cis-ocp-v170-1-2-2

name	cis-ocp-v170-1.2.2
description	Ensure that the --basic-auth-file argument is not set (Manual)
category	cis-openshift
version	1.7.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["cis","openshift","kubernetes","redhat","control-plane","api-server"]
cis_id	1.2.2
cis_benchmark	CIS Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform Benchmark v1.7.0
tech_stack	["kubernetes","openshift","redhat"]
cwe_ids	[]
chains_with	[]
prerequisites	[]
severity_boost	{}

CIS Red Hat OpenShift Container Platform Benchmark v1.7.0 - Control 1.2.2

Profile Applicability

• Level: 1

Description

Do not use basic authentication.

Rationale

Basic authentication uses plaintext credentials for authentication. Currently, the basic authentication credentials last indefinitely, and the password cannot be changed without restarting the API server. The basic authentication is currently supported for convenience. Hence, basic authentication should not be used.

Impact

OpenShift uses tokens and certificates for authentication.

Audit Procedure

OpenShift provides its own fully integrated authentication and authorization mechanism. The apiserver is protected by either requiring an OAuth token issued by the platform's integrated OAuth server or signed certificates. The basic-auth-file method is not enabled in OpenShift.

Run the following command:

oc -n openshift-kube-apiserver get cm config -o yaml | grep --color "basic-auth"
oc -n openshift-apiserver get cm config -o yaml | grep --color "basic-auth"
oc get clusteroperator authentication

Verify that the --basic-auth-file argument does not exist. Verify that the authentication-operator is running: Available is True.

Remediation

None required. --basic-auth-file cannot be configured on OpenShift.

Default Value

By default, --basic-auth-file argument is not set and OAuth authentication is configured.

References

1. https://docs.openshift.com/container-platform/4.5/authentication/configuring-internal-oauth.html
2. https://docs.openshift.com/container-platform/4.5/authentication/understanding-authentication.html
3. https://docs.openshift.com/container-platform/4.5/operators/operator-reference.html#cluster-authentication-operator_red-hat-operators
4. https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/command-line-tools-reference/kube-apiserver/
5. https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/access-authn-authz/authentication/#static-password-file