Security
k8s-security-policies - Claude MCP Skill
Comprehensive guide for implementing NetworkPolicy, PodSecurityPolicy, RBAC, and Pod Security Standards in Kubernetes.
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Documentation
SKILL.md# Kubernetes Security Policies
Comprehensive guide for implementing NetworkPolicy, PodSecurityPolicy, RBAC, and Pod Security Standards in Kubernetes.
## Do not use this skill when
- The task is unrelated to kubernetes security policies
- You need a different domain or tool outside this scope
## Instructions
- Clarify goals, constraints, and required inputs.
- Apply relevant best practices and validate outcomes.
- Provide actionable steps and verification.
- If detailed examples are required, open `resources/implementation-playbook.md`.
## Purpose
Implement defense-in-depth security for Kubernetes clusters using network policies, pod security standards, and RBAC.
## Use this skill when
- Implement network segmentation
- Configure pod security standards
- Set up RBAC for least-privilege access
- Create security policies for compliance
- Implement admission control
- Secure multi-tenant clusters
## Pod Security Standards
### 1. Privileged (Unrestricted)
```yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Namespace
metadata:
name: privileged-ns
labels:
pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce: privileged
pod-security.kubernetes.io/audit: privileged
pod-security.kubernetes.io/warn: privileged
```
### 2. Baseline (Minimally restrictive)
```yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Namespace
metadata:
name: baseline-ns
labels:
pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce: baseline
pod-security.kubernetes.io/audit: baseline
pod-security.kubernetes.io/warn: baseline
```
### 3. Restricted (Most restrictive)
```yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Namespace
metadata:
name: restricted-ns
labels:
pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce: restricted
pod-security.kubernetes.io/audit: restricted
pod-security.kubernetes.io/warn: restricted
```
## Network Policies
### Default Deny All
```yaml
apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: NetworkPolicy
metadata:
name: default-deny-all
namespace: production
spec:
podSelector: {}
policyTypes:
- Ingress
- Egress
```
### Allow Frontend to Backend
```yaml
apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: NetworkPolicy
metadata:
name: allow-frontend-to-backend
namespace: production
spec:
podSelector:
matchLabels:
app: backend
policyTypes:
- Ingress
ingress:
- from:
- podSelector:
matchLabels:
app: frontend
ports:
- protocol: TCP
port: 8080
```
### Allow DNS
```yaml
apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
kind: NetworkPolicy
metadata:
name: allow-dns
namespace: production
spec:
podSelector: {}
policyTypes:
- Egress
egress:
- to:
- namespaceSelector:
matchLabels:
name: kube-system
ports:
- protocol: UDP
port: 53
```
**Reference:** See `assets/network-policy-template.yaml`
## RBAC Configuration
### Role (Namespace-scoped)
```yaml
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: Role
metadata:
name: pod-reader
namespace: production
rules:
- apiGroups: [""]
resources: ["pods"]
verbs: ["get", "watch", "list"]
```
### ClusterRole (Cluster-wide)
```yaml
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: ClusterRole
metadata:
name: secret-reader
rules:
- apiGroups: [""]
resources: ["secrets"]
verbs: ["get", "watch", "list"]
```
### RoleBinding
```yaml
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: RoleBinding
metadata:
name: read-pods
namespace: production
subjects:
- kind: User
name: jane
apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
- kind: ServiceAccount
name: default
namespace: production
roleRef:
kind: Role
name: pod-reader
apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
```
**Reference:** See `references/rbac-patterns.md`
## Pod Security Context
### Restricted Pod
```yaml
apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
name: secure-pod
spec:
securityContext:
runAsNonRoot: true
runAsUser: 1000
fsGroup: 1000
seccompProfile:
type: RuntimeDefault
containers:
- name: app
image: myapp:1.0
securityContext:
allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
readOnlyRootFilesystem: true
capabilities:
drop:
- ALL
```
## Policy Enforcement with OPA Gatekeeper
### ConstraintTemplate
```yaml
apiVersion: templates.gatekeeper.sh/v1
kind: ConstraintTemplate
metadata:
name: k8srequiredlabels
spec:
crd:
spec:
names:
kind: K8sRequiredLabels
validation:
openAPIV3Schema:
type: object
properties:
labels:
type: array
items:
type: string
targets:
- target: admission.k8s.gatekeeper.sh
rego: |
package k8srequiredlabels
violation[{"msg": msg, "details": {"missing_labels": missing}}] {
provided := {label | input.review.object.metadata.labels[label]}
required := {label | label := input.parameters.labels[_]}
missing := required - provided
count(missing) > 0
msg := sprintf("missing required labels: %v", [missing])
}
```
### Constraint
```yaml
apiVersion: constraints.gatekeeper.sh/v1beta1
kind: K8sRequiredLabels
metadata:
name: require-app-label
spec:
match:
kinds:
- apiGroups: ["apps"]
kinds: ["Deployment"]
parameters:
labels: ["app", "environment"]
```
## Service Mesh Security (Istio)
### PeerAuthentication (mTLS)
```yaml
apiVersion: security.istio.io/v1beta1
kind: PeerAuthentication
metadata:
name: default
namespace: production
spec:
mtls:
mode: STRICT
```
### AuthorizationPolicy
```yaml
apiVersion: security.istio.io/v1beta1
kind: AuthorizationPolicy
metadata:
name: allow-frontend
namespace: production
spec:
selector:
matchLabels:
app: backend
action: ALLOW
rules:
- from:
- source:
principals: ["cluster.local/ns/production/sa/frontend"]
```
## Best Practices
1. **Implement Pod Security Standards** at namespace level
2. **Use Network Policies** for network segmentation
3. **Apply least-privilege RBAC** for all service accounts
4. **Enable admission control** (OPA Gatekeeper/Kyverno)
5. **Run containers as non-root**
6. **Use read-only root filesystem**
7. **Drop all capabilities** unless needed
8. **Implement resource quotas** and limit ranges
9. **Enable audit logging** for security events
10. **Regular security scanning** of images
## Compliance Frameworks
### CIS Kubernetes Benchmark
- Use RBAC authorization
- Enable audit logging
- Use Pod Security Standards
- Configure network policies
- Implement secrets encryption at rest
- Enable node authentication
### NIST Cybersecurity Framework
- Implement defense in depth
- Use network segmentation
- Configure security monitoring
- Implement access controls
- Enable logging and monitoring
## Troubleshooting
**NetworkPolicy not working:**
```bash
# Check if CNI supports NetworkPolicy
kubectl get nodes -o wide
kubectl describe networkpolicy <name>
```
**RBAC permission denied:**
```bash
# Check effective permissions
kubectl auth can-i list pods --as system:serviceaccount:default:my-sa
kubectl auth can-i '*' '*' --as system:serviceaccount:default:my-sa
```
## Reference Files
- `assets/network-policy-template.yaml` - Network policy examples
- `assets/pod-security-template.yaml` - Pod security policies
- `references/rbac-patterns.md` - RBAC configuration patterns
## Related Skills
- `k8s-manifest-generator` - For creating secure manifests
- `gitops-workflow` - For automated policy deploymentSignals
Information
- Repository
- arlenagreer/claude_configuration_docs
- Author
- arlenagreer
- Last Sync
- 5/10/2026
- Repo Updated
- 5/7/2026
- Created
- 4/10/2026
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