Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

@article{196521,
        author = {Ghadiya Tisha and Harsh Trivedi},
        title = {Kubernetes Security: A Review of Threats, Best Practices, and Real World Hardening Techniques},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {11},
        pages = {4327-4334},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=196521},
        abstract = {Kubernetes has become the de facto platform for container orchestration in modern cloud-native environments. However, its complex architecture introduces a broad attack surface that can be exploited through misconfigurations and weak security controls. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of Kubernetes security vulnerabilities, including RBAC misconfigurations, ServiceAccount token exposure, insecure admission configurations, and runtime threats. The study combines theoretical analysis with practical experimentation conducted in a controlled Kubernetes environment. Multiple attack scenarios are simulated, and mitigation strategies are evaluated using mechanisms such as Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), Pod Security Admission (PSA), and runtime monitoring using Falco. A key contribution of this work is the integration of Kyverno for automated policy enforcement, ensuring secure configurations at deployment time. The proposed layered security model demonstrates that combining preventive, detective, and enforcement-based controls significantly enhances cluster security. The results highlight that a defense-in-depth approach is essential for securing Kubernetes environments against real-world threats.},
        keywords = {Kubernetes Security, RBAC, Falco, Kyverno, Container Security, Cloud-Native Security, Policy Enforcement},
        month = {April},
        }