hacktricks/pentesting/pentesting-kubernetes

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Kubernetes Basics

If you don't know anything about Kubernetes this is a good start. Read it to learn about the architecture, components and basic actions in Kubernetes:

{% content-ref url="kubernetes-basics.md" %} kubernetes-basics.md {% endcontent-ref %}

Pentesting Kubernetes

From the Outside

There are several possible Kubernetes services that you could find exposed on the Internet (or inside internal networks). If you find them you know there is Kubernetes environment in there.

Depending on the configuration and your privileges you might be able to abuse that environment, for more information:

{% content-ref url="pentesting-kubernetes-from-the-outside.md" %} pentesting-kubernetes-from-the-outside.md {% endcontent-ref %}

Enumeration inside a Pod

If you manage to compromise a Pod read the following page to learn how to enumerate and try to escalate privileges/escape:

{% content-ref url="attacking-kubernetes-from-inside-a-pod.md" %} attacking-kubernetes-from-inside-a-pod.md {% endcontent-ref %}

Enumerating Kubernetes with Credentials

You might have managed to compromise user credentials, a user token or some service account token. You can use it to talk to the Kubernetes API service and try to enumerate it to learn more about it:

{% content-ref url="../../cloud-security/pentesting-kubernetes/kubernetes-enumeration.md" %} kubernetes-enumeration.md {% endcontent-ref %}

Another important details about enumeration and Kubernetes permissions abuse is the Kubernetes Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). If you want to abuse permissions, you first should read about it here:

{% content-ref url="kubernetes-role-based-access-control-rbac.md" %} kubernetes-role-based-access-control-rbac.md {% endcontent-ref %}

Knowing about RBAC and having enumerated the environment you can now try to abuse the permissions with:

{% content-ref url="../../cloud-security/pentesting-kubernetes/abusing-roles-clusterroles-in-kubernetes/" %} abusing-roles-clusterroles-in-kubernetes {% endcontent-ref %}

Privesc to a different Namespace

If you have compromised a namespace you can potentially escape to other namespaces with more interesting permissions/resources:

{% content-ref url="../../cloud-security/pentesting-kubernetes/namespace-escalation.md" %} namespace-escalation.md {% endcontent-ref %}

From Kubernetes to the Cloud

If you have compromised a K8s account or a pod, you might be able able to move to other clouds. This is because in clouds like AWS or GCP is possible to give a K8s SA permissions over the cloud.

{% content-ref url="../../cloud-security/pentesting-kubernetes/kubernetes-access-to-other-clouds.md" %} kubernetes-access-to-other-clouds.md {% endcontent-ref %}

Labs to practice and learn

• https://securekubernetes.com/
• https://madhuakula.com/kubernetes-goat/index.html

Hardening Kubernetes

{% content-ref url="kubernetes-hardening/" %} kubernetes-hardening {% endcontent-ref %}

Support HackTricks and get benefits!

Do you work in a cybersecurity company? Do you want to see your company advertised in HackTricks? or do you want to have access the latest version of the PEASS or download HackTricks in PDF? Check the SUBSCRIPTION PLANS!

Discover The PEASS Family, our collection of exclusive NFTs

Get the official PEASS & HackTricks swag

Join the 💬 Discord group or the telegram group or follow me on Twitter 🐦@carlospolopm.

Share your hacking tricks submitting PRs to the hacktricks github repo.