Mastering Kubernetes API Security and Network Policies | Udemy

Kubernetes is the backbone of modern cloud-native applications, but securing its API and network communication is critical. In this course, you will learn how to protect your Kubernetes environment from unauthorized access, enforce security policies, and ensure encrypted communication between services.

Course Content

Architecture of the Kubernetes Cluster

• Understanding the Kubernetes architecture with examples
• Working with Kubernetes
• Roles of the Master Node
• Components of the Control Plane (Master Node)API ServerEtcdScheduler

  Controller Manager

• Kubelet
• Service Proxy
• POD (Pod)
• Container Engine (Docker, Containerd, or Rocket)
  

RBAC Policies for Securing Kubernetes API Access

• Introduction
• Key components of RBAC
• How RBAC works in Kubernetes API Access?
• How Role and RoleBinding Work Together
• Kubernetes Roles: Defining Permissions and Access
• Permissions Granted by Kubernetes Roles
• Create a role
• Bind the Role to a User or Service Account

Hands-On Lab: Implementing RBAC in Kubernetes

• Introduction to Scenario-Based RBAC Exercises
• Set Up a VM for a Minikube Cluster
• Set Up a K8s Minikube Cluster – Part 1
• Set Up a K8s Minikube Cluster – Part 2
• Set Up a K8s Minikube Cluster – Part 3
• Start the K8s Minikube Cluster
• Create a Namespace and Run a Pod

Client Authentication using SSL/TLS Certificates

• Overview of Client Certificate Generation
• Generate a Private Key
• Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR)
• Sign a CSR with Minikube’s CA to Generate a User Certificate
• Set Client Credentials in Kubernetes Config
• Verify User Credentials in Kubernetes Config

RBAC: Role and RoleBinding

• Create a Role
• Verify the Role and Its Associated Permissions
• Create a RoleBinding to Assign a User
• Test RBAC Permissions

Expand RBAC Permissions to Manage Pods in a Namespace

• Generate a Private Key and CSR
• Generate a User Certificate by Signing CSR with Minikube CA
• Set User Credentials in Kubernetes (K8s)
• Create a Role with Specific Permissions
• Create a RoleBinding
• RBAC Testing: Validate Permissions

Access the K8s Minikube Cluster as a User

• List and Manage Kubernetes Contexts
• Set Up a Kubernetes Context for a User
• Verify RBAC Permissions in a New Context
• Set Up a K8s Context for a Different User
• Test RBAC Permissions for Pod Creation
• Modify RBAC Role Permissions in K8s

Implement and Test Network Policies for Pod Communication

• Introduction to Kubernetes Network Policies
• Why Restrict Pod-To-Pod Communication?
• Understanding K8s Network Policies and CNI Plugins
• Example Use Case Scenarios

Hands-On Lab: Enforcing Pod-to-Pod Restrictions with Network Policies

• Set Up a VM for a Kubernetes Cluster
• Start Minikube with Cilium CNI
• Deploy Two Pods and Assign Labels
• Test Pod-to-Pod Connectivity with Curl
• Create a Network Policy to Restrict Pod Communication
• Verify Pod-to-Pod Connectivity is Blocked
• Network Policy to Restrict Ingress and Egress Traffic

Configuring Network Policy for Selective Pod Communication

• Overview of Selective Pod Communication
• Network Policy for Selective Pod Communication
• Test Pod Connectivity
• Deploy a Pod and Verify Its Network Connectivity

Securing, Deploying, and Accessing Nginx in Kubernetes

• Overview of Securing Nginx with HTTPS
• Deploy and Expose a Nginx Pod to External Traffic
• Access Nginx Web Server Through HTTP
• Set Up Nginx on Host Machine for Accessing Nginx Pod
• Access Nginx Web Server via Web Browser (HTTP Only)

Secure Nginx Server with HTTPS (TLS) on K8s Cluster

• Deploy and Expose a Nginx Pod to External Traffic
• Generate a self-signed TLS Certificate
• Store the TLS Certificate as a Secret
• Check Minikube’s Ingress Controller Status
• Create Ingress Resource for HTTPS
• Last lecture