GKE Anonymous Endpoint Permission Enumeration
Detects bursts of GKE API requests from an anonymous identity that probe many distinct actions and resources with mostly failed outcomes. This pattern is consistent with unauthenticated permission enumeration against…
Description
Detects bursts of GKE API requests from an anonymous identity that probe many distinct actions and resources with mostly failed outcomes. This pattern is consistent with unauthenticated permission enumeration against an exposed API server. On GKE GCP audit logs, unauthenticated probes often omit "client.user.email" (null principal) with Unauthorized failures; those events are included alongside "system:anonymous" / "system:unauthenticated".
Detection logic
Its licence does not clear it for publishing here
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Detection requirements
- Platform
- ContainersPRE
The rule states no platform. This is derived from the 2 ATT&CK techniques it maps to.
MITRE ATT&CK mappings
0 exclusive techniques.This is coverage no other published rule has; it is not this rule's total technique count.
References
| Reference | Cited by |
|---|---|
| cloud.google.com/kubernetes-engine/docs/how-to/audit-logging | 12from 2 sources |
| heilancoos.github.io/research/2025/12/16/kubernetes.html#unauthenticated-api-access | 21 |
From the source
- At source
- Open at source
- Upstream identifier
- bd7345e5-c822-41de-a393-7573fec07ef4
- Tagged by the source as
- Data Source: GCPData Source: Google Cloud PlatformDomain: CloudDomain: ContainersDomain: KubernetesNoise: LowPerformance: NormalPlatform: GCPPlatform: KubernetesResources: Investigation GuideRule Type: ES|QLTactic: DiscoveryTactic: ReconnaissanceUse Case: Threat Detection
Licence
- Published under
- Elastic License 2.0Read the licence
- Attribution
- Required
Authorship
- Written by
- Published
- Sep 20, 2026
- Version
- 3