Kubernetes Security

Kubernetes serves as the foundation for MSR 4, making its security a top priority. Adhering to best practices and maintaining vigilance over the underlying infrastructure that supports MSR 4 is essential.

Since MSR 4 is deployed as a workload within Kubernetes, the following sections outline best practices and recommendations for strengthening the security of the underlying infrastructure.

Access Control

To ensure security, the MSR 4 workload should be isolated from other services within the cluster. Ideally, it should be the only workload running on a dedicated Kubernetes cluster. However, if it is co-hosted with other applications, strict access control becomes essential.

A well-configured Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) system is crucial in such cases. Kubernetes RBAC should be enabled and carefully configured to enforce the principle of least privilege, ensuring that each component has only the necessary permissions.

Additionally, using dedicated service accounts for each MSR 4 component, such as Harbor, Redis, and PostgreSQL, helps minimize the attack surface and prevent unnecessary cross-service access.

Securing the Kubernetes platform itself is equally important. The API server must be protected against unauthorized access by implementing strong authentication mechanisms, such as certificate-based or token-based authentication. These measures help safeguard MSR 4 and its infrastructure from potential threats.

Network Policies

Defining proper Network Policies is essential to restrict traffic between pods and ensure that only authorized components, such as Redis and PostgreSQL, can communicate with each other and with Harbor.

As outlined in the deployment resources, specific NetworkPolicies are provided for Redis and PostgreSQL when they are deployed separately from the Harbor core. The same level of attention must be given to securing remote data storage solutions if they are used, ensuring that communication remains controlled and protected from unauthorized access.

Secrets Management

Kubernetes Secrets store sensitive information such as passwords and tokens, making their protection a critical aspect of security.

Enabling encryption of secrets at rest using Kubernetes’ built-in encryption feature ensures that even if an attacker gains access to the backend storage, they cannot easily retrieve the secrets’ contents.

For environments with more complex security requirements, integrating an external secrets management solution like HashiCorp Vault can provide an additional layer of protection, offering enhanced control and security for sensitive data.

TLS Encryption

All internal communications within the Kubernetes cluster must be encrypted using TLS to protect data in transit.

Kubernetes’ native support for TLS certificates should be utilized, or alternatively, integration with a service like cert-manager can streamline certificate management through automation.

Implementing these measures ensures secure communication between components and reduces the risk of unauthorized access or data interception.