Security in Kubernetes is not optional — it's critical. In this comprehensive guide, I cover 10 essential security practices that every DevOps engineer should implement.
1. Implement Proper RBAC Policies
Role-Based Access Control is the foundation of Kubernetes security. Start with the principle of least privilege.
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: Role
metadata:
namespace: production
name: app-reader
rules:
- apiGroups: [""]
resources: ["pods", "services"]
verbs: ["get", "list"]Never use cluster-admin unless absolutely necessary. Create namespace-scoped roles whenever possible.
2. Use Pod Security Standards
Enable Pod Security Admission to enforce security standards at the namespace level. Use the 'restricted' profile for production workloads.
Pod Security Standards replaced the older Pod Security Policies. They provide three levels: Privileged, Baseline, and Restricted.
— Kubernetes documentation