Hands-on Lab·Kubernetes and Cloud Native Security Associate
Network Flow Observability
Observability is a security control when it answers who talked to whom and whether it was allowed. This cluster's CNI already records that for every connection. This guide reads real flows, breaks the traffic with a policy, and reads the drop - then looks at what a flow record deliberately does not contain.
Platform Security Guide 36 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. Hubble is part of Cilium and is enabled here. Each agent sees only its own node's traffic; hubble-relay is what joins them. This is network observability and is not a substitute for API audit logging.
| 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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What this cluster can already see
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Two Pods, one request, and the flows it made
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The same request after a policy says no
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What a flow record contains, and what it does not