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Preserve Kubernetes Audit and Monitoring Records

CCC.K8S.CN14 · Observability

Maintain complete, externally retained, access-controlled, and monitored records of security-relevant Kubernetes activity and health signals.

Related Capabilities

IDTitleDescription
CCC.Core.CP03Access Log PublicationThe service automatically publishes structured, verbose records of activities performed within the scope of the service by external actors.
CCC.Core.CP10Log PublicationThe service automatically publishes structured, verbose records of activities, operations, or events that occur within the service.
CCC.Core.CP09Metrics PublicationThe service automatically publishes structured, numeric, time-series data points related to the performance, availability, and health of the service or its child resources.
CCC.Core.CP07Event PublicationThe service automatically publishes a structured state-change record upon creation, deletion, or modification of data, configuration, components, or child resources.
CCC.Core.CP17AlertingThe service may be configured to emit a notification based on a user-defined condition related to the data published by a child or networked resource.
CCC.K8S.CP08Workload Traffic RoutingThe service can expose and route internal or external traffic to Kubernetes workloads through services, load balancers, ingress controllers, and gateway components.
CCC.K8S.CP16Kubernetes Audit LoggingThe service may be configured to emit Kubernetes API audit and control-plane records to a cloud logging destination for monitoring and investigation.
CCC.K8S.CP17Cluster Monitoring IntegrationThe service can send cluster, node, workload, and network activity telemetry to cloud-native or Kubernetes-compatible monitoring components.

Related Threats

IDTitleDescription
CCC.Core.TH07Logs are Tampered With or DeletedTampering or deletion of service logs will reduce the system's ability to maintain an accurate record of events. Any actions that compromise the integrity of logs could disrupt system availability by disrupting monitoring, hindering forensic investigations, and reducing the accuracy of audit trails.
CCC.Core.TH09Runtime Logs are Read by Unauthorized EntitiesUnauthorized access to logs may expose valuable information about the system's configuration, operations, and security mechanisms. This could jeopardize system availability through the exposure of vulnerabilities and support the planning of attacks on the service, system, or network. If logs are not adequately sanitized, this may also directly impact the confidentiality of sensitive data.
CCC.Core.TH10State-change Events are Read by Unauthorized EntitiesUnauthorized access to state-change events can reveal information about the system's design and usage patterns. This opens the system up to attacks of opportunity and support the planning of attacks on the service, system, or network.
CCC.Core.TH11Publications are Incorrectly TriggeredIncorrectly triggered publications may disseminate inaccurate or misleading information, creating a data integrity risk. Such misinformation can cause unintended operations to be initiated, conceal legitimate issues, and disrupt the availability or reliability of systems and their data.
CCC.Core.TH16Publications are DisabledPublication of events, metrics, and runtime logs may be disabled, leading to a lack of expected security and operational information being shared. This can impact system availability by delaying the detection of incidents while also impacting system design decisions and enforcement of operational thresholds, such as autoscaling or cost management.
CCC.K8S.TH10Workload Endpoints are Exposed UnintentionallyServices, load balancers, ingress resources, or gateways configured with an unintended external scope may make workload endpoints reachable from untrusted networks. Exposed services can then disclose workload data, accept unauthorized changes, or consume capacity needed by legitimate users.
CCC.K8S.TH15Kubernetes Audit Records are Incomplete or UnavailableAudit policies, log categories, collection agents, export destinations, or retention settings that omit security-relevant activity may leave required Kubernetes records incomplete or unavailable. Cluster access and configuration changes can then occur without a reliable investigative trail, delaying detection and weakening the integrity and availability of security monitoring and incident response.

Assessment Requirements

IDTextApplicability
CCC.K8S.CN14.AR01When a cluster is operational, Kubernetes API audit logs, control-plane logs, and security-relevant node, workload, and network activity records MUST be enabled and exported to an approved external logging destination.tlp-clear, tlp-green, tlp-amber, tlp-red
CCC.K8S.CN14.AR02When Kubernetes audit or monitoring records are retained, write, delete, and configuration access MUST be separated from cluster workload and routine cluster administration identities.tlp-clear, tlp-green, tlp-amber, tlp-red
CCC.K8S.CN14.AR03When cluster-admin bindings, admission controls, audit settings, network exposure, or security extensions change, the monitoring system MUST generate an alert for review by an authorized security function.tlp-green, tlp-amber, tlp-red

Guideline Mappings

FrameworkIDRemarks
NIST_800_53AU-2Event Logging
NIST_800_53AU-6Audit Record Review, Analysis, and Reporting
NIST_800_53AU-9Protection of Audit Information
NIST_800_53AU-12Audit Record Generation