| name | cis-aks-v180-3.2.3 |
| description | Ensure that the --client-ca-file argument is set as appropriate (Automated) |
| category | cis-aks |
| version | 1.8.0 |
| author | cyberstrike-official |
| tags | ["cis","aks","kubernetes","azure","kubelet","authentication","client-ca-file","tls"] |
| cis_id | 3.2.3 |
| cis_benchmark | CIS Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) Benchmark v1.8.0 |
| tech_stack | ["kubernetes","azure","aks"] |
| cwe_ids | [] |
| chains_with | [] |
| prerequisites | [] |
| severity_boost | {} |
3.2.3 Ensure that the --client-ca-file argument is set as appropriate (Automated)
Profile Applicability
Description
Enable Kubelet authentication using certificates.
Rationale
The connections from the apiserver to the kubelet are used for fetching logs for pods, attaching (through kubectl) to running pods, and using the kubelet's port-forwarding functionality. These connections terminate at the kubelet's HTTPS endpoint. By default, the apiserver does not verify the kubelet's serving certificate, which makes the connection subject to man-in-the-middle attacks, and unsafe to run over untrusted and/or public networks. Enabling Kubelet certificate authentication ensures that the apiserver could authenticate the Kubelet before submitting any requests.
Impact
You require TLS to be configured on apiserver as well as kubelets.
Audit Procedure
Audit Method 1:
If using a Kubelet configuration file, check that there is an entry for "x509": {"clientCAFile:" set to the location of the client certificate authority file.
First, SSH to the relevant node:
Run the following command on each node to find the appropriate Kubelet config file:
ps -ef | grep kubelet
The output of the above command should return something similar to --config /etc/kubernetes/kubelet/kubelet-config.json which is the location of the Kubelet config file.
Open the Kubelet config file:
sudo more /etc/kubernetes/kubelet/kubelet-config.json
Verify that the "x509": {"clientCAFile:" argument exists and is set to the location of the client certificate authority file.
If the "x509": {"clientCAFile:" argument is not present, check that there is a Kubelet config file specified by --config, and that the file sets "authentication": { "x509": {"clientCAFile:" to the location of the client certificate authority file.
Audit Method 2:
If using the api configz endpoint consider searching for the status of authentication..x509":("clientCAFile":"/etc/kubernetes/pki/ca.crt by extracting the live configuration from the nodes running kubelet.
Set the local proxy port and the following variables and provide proxy port number and node name; HOSTNAME_PORT="localhost-and-port-number" NODE_NAME="The-Name-Of-Node-To-Extract-Configuration" from the output of
