Authorization in Kubernetes

Required knowledge for the CKS certification.

What is Authorization?

Authorization in Kubernetes determines whether a user, service account, or component is allowed to perform a specific action on a given resource. Once authentication verifies who you are, authorization ensures you have the necessary permissions to proceed.

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Types of Authorization Mechanisms in Kubernetes

Kubernetes supports multiple authorization mechanisms to control access and enforce policies effectively.

1. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Required knowledge for the CKS certification.

• Grants permissions based on Roles and RoleBindings.
  
• Defines who can do what within a namespace or cluster-wide.

# Example: Creating an RBAC Role and RoleBinding
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: Role
metadata:
  name: pod-reader
  namespace: default
rules:
  - apiGroups: [""]
    resources: ["pods"]
    verbs: ["get", "list", "watch"]

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apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: RoleBinding
metadata:
  name: pod-reader-binding
  namespace: default
subjects:
  - kind: User
    name: example-user
    apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
roleRef:
  kind: Role
  name: pod-reader
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io

Read more about RBAC

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2. Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)

• Uses policy files to define access rules.
  
• Provides fine-grained access control but lacks scalability compared to RBAC.

{
  "apiVersion": "abac.authorization.kubernetes.io/v1beta1",
  "kind": "Policy",
  "spec": {
    "user": "example-user",
    "namespace": "default",
    "resource": "pods",
    "readonly": true
  }
}

• Configure the API server to use ABAC:

kube-apiserver --authorization-policy-file=policy.json --authorization-mode=ABAC

Read more about ABAC

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3. Node Authorization

Required knowledge for the CKS certification.

• Allows Kubelets to access specific resources on behalf of nodes.
  
• Ensures nodes cannot modify objects outside their scope.

# Example: Node authorization rule for reading secrets
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: Role
metadata:
  name: node-reader
  namespace: kube-system
rules:
  - apiGroups: [""]
    resources: ["secrets"]
    verbs: ["get", "list"]

• API server configuration for Node Authorization:

kube-apiserver --authorization-mode=Node,RBAC

Read more about Node Authorization

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4. Webhook Authorization

Required knowledge for the CKS certification.

• Delegates authorization decisions to an external API.
  
• Useful for custom access control scenarios.

# Example webhook authorization configuration
apiVersion: v1
kind: Config
clusters:
  - name: webhook
    cluster:
      server: https://auth.example.com/authorize
users:
  - name: webhook
contexts:
  - name: webhook
    context:
      cluster: webhook
      user: webhook
current-context: webhook

• API server configuration for Webhook Authorization:

kube-apiserver --authorization-mode=Webhook --authorization-webhook-config-file=/etc/kubernetes/authz-webhook-config.yaml

Read more about Webhook Authorization

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Best Practices for Authorization

1. Use RBAC Instead of ABAC:
   RBAC is scalable, manageable, and better integrated with Kubernetes security.

2. Grant Least Privilege:
   

   • Assign minimal permissions to users and service accounts.
     
   • Regularly review and update RoleBindings.

3. Restrict Node Access:
   

   • Ensure nodes only access their assigned workloads.
     
   • Limit Kubelet permissions to avoid privilege escalation.

4. Secure API Server Authorization Modes:
   

   • Always enable RBAC (--authorization-mode=RBAC).
     
   • Use Webhook Authorization for external access control.

# Example: Enforcing RBAC and Webhook Authorization
kube-apiserver --authorization-mode=RBAC,Webhook

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Conclusion: Authorization as the Key to Secure Access Control

Authorization ensures that only trusted users and components can perform specific actions in a Kubernetes cluster. Properly configuring RBAC, Node Authorization, and Webhook Authorization helps prevent unauthorized access, privilege escalation, and security breaches.

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References

This article is based on information from the following official sources:

1. Authorization Overview - Kubernetes Documentation
2. Using RBAC Authorization - Kubernetes Documentation
3. Using Node Authorization - Kubernetes Documentation
4. Webhook Mode - Kubernetes Documentation