# Ensure EKS Secrets Encrypted

- Source: https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/articles/62000218687-ensure-eks-secrets-encrypted
- Section: [Solutions](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions) › [Security Controls](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/62000065178) › [AWS Services](https://support.icompaas.com/support/solutions/folders/62000097507)
- Last updated: 2026-05-29
- Publisher: iCompaas, Inc. (https://www.icompaas.com)

## **Description:**

Kubernetes is an open-source system for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications. Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS) is a managed service that can run Kubernetes on AWS without installing, operating, and maintaining your own Kubernetes control plane or nodes.

EKS supports encryption which contains the defense-in-depth security feature. Which can use envelope encryption of Kubernetes secrets in EKS with the help of a master key.

  

## **Rationale:**

When we encrypted the EKS Secrets we can say that it works on defense-in-depth. For the security best practice  Kubernetes secrets are encrypted using AWS Key Management Service (KMS) keys.

  

## **Impact:**

We encrypt the EKS secrets to protect our sensitive information, such as passwords or API keys from malicious attacks. Encrypt very large messages with very little transmitted data.

  

## **Default Value:**

By default EKS secret encryption is disabled.

  

### **Pre-Requisite:**

-   You need to create an IAM role for EKS.
    
-    You must have a KMS key to enable the secret encryption in Elastic Kubernetes Service.
    

  

  

## **Remediation:**

  

## **Test Plan:**

-   Login to AWS Management Console
    
-   Go to EKS dashboard at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/eks](https://console.aws.amazon.com/eks "https://console.aws.amazon.com/eks")
    
-   Choose a cluster you want to examine
    
-   Select the **Configuration** tab
    
-   In configuration go to the **Details** section
    
-   In the Details, section scroll down and you can see **secret encryption** either enable or disable as per policy it must be enabled if in case it is disabled then follow the implementation steps to enable it  
    ![](https://support.icompaas.com/assets/kb/21e4c719f38a7b8a.png)
    

  

### **Using AWS CLI:**

To describe a cluster

aws eks describe-cluster --cluster-name <name of cluster> 

  

### **Implementation Steps:**

-   Login to AWS Management Console
    
-   Go to EKS dashboard at [https://console.aws.amazon.com/eks](https://console.aws.amazon.com/eks "https://console.aws.amazon.com/eks")
    
-   Choose a cluster to enable encryption
    
-   Click on the **Configuration** tab  
    ![](https://support.icompaas.com/assets/kb/d7e160aa84c2c51a.png)
    
-   In configuration go to the **Details** section  
    ![](https://support.icompaas.com/assets/kb/f15299228afd7346.png)
    
-   In the Details section scroll down and go to **Secrets encryption** and click on enable button   
    ![](https://support.icompaas.com/assets/kb/0567e4cc6fc000f5.png) 
    
-   Select the KMS key which you have already contain in AWS KMS and then click on **Enable** button.  
    ![](https://support.icompaas.com/assets/kb/87c753fa3487803e.png)
    

  

### **Using AWS CLI:**

To encrypt the eks cluster

aws eks associate-encryption-config --cluster-name <name of cluster> \\
--encryption-config resources=<name of resource to encypt> \\
provider={keyArn=<Amazon Resource Name (ARN) or alias of the KMS key>}

  

## **Backout Plan:**

Secret Encryption once enables it cannot be modified or removed make sure implementation steps follow as per your organization's policy.

  

## **Reference:**

1.  [![](https://support.icompaas.com/assets/kb/6f515a10ce176679.png)](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/en_us/config/latest/developerguide/eks-secrets-encrypted.html)[eks-secrets-encrypted - Amazon Config](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/en_us/config/latest/developerguide/eks-secrets-encrypted.html) 
    
2.  [![](https://support.icompaas.com/assets/kb/8b392af1c07f1fef.png)associate-encryption-config — AWS CLI 1.20.9 Command Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/eks/associate-encryption-config.html)

## Related compliance guidance

- [SOC 2 compliance: a practical implementation guide for cloud-native SaaS teams](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/soc-2-trust-services-criteria): Configuration checks like this one are the technical half of a SOC 2 / ISO 27001 programme — the guide shows where they fit, what else an auditor expects, and how to evidence them.
- [ISO/IEC 27001:2022 compliance: a practical implementation guide](https://support.icompaas.com/compliance/iso-27001-2022): ISO 27001 Annex A.8 (technological controls) is where cloud hardening evidence lands; the guide shows how to run the ISMS around it.