes environments:
- API exploitation:
Kubernetes relies heavily on APIs for communication between nodes, pods, and other components. If those APIs aren’t secured, attackers can easily exploit them to gain unauthorized access.
- Privilege escalation through misconfigured RBAC
Kubernetes has a steep learning curve, and a lot of organizations leave their systems vulnerable due to simple configuration mistakes like exposing too many privileges or failing to restrict access. Misconfigured Kubernetes clusters can let attackers execute arbitrary code, gain control over containers, or manipulate system settings.
- Supply Chain Compromises
In Kubernetes, you’re constantly pulling in different images and dependencies from different sources. If any of those components are compromised or not properly vetted, an attacker can sneak in malicious code during the build process.
- Unsecured Kubelet and etcd Access
If you don’t secure the Kubelet (an agent that runs on each node in your Kubernetes cluster), attackers can send requests directly to the nodes and gain control over the containers running on them. The same goes for the etcd database, which is even more sensitive since it stores all your Kubernetes configuration and secrets. Leaving either of them exposed is like giving attackers the keys to your entire cluster. They might even execute commands, extract data, or load malicious images — all without needing cluster-wide access.
- Lateral Movement via Open Network Policies
Lateral movement happens when attackers gain access to one pod and move sideways through your cluster to compromise others. This attack usually occurs when you don’t set strict network policies, thereby prompting Kubernetes to allow unrestricted communication between pods. This open setup makes it easy for attackers to explore and exploit other parts of your system.
A real-world Kubernetes cyber attack
In January 2024, Researchers at Orca Security discovered a vulnerability in Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) where admins mistakenly gave high-level access to the system:authenticated group, which includes any Google account, not just company users.
This mistake exposed many clusters to attacks, allowing outsiders to access data like AWS credentials, private container registries, critical internal services, etc. Although Google released updates to block this misconfiguration in newer versions, the risk remains for older clusters unless permissions are properly managed.
Another notorious Kubernetes attack occurred in 2018, when Tesla’s administrative console was exposed to the internet without any password protection. This unprotected access allowed attackers to infiltrate Tesla’s infrastructure and deploy crypto-mining containers. These containers consumed massive amounts of computing power, leading to the draining of Tesla’s cloud credits.
How to Protect Kubernetes and Cloud Data
Here are some best practices to protect your Kubernetes and cloud data from malicious threats.
- Implement zero trust security:
Adopting a zero-trust security model is one of the most effective ways to protect Kubernetes and cloud data. This approach assumes that no entity, whether inside or outside your network, can be trusted by default. You’ll need to verify every request for access to resources. This practice ensures users and devices are authenticated and authorized.
To enforce zero trust, you can use multi-factor authentication (MFA), strong encryption, and continuous monitoring to ensure that only legitimate users and services can interact with your system. By treating every request as potentially malicious, you mitigate the risk of internal or external threats compromising your cloud data.
- Perform regular container image scanning:
To reduce the risk of vulnerabilities being introduced into your Kubernetes clusters, you need to regularly scan your container images for security flaws before deployment. You can also use container image scanning tools to identify known vulnerabilities, outdated dependencies, or misconfigurations in your container images. This proactive step ensures that your containers do not carry unpatched vulnerabilities, which attackers could exploit. Configure this process to run automatically before the system deploys images into your CI/CD pipeline.
- Use Network Segmentation:
Network segmentation is a known cybersecurity best practice that helps limit the impact of a security breach by isolating different parts of your infrastructure. This process helps you contain potential attacks and prevent lateral movement between parts of your system.
In Kubernetes environments, network segmentation means isolating sensitive workloads and data from less critical components. This process enforces communication rules through network policies, which helps define which services can interact with each other. This way, even if an attacker gains access to one part of your network, they will be unable to easily move through your entire infrastructure.
- Enforce Role-Based Access Control (RBAC):
Enforcing RBAC in your Kubernetes environment ensures that only authorized users or services can access specific resources or perform certain actions. By defining roles with precise permissions and assigning them to users or service accounts, you apply the principle of least privilege—granting users access only to what’s necessary for their tasks.
- Enable Continuous Monitoring and Threat Detection:
To proactively detect and respond to threats, you must enable continuous monitoring of your Kubernetes clusters and cloud environments. By implementing real-time monitoring tools, you can track activity logs, network traffic, and system metrics to identify suspicious behaviors or signs of a breach.
Using threat detection tools that use machine learning or behavioral analytics will automatically alert you to anomalies that might indicate an attack or misconfiguration. Coupled with automated incident response capabilities, continuous monitoring allows you to quickly contain threats and minimize their impact on your cloud data and infrastructure.
Secure Kubernetes, Safe Cloud Data
Securing your Kubernetes environment is a smart step toward keeping your cloud data safe. With the right configurations, access controls, and monitoring tools, you can prevent many of the common Kubernetes vulnerabilities that lead to data breaches.
Remember, the more intentional you are about your Kubernetes security, the more confident you’ll feel running workloads in the cloud.
So take the time now to lock things down—it’ll pay off in peace of mind later.
