An Introduction to Kubernetes Security using KubeArmor

Basics of Kubernetes security monitoring and how to set up KubeArmor on Kubernetes

Kubernetes, often abbreviated as “K8s”, orchestrates containerized applications to run on a cluster of hosts. The K8s system automates the deployment and management of cloud-native applications Kubernetes security In recent times organizations are migrating from on-premise to cloud, owing to the multi-dimensional nature of today’s cloud-native technology landscape. Due to this, it is easier than ever to build and deploy application environments quickly through containerization which has resulted in 45.6% of enterprises to use Kubernetes in their production environments, it is important for us to know how to secure it.

Let’s Talk about why it is difficult

According to this analysis, security is one of the hardest challenges of running Kubernetes. There are numerous moving layers in the cloud-native stack, hence we may not focus on security early on. By default, some distributions of Kubernetes may not secure.

Why Kubernetes Security Needs a Runtime-First Approach

Kubernetes security is challenging because each pod and container is a separate platform, similar to a Linux or Windows system, and is only as secure as the policies applied to it. While Kubernetes provides basic isolation with individual pod IPs, additional measures are needed to enforce security at runtime.

A runtime-first approach ensures that security policies are continuously monitored and applied while containers are running. Tools like KubeArmor automatically detect policy changes and enforce them on containers without human intervention. This approach helps prevent unauthorized actions, generates container-aware audit logs, and protects workloads in real time, reducing risks from misconfigurations or malicious activity.

Common Kubernetes Security Gaps in Production Environments

Despite Kubernetes’ powerful orchestration capabilities, many production environments still face significant security gaps. Some common issues include:

• Incomplete network policies: Pods may have unrestricted communication, increasing the risk of lateral movement.
• Weak access controls: Misconfigured RBAC or namespace policies can allow unauthorized access to sensitive resources.
• Insufficient runtime enforcement: Without continuous monitoring, containers may execute prohibited processes or perform unauthorized actions.
• Limited visibility: Audit logs and system events are often scattered, making it difficult to detect policy violations or security incidents.

Addressing these gaps requires runtime-first security tools like KubeArmor, which enforce policies, restrict container behavior, and provide detailed audit logs for effective monitoring and compliance.

Prevention and Detection

This has unfolded rampant increase in cyber attacks on the cloud. To mitigate this, we have to secure all the pods and containers which are simple platforms just like Windows or Linux or a MySQL database and are only as secure as you make it. There are some flaws in every system, including Kubernetes and Docker, but these security issues are caused directly or indirectly by the users and their applications. Kubernetes provides each pod in a cluster its own IP address and consequently, IP-based security is required. Moreover, cluster security demands:

• Network policies
• Access policies for individual pods
• RBAC and namespace access policies, etc

KubeArmor is an open-source tool that was created by AccuKnox and is available on GitHub. It will operate with LSMs (Linux security modules) allowing it to run on top of any Linux platforms such as Alpine, Ubuntu, and Container-optimized OS from Google. KubeArmor will automatically detect the changes in security policies and it will be imposed on the respective containers without any human intervention. If there are any violations against security policies, KubeArmor immediately generates audit logs with container identities. KubeArmor provides a relay service that can be connected to if the user wants to connect the KubeArmor feeds for SIEM integration.

Functionalities of KubeArmor include:

• Restricting the behavior of containers at the system level
• Enforcing security policies to containers in runtime
• Produce container-aware audit logs
• Provide easy-to-use semantics for policy definitions

Key Considerations Before Deploying KubeArmor

Before deploying KubeArmor on your Kubernetes cluster, it’s important to plan carefully to ensure effective security enforcement:

• Kubernetes Setup: Ensure you have a fully functional cluster, whether on a cloud provider like GCP or locally via Minikube.
• Namespace and Permissions: Deploy KubeArmor in the kube-system namespace to grant it the rights to monitor all system events.
• Policy Planning: Define security policies clearly, such as which processes or file operations should be blocked in specific containers.
• Audit Integration: Decide how audit logs will be collected and integrated with your existing monitoring or SIEM systems.
• Testing and Validation: Test policies in a staging environment before enforcing them in production to avoid accidental disruptions.

Considering these factors ensures that KubeArmor is deployed securely, efficiently, and in alignment with your organization’s compliance and security requirements.

Setting KubeArmor up on Kubernetes

Prerequisite: We need a working Kubernetes setup for this. We can use a cloud Kubernetes offering GCP or set yourself locally using minikube. If you are using minikube then we also require kubectl. The daemon-set has to be installed as part of the kube-system namespace thus giving it the rights to watch all the system events.

Commands to install:

Step #1: Deploy KubeArmor for GKE:

With this KubeArmor should be running, to verify, you will see the pods you created in a moment.

Before applying the security policy to the container or pod the annotations should be added to the deployment, under the metadata Sample deployment with annotations.

An example of a security policy that is to block a process execution of the sleep command would be when you apply the policy it will block this particular command, we can get the audit logs of that security policy.

KubeArmor Security Policy to block sleep command in containers during runtime.

Find more about this on
Sample deployment of Multiubuntu with KubeArmor.

Conclusion

In this blog, we looked at the basics of Kubernetes security monitoring and how to set up the KubeArmor on Kubernetes which automatically detects the changes in security policies and enforces them on the respective containers without any human intervention, and sends the audit logs to their system admins.

Now you can protect your workloads in minutes using AccuKnox, it is available to protect your Kubernetes and other cloud workloads using Kernel Native Primitives such as AppArmor, SELinux, and eBPF.

Let us know if you are seeking additional guidance in planning your
cloud security program.

FAQ

Why is Kubernetes security considered difficult?

Kubernetes has multiple moving layers, distributed workloads, and dynamic pods, making it challenging to secure without continuous monitoring and policy enforcement.

What type of security does KubeArmor provide?

KubeArmor enforces runtime security policies on containers, restricts system-level behaviors, and generates container-aware audit logs for compliance and threat detection.

How is KubeArmor different from traditional Kubernetes security tools?

Unlike static security tools, KubeArmor operates at runtime, automatically detecting policy violations and enforcing controls without manual intervention.

Does KubeArmor require changes to application code?

No, KubeArmor works at the container and system level, so applications can run as-is without any code modifications.

Can KubeArmor integrate with existing security and monitoring tools?

Yes, KubeArmor provides a relay service that allows integration with SIEM, logging, and other observability platforms to centralize security monitoring.