Profile Applicability:

  • Level 1

Description:
 The --anonymous-auth argument in Kubernetes controls whether the API server allows anonymous requests. Setting this argument to false ensures that only authenticated users can access the API server, enhancing the security posture by preventing unauthorized access.

Rationale:
 Disabling anonymous authentication prevents unauthorized users from accessing sensitive cluster resources. It helps enforce authentication for all users and supports compliance with security best practices.

Impact:

  • Pros:

    • Ensures that all users are authenticated before accessing Kubernetes resources.

    • Prevents unauthorized access to sensitive cluster data.

    • Improves overall security posture by enforcing strict access controls.

  • Cons:

    • Potential impact on services relying on anonymous access if not properly configured.

    • Requires proper configuration of authentication mechanisms.

Default Value:
 By default, Kubernetes may allow anonymous access to the API server if not explicitly disabled.

Pre-requisites:

  • Ensure that appropriate authentication methods (e.g., certificate-based authentication) are set up and configured for the Kubernetes API server.

Remediation

Test Plan:

Using Azure Console:

  1. Navigate to the Kubernetes cluster configuration in the AWS Management Console.

  2. Check the kube-apiserver configuration to verify that the --anonymous-auth argument is set to false.

Using Azure CLI:

  1. Verify the --anonymous-auth setting in the Kubernetes API server configuration using the following command:

    kubectl get pod -n kube-system -l component=kube-apiserver -o yaml | grep -i "anonymous-auth"

Implementation Plan:

Using AWS Console:

  1. Access the Kubernetes API server settings from the AWS Management Console.

  2. Modify the configuration for the kube-apiserver to set --anonymous-auth=false.

Using Azure CLI:

  1. Edit the Kubernetes API server arguments using the Azure CLI or the cloud-specific CLI tool (if applicable):

     kubectl edit cm kube-apiserver -n kube-system

Backout Plan:

Using Azure Console:

  1. If the change causes issues, revert the configuration by setting the --anonymous-auth argument back to true.

Using Azure CLI:

  1. To revert the change, edit the Kubernetes API server arguments again:

     kubectl edit cm kube-apiserver -n kube-system


    • Set --anonymous-auth=true if needed.

References:

  1. Kubernetes API Server Authentication Documentation:

  2. Kubernetes Security Best Practices: