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Security-First Implementation

Overview

Security Emphasis

This learning path prioritizes security at every step, ensuring your implementation adheres to security best practices, follows the principle of least privilege, and incorporates defense-in-depth strategies.

This learning path guides you through implementing Kube CINC Secure Scanner with security as the primary focus. By following this path, you will create a highly secure implementation that balances security requirements with operational needs.

Time to complete: 90-120 minutes

Target audience: Security professionals, DevSecOps engineers, Compliance officers

Security risk: 🟢 Low - Focuses on security-enhancing implementation patterns

Security approach: Implements defense-in-depth strategy with layered security controls, least-privilege access management, and secure-by-design principles

Security Architecture

Understanding Permission Layers

A security-first implementation requires careful management of multiple permission layers:

1. Cluster Administrator Permissions * Control: Installation of core components and management of cluster-wide resources * Risk area: Over-provisioned admin accounts could compromise the entire cluster * Mitigation: Use dedicated service accounts for administration with time-limited credentials

2. Namespace-Level Security Controls * Control: Isolation between different scanning operations and target resources * Risk area: Cross-namespace access could lead to privilege escalation * Mitigation: Implement strict namespace boundaries with proper RBAC and network policies

3. Container Scanner Permissions * Control: Scanner's ability to access and evaluate container content * Risk area: Scanner credentials could be exposed if not properly managed * Mitigation: Generate ephemeral, single-use credentials scoped to specific containers

Prerequisites

  • Basic understanding of Kubernetes security concepts
  • Familiarity with RBAC and Kubernetes security controls
  • Completed the New User Guide or equivalent experience
  • Administrative access to a Kubernetes cluster

Learning Path Steps

Step 1: Security Principles Assessment

Security Consideration

Understanding the security principles before implementation ensures your design decisions align with security best practices.

  1. Review the security principles documentation:
  2. Security Principles Overview
  3. Least Privilege Principle
  4. Ephemeral Credentials
  5. Resource Isolation

  6. Secure Transport

  7. Complete the security assessment checklist:

  8. Identify sensitive data flows in your environment
  9. Document security boundaries and trust zones
  10. Define minimum required permissions for scanner operation
  11. Determine isolation requirements for your environment

Estimated time: 20 minutes

Success criteria: Completed security assessment checklist with documented security requirements.

Step 2: Secure Configuration Planning

Security Consideration

Properly configured RBAC is critical for maintaining the principle of least privilege and preventing unauthorized access.

  1. Design your RBAC configuration:
  2. Review RBAC Configuration and Label-Based RBAC
  3. Create roles with minimum necessary permissions

  4. Consider using namespace isolation

  5. Plan service account configuration:

  6. Review Service Accounts
  7. Document service account requirements

  8. Consider time-limited tokens

  9. Review kubeconfig security:

  10. Kubeconfig Security
  11. Dynamic Kubeconfig Generation

Estimated time: 25 minutes

Success criteria: Documented RBAC plan, service account strategy, and kubeconfig security controls.

Step 3: Secure Deployment

Security Consideration

Implement defense-in-depth by applying security controls at each layer of your deployment.

  1. Create dedicated namespaces for scanner components:
1
kubectl create namespace scanner-system
  1. Apply RBAC configurations:
1
2
# Apply your custom RBAC configuration or use the provided template
kubectl apply -f kubernetes/templates/rbac.yaml
  1. Deploy using Helm with security-focused values:
  2. Review Helm Security Best Practices
  3. Deploy scanner infrastructure with security hardening:
1
2
cd helm-charts
helm install scanner-infra scanner-infrastructure/ --values scanner-infrastructure/examples/values-production.yaml
  1. Verify security controls:
1
2
# Verify RBAC
kubectl auth can-i --as=system:serviceaccount:scanner-system:scanner list pods

Estimated time: 30 minutes

Success criteria: Scanner deployed with RBAC, namespace isolation, and security hardening measures.

Step 4: Security Testing and Validation

Security Consideration

Validate security controls to ensure they're effective and identify any gaps that need to be addressed.

  1. Perform security testing:
  2. Test RBAC boundaries
  3. Verify namespace isolation

  4. Attempt to access scanner from unauthorized contexts

  5. Run security scan with thresholds:

1
./kubernetes-scripts/scan-container.sh scanner-system scanner-pod scanner-container examples/cinc-profiles/container-baseline examples/thresholds/strict.yml

  1. Review scan results and security indicators.

  2. Document security posture and any identified gaps.

Estimated time: 25 minutes

Success criteria: Validated security controls and documented security posture.

Security Considerations

This section provides a comprehensive overview of security considerations:

  • Network Security:

    • Use network policies to restrict communication between components
    • Implement TLS for all communications
    • Consider using service mesh for additional security controls

  • Credential Management:

    • Use short-lived credentials whenever possible
    • Rotate service account tokens regularly
    • Store sensitive configuration in Kubernetes Secrets

  • Monitoring and Auditing:

    • Enable audit logging for scanner activities
    • Monitor for unauthorized access attempts
    • Implement alerting for security-relevant events

  • Compliance Controls:

    • Document how implementation meets compliance requirements
    • Maintain evidence of security controls for audits
    • Establish regular security review process

Compliance Relevance

This learning path helps address the following compliance requirements:

  • Kubernetes STIG - Implements controls aligned with DISA Kubernetes STIG requirements
  • CIS Benchmarks - Follows CIS Kubernetes Benchmark recommendations
  • NIST 800-53 - Addresses Access Control (AC), Audit and Accountability (AU), and System and Information Integrity (SI) controls
  • DoD 8500.01 - Supports implementation of security controls required by DoD directives

Next Steps

After completing this learning path, consider: