Implementing an Auditable Access Control Strategy Using Cluster Certificate Authority Rotation
May 01, 2023
30 min
Free
kubernetes
certificate-authority
access-control
security
ca-rotation
zero-downtime
mtls
credential-management
cluster-security
Description
This talk outlines a strategy for rotating Kubernetes cluster Certificate Authorities (CAs) with zero downtime. It covers the process of introducing a new CA, cross-signing with the old CA to maintain existing TLS connections, and updating various cluster components including server-side components, pod workloads, nodes (kubelets), administrators, and external automation. The discussion also touches upon considerations and challenges during production execution, such as application restarts, webhook policies, and ad hoc automation. The goal is to enable seamless CA rotation and effective access revocation to address changes in staff and credential exposures.