TL;DR

Kubernetes v1.35 adds a beta feature allowing users to restrict executable plugins used in kubeconfig files for enhanced security.

What happened

['SIG-Auth and SIG-CLI introduced the credential plugin policy and allowlist as a beta feature in Kubernetes 1.35.', 'The new security feature restricts which credential plugins kubectl is allowed to execute based on user-defined policies.', 'Users can configure this through the kuberc file or directly via the client-go library.']

Why it matters for ops

['Kubernetes allows downloading or auto-generating kubeconfigs that specify executables for fetching credentials, posing a risk of running malicious code.', 'The new feature aims to mitigate these risks by giving users control over allowed credential plugins and their paths.']

Mitigation

  • Configure kubectl with a restrictive policy through the new allowlist feature.
  • Verify paths and names of allowed plugins meticulously to prevent unauthorized access.

Action items

  • Review existing kubeconfig files for potential security risks.
  • Implement strict credential plugin policies in production environments.

Detection IOCs

  • credentialPluginPolicy set to DenyAll or Allowlist in kuberc configuration
  • errors related to unauthorized credential plugin execution

Source link

https://kubernetes.io/blog/2026/01/09/kubernetes-v1-35-kuberc-credential-plugin-allowlist/