Hands-on Lab·Kubernetes and Cloud Native Security Associate
Attacker Persistence Mechanisms
Getting in is one problem; staying in is a different one, and in Kubernetes it is solved with ordinary objects that look like configuration. This guide plants three of them, shows why each survives a reboot, and ends with the one query that finds the first.
Kubernetes Threat Model Guide 30 of 42 Intermediate
- Kubernetesapiserver v1.36.4, kubelet v1.36.3
- Runtimecontainerd 2.2.6
- CNICilium 1.18.1 - tunnel/VXLAN, with Hubble relay and UI
- Host OSUbuntu 26.04 LTS, kernel 7.0.0-29
- Built withkubeadm v1.36.3 - podSubnet 10.244.0.0/16, serviceSubnet 10.96.0.0/12
- TimeAbout 16 min
- Reviewed25 August 2026
Written against the versions above. Manually created `kubernetes.io/service-account-token` Secrets are still populated by the token controller in v1.36 and the JWT they contain carries no `exp`. Auto-creation of these Secrets ended in 1.24; creating one by hand did not.
| Server Name | IP Address | OS | Roles | CPU | RAM | HDD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CKA5001 | 192.168.0.41 | Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | Control Plane Node (tainted NoSchedule) | 2 Core | 4 GB | 50 GB |
| CKA5001-NODE01 | 192.168.0.42 | Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | Worker Node | 2 Core | 4 GB | 50 GB |
| CKA5001-NODE02 | 192.168.0.43 | Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | Worker Node | 2 Core | 4 GB | 50 GB |
| CKA5001-NODE03 | 192.168.0.44 | Ubuntu 26.04 LTS | Worker Node | 2 Core | 4 GB | 50 GB |
Before you start
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A backdoor that is one object
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A credential that does not expire
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For contrast, the modern token
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A beacon that is not a running process
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The query that finds the first one