Kubernetes Security: Broken Authentication Mechanisms
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Introduction
Moving on with the same topic of “Kubernetes Security,” we are going to talk about the authentication issues that are currently present in Kubernetes. When referring to a user’s access to a resource that is hosted either in the cloud or on-premises, the term “authentication” refers to the process of providing evidence that the user in question is who they claim to be. Take, for instance, the scenario in which an employee is accessing an organisation resource while working remotely and said person is using SSH to access the server in question. Therefore, first, he will be required to provide his credentials (username and password), and only if those credentials are legitimate would he be able to access the critical areas of the corporation.
If the authentication system in Kubernetes is not properly established, there is a significant threat to the cluster as well as other cloud resources. Due to the fact that authentication on Kubernetes resources is incredibly versatile and can be used in several distinct scenarios, it can be difficult to successfully design adequate authentication.
How does authentication perform in Kubernetes?
When using Kubernetes, users or services are required to authenticate themselves before gaining access to any of the system’s resources. The authentication process is handled primarily by the Kubernetes API, and the authentication method, which may be an HTTP request or another method, varies depending on the cluster. Access is granted to only those authentication requests that are valid; all other authentication attempts are turned down with a status code of 401. API servers typically do a request validation for every request that they get and provide two different authentication methods.
Human Authentication
Users may desire access to the resources on Kubernetes for a variety of reasons, including when a developer needs to debug their application, when platform engineers who designed or test the infrastructure, and so on. Because there are no…
