Weak Network Policies Allowing Unrestricted Traffic

Network policies were not properly configured, allowing unrestricted traffic between pods, which led to lateral movement by attackers after a pod was compromised.

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What Happened

Insufficient network policies were in place, allowing all pods to communicate freely with each other. This enabled attackers who compromised one pod to move laterally across the cluster and access additional services.

Diagnosis Steps

1Reviewed existing network policies and found that none were in place or were too permissive.
2Conducted a security assessment and identified pods with excessive permissions to communicate with critical services.

Root Cause

Lack of restrictive network policies allowed unrestricted traffic between pods, increasing the attack surface.

Fix/Workaround

• Created strict network policies to control pod-to-pod communication, limiting access to sensitive services.
• Regularly reviewed and updated network policies to minimize exposure.

Lessons Learned

Proper network segmentation with Kubernetes network policies is essential to prevent lateral movement in case of a breach.

How to Avoid

1Implement network policies that restrict communication between pods, especially for sensitive services.
2Regularly audit and update network policies to ensure they align with security best practices.

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