Kubernetes AWS detect suspicious kubectl calls
The following analytic detects anonymous and unauthenticated requests to a Kubernetes cluster. It identifies this behavior by monitoring API calls from users who have not provided any token or password in their…
Description
The following analytic detects anonymous and unauthenticated requests to a Kubernetes cluster. It identifies this behavior by monitoring API calls from users who have not provided any token or password in their request, using data from `kube_audit` logs. This activity is significant for a SOC as it indicates a severe misconfiguration, allowing unfettered access to the cluster with no traceability. If confirmed malicious, an attacker could gain access to sensitive data or control over the cluster, posing a substantial security risk.
Detection logic
Detection requirements
- Log source category
- kubernetes_audit
Known benign triggers
- Kubectl calls are not malicious by nature. However source IP, verb and Object can reveal potential malicious activity, specially anonymous suspicious IPs and sensitive objects such as configmaps or secrets
MITRE ATT&CK mappings
Not mapped to ATT&CK.
No references are available for this detection.
From the source
- At source
- Open at source
- Upstream identifier
- 042a3d32-8318-4763-9679-09db2644a8f2
- Tagged by the source as
- Kubernetes SecurityKubernetescloudSplunk CloudSplunk EnterpriseSplunk Enterprise Securitythreat
Licence
- Published under
- Apache License 2.0Read the licence
- Attribution
- Required
- Obtained under
- Apache-2.0Read the origin licence
Authorship
- Written by
- Published
- Aug 26, 2026
- Version
- 1