The Tool Desk
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Know what each evidence source can tell you
A Kubernetes node audit is not complete if it relies on a single log stream. The API server, the node operating system, the cloud or identity provider, and the kubelet each expose different parts of the timeline.
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| Evidence source | Useful for | Does not establish by itself |
|---|---|---|
| Kubernetes API audit logs | Reviewing API-mediated requests and changes recorded while audit logging was enabled and records were retained. | Whether someone accessed the kubelet directly, edited a host file, changed a local service, or altered node credentials. |
| Host authentication, privilege, file, service, and process records | Investigating OS logins, privilege escalation, changes to node files or services, and suspicious execution—if the relevant collection was enabled and the records are trustworthy. | All Kubernetes API activity or events that were not captured by the host’s monitoring. |
| Cloud, identity-provider, network, and firewall records | Corroborating who accessed the provider’s node-management mechanisms and which identities or network paths were involved. | The exact state of every file or process on the node. |
Direct access to the kubelet API is not subject to admission control and is not logged by Kubernetes audit logging. Kubernetes also warns that kubelet HTTPS endpoints can expose sensitive data and powerful operations. Treat a gap in API audit records as missing visibility, not proof that no access occurred.
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Before deciding what is unexpected, identify the node’s provider, Kubernetes version, operating-system image, container runtime, node identity, and intended role. Record which configuration and workloads are approved for that role.
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- Obtain the expected kubelet configuration, service unit and startup arguments, static Pod manifest source, and host security policy from a trusted source.
- Use source-controlled configuration, trusted image records, and clean peer nodes of the same role as comparison points. Do not treat the potentially affected node as its own authority.
- Record which privileged workloads and node-management integrations are approved, including their expected host access.
- Confirm provider- and distribution-specific paths and defaults before interpreting a file or setting. There is no universal path or forensic baseline that applies across all Kubernetes platforms.
Find who can become root or control the host
Review operating-system access
Inventory administrator accounts, SSH and console access, sudo policy, and the provider’s supported node-access mechanisms. Compare both the principals and their authorized purposes with the trusted baseline. Use host authentication and privilege-escalation records to check for access that was not expected, where those records are available.
Trace Kubernetes permissions to their principals
Review RoleBindings and ClusterRoleBindings and trace sensitive grants to the users or service accounts that receive them. Pay particular attention to permissions that can expose or control node resources:
nodes/proxypermissions: do not treatgetas harmless read-only access. Kubernetes warns that these permissions can authorize kubelet endpoints capable of executing commands in containers, and thatgetcan authorize WebSocket endpoints.- Permissions to create Pods on sensitive nodes, or to run privileged workloads or workloads with host-mounted paths.
- Access to kubelet configuration, node-management integrations, or other mechanisms that can change host state.
For each grant, establish why it exists and whether the principal still needs it. Review the exact verbs and subresources rather than relying on a role’s name to infer its effect.
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Check kubelet authentication, authorization, and reachability
Examine the kubelet’s effective runtime configuration and startup arguments using the method supported by the node’s distribution or provider. Confirm the settings actually in force; do not assume a default or a familiar file path applies.
- Check anonymous authentication and the configured authentication and authorization modes. Kubernetes documents
--anonymous-auth=falseas a way to reject unauthenticated requests, and webhook authorization as a way to delegate authorization checks to the API server. - Verify client CA or webhook configuration as applicable, and restrict the kubelet port to trusted network sources.
- Confirm that the unauthenticated read-only port is disabled.
- Compare these settings with the approved configuration for nodes of the same platform and role; investigate unexplained differences.
Kubernetes states that production clusters should enable kubelet authentication and authorization. The security of a particular node depends on its effective configuration and network exposure, not merely on the existence of a cluster-wide policy.
Verify the kubelet’s identity and authorization boundary
Check that the kubelet presents the expected node identity, system:node:<nodeName>, in the system:nodes group. Confirm that the API server uses Node authorization where appropriate and that NodeRestriction is enabled to limit kubelet writes to its own Node object and Pods bound to that node.
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These protections are version- and configuration-dependent. The Kubernetes v1.36 Node Authorization documentation describes Node Authorization as stable since v1.34; verify the documentation and settings for the cluster’s actual release rather than assuming every deployment has the same boundary.
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Static Pod manifests
Inspect the configured static Pod manifest directory, its parent directories, and any source from which manifests are supplied. Look for unfamiliar manifests, unexpected content or metadata changes, altered ownership or permissions, and unauthorized remote manifest URLs. Compare findings with trusted configuration and deployment records.
A user who can write to the manifest source can add or alter static Pods outside ordinary API management. Kubernetes also warns that static Pods may run even when they are not registered in the API in certain admission-failure cases, so an API inventory alone may miss relevant host-side state.
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Container runtime sockets and host mounts
Check runtime socket ownership and permissions, and identify workloads that mount the socket or broad host paths. Kubernetes recommends tightly controlling filesystem access to runtime sockets—ideally limiting it to root—and restricting hostPath mounts that expose a socket. Unexpected access to a runtime socket can provide a route to container control and should be investigated in the context of the workload that received it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Correlate records and preserve evidence
Build a timeline across the node and the control plane instead of treating one unexplained change as a complete account. Compare events and identities across:
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- Kubernetes API audit logs, if enabled and retained.
- Identity-provider and cloud control-plane records.
- OS authentication and privilege-escalation logs.
- Service-manager events and file-integrity records.
- Process or command telemetry, plus network-flow and firewall records.
Preserve relevant records outside the node and follow incident-response procedures before rebooting, upgrading, or replacing a suspected node. Kubernetes recommends enabling audit logging and archiving audit files on a secure server; that protects API evidence but does not close the direct-kubelet audit gap.
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Compare like-for-like nodes and assess anomalies
Compare nodes with the same role and platform version. A difference is a lead to explain, not proof of compromise. Use a focused comparison so that expected provider or role differences do not become false alarms.
- Effective kubelet authentication, authorization, and network exposure.
- Node and NodeRestriction authorization configuration, plus RBAC subjects and node subresource permissions.
- Static Pod manifest path, source, contents, ownership, and permissions.
- Kubelet service arguments and configuration integrity.
- Runtime socket permissions, hostPath exposure, and privileged workload inventory.
- OS accounts, sudo policy, SSH or console access, and recent file, package, process, and network changes.
Explain each material difference against approved configuration and corroborating records. If the node may be compromised, preserve evidence and use the organization’s incident-response process rather than treating an isolated configuration comparison as a verdict.
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