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Kubernetes Kubelet must enable kernel protection.

Overview

Finding IDVersionRule IDIA ControlsSeverity
V-242434CNTR-K8-001620SV-242434r961131_ruleCCI-001084high
Description
System kernel is responsible for memory, disk, and task management. The kernel provides a gateway between the system hardware and software. Kubernetes requires kernel access to allocate resources to the Control Plane. Threat actors that penetrate the system kernel can inject malicious code or hijack the Kubernetes architecture. It is vital to implement protections through Kubernetes components to reduce the attack surface.
STIGDate
Kubernetes Security Technical Implementation Guide2025-05-16

Related Frameworks

1 mapping across 3 frameworks
SCF0 mappings

No source states a mapping between these directly.

Also reachable in 3 hops (2) derived by us, not asserted by any source

Each of these is a route we composed by chaining published mappings. No publisher states a relationship between the two endpoints.

END-16Restrict Access To Security Functions
0.50
SEA-04.1Security Function Isolation
0.50
NIST 800-530 mappings

No source states a mapping between these directly.

Also reachable in 2 hops (29) derived by us, not asserted by any source

Each of these is a route we composed by chaining published mappings. No publisher states a relationship between the two endpoints.

AC-2(1)Automated System Account Management
1.00
AC-2(10)Shared and Group Account Credential Change
1.00
AC-2(11)Usage Conditions
1.00
AC-2(3)Disable Accounts
1.00
AC-3Access Enforcement
1.00
AC-3(13)Attribute-based Access Control
1.00
AC-3(4)Discretionary Access Control
1.00
AC-3(7)Role-based Access Control
1.00
AC-6(10)Prohibit Non-privileged Users from Executing Privileged Functions
1.00
AC-6(8)Privilege Levels for Code Execution
1.00

+19 more (top 10 by confidence shown)

CCI1 mapping
CCI-001084
1.00

Details

Check Text (C-242434r961131_chk)

On the Control Plane, run the command: ps -ef | grep kubelet If the "--protect-kernel-defaults" option exists, this is a finding. Note the path to the config file (identified by --config). Run the command: grep -i protectKernelDefaults <path_to_config_file> If the setting "protectKernelDefaults" is not set or is set to false, this is a finding.

Fix Text (F-45667r918187_fix)

On the Control Plane, run the command: ps -ef | grep kubelet Remove the "--protect-kernel-defaults" option if present. Note the path to the Kubernetes Kubelet config file (identified by --config). Edit the Kubernetes Kubelet config file: Set "protectKernelDefaults" to "true". Restart the kubelet service using the following command: systemctl daemon-reload && systemctl restart kubelet