Kubernetes Cluster Native Security Explained

Author

Govardhana M K
December 20, 2025

In partnership with

TechOps Examples

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🧠 DEEP DIVE USE CASE

Kubernetes Cluster Native Security Explained

Kubernetes security is often discussed as a long checklist of tools and add-ons. In reality, Kubernetes already gives you a clear, layered security model before you install anything extra.

The 4Cs of Kubernetes Cluster Native Security

Cloud / Bare Metal Infrastructure
Secures the foundation where Kubernetes runs using IAM, networking, and host hardening.

Kubernetes Cluster
Controls access to the API, enforces RBAC, admission policies, and workload isolation.

Container
Limits runtime privileges through image trust, sandboxing, and kernel-level restrictions.

Code
Defines the final attack surface through dependencies, configuration, and secrets usage.

Once the security boundaries are clear, enforcement inside the cluster comes down to two controls:

  1. Role Based Access Control (RBAC)

  2. Network Policies

1. Role Based Access Control (RBAC)

Kubernetes does not grant permissions to users or workloads directly. Every action goes through the API server and is evaluated using Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). RBAC answers three critical questions:

  • Who is making the request

  • What they are allowed to do

  • Where they are allowed to do it

❝

Permissions are never assigned to pods or users outright.

They flow through Roles, ClusterRoles, and bindings, and ultimately resolve to either a user identity or a service account.

Understanding this flow is essential, because most Kubernetes security incidents are RBAC mistakes, not exploits.

With that context, let’s break down how RBAC actually works in a Kubernetes cluster.

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