Discover what’s really driving the shift toward unified security
Discover how geopolitical tensions are fueling advanced cyber campaigns
Is the Quantum Threat Closer Than You Think?
  • Sign In
    • Customer
    • Partner
    • Employee
    • Login to download
    • Join us to become a member
  • EN
  • magnifying glass search icon to open search field
  • Contact Us
  • What's New
  • Get Support
  • Under Attack?
Palo Alto Networks logo
  • Products
  • Solutions
  • Services
  • Partners
  • Company
  • More
  • Sign In
    Sign In
    • Customer
    • Partner
    • Employee
    • Login to download
    • Join us to become a member
  • EN
    Language
  • Contact Us
  • What's New
  • Get support
  • Under Attack?
  • Demos and Trials

Whitepaper
May 17, 2022

Kubernetes Privilege Escalation: Excessive Permissions in Popular Platforms

Kubernetes Privilege Escalation: Excessive Permissions in Popular Platforms

English
Show me the research
Show me the research
asset thumbnail

Kubernetes threat actors are growing more sophisticated, and are beginning to target excessive permissions and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) misconfigurations. To understand the real-world impact of excessive permissions, Prisma Cloud researchers analyzed popular Kubernetes platforms - distributions, managed services, and common add-ons - to identify widespread infrastructure components that run with powerful permissions. In 62.5% of the Kubernetes platforms reviewed, privileged credentials were distributed across every node in the cluster. As a result, in half of the platforms examined, a single container escape was enough to take over the entire cluster.­­

Get your copy of the whitepaper to learn about:­

  • Privilege escalation attacks in Kubernetes.
  • The real blast radius of container escapes.
  • How to evaluate and strengthen your RBAC posture.
  • A newly released open-source tool that can identify risky permissions and privilege escalation paths in your clusters.
Share page on facebook Share page on linkedin Share page by an email
Related Resources

Access a wealth of educational materials, such as datasheets, whitepapers, critical threat reports, informative cybersecurity topics, and top research analyst reports

See all resources

Get the latest news, invites to events, and threat alerts

By submitting this form, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Statement.

Products and Services

  • AI-Powered Network Security Platform
  • Secure AI by Design
  • Prisma AIRS
  • AI Access Security
  • Cloud Delivered Security Services
  • Advanced Threat Prevention
  • Advanced URL Filtering
  • Advanced WildFire
  • Advanced DNS Security
  • Enterprise Data Loss Prevention
  • Enterprise IoT Security
  • Medical IoT Security
  • Industrial OT Security
  • SaaS Security
  • Next-Generation Firewalls
  • Hardware Firewalls
  • Software Firewalls
  • Strata Cloud Manager
  • SD-WAN for NGFW
  • PAN-OS
  • Panorama
  • Secure Access Service Edge
  • Prisma SASE
  • Application Acceleration
  • Autonomous Digital Experience Management
  • Enterprise DLP
  • Prisma Access
  • Prisma Access Browser
  • Prisma SD-WAN
  • Remote Browser Isolation
  • SaaS Security
  • AI-Driven Security Operations Platform
  • Cloud Security
  • Cortex Cloud
  • Application Security
  • Cloud Posture Security
  • Cloud Runtime Security
  • Prisma Cloud
  • AI-Driven SOC
  • Cortex XSIAM
  • Cortex XDR
  • Cortex XSOAR
  • Cortex Xpanse
  • Unit 42 Managed Detection & Response
  • Managed XSIAM
  • Threat Intel and Incident Response Services
  • Proactive Assessments
  • Incident Response
  • Transform Your Security Strategy
  • Discover Threat Intelligence

Company

  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact Us
  • Corporate Responsibility
  • Customers
  • Investor Relations
  • Location
  • Newsroom

Popular Links

  • Blog
  • Communities
  • Content Library
  • Cyberpedia
  • Event Center
  • Manage Email Preferences
  • Products A-Z
  • Product Certifications
  • Report a Vulnerability
  • Sitemap
  • Tech Docs
  • Unit 42
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
PAN logo
  • Privacy
  • Trust Center
  • Terms of Use
  • Documents

Copyright © 2025 Palo Alto Networks. All Rights Reserved

  • Youtube
  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Select your language