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Last updated
July 23, 2025
Bruno Lopes
Product Leader
Testkube
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Table of Contents
Kubernetes Security Testing TL;DR
TL;DR
Kubernetes Application Security Testing
1
Data breaches are costly beyond finances - they damage trust and brand integrity, making application security in Kubernetes environments absolutely critical for business survival
2
Kubernetes introduces unique security challenges including misconfigured application code, vulnerable external libraries, and security gaps in codebases that create multiple attack vectors for malicious actors
3
Two main testing approaches are essential - static testing tools (like KubeScan and Trivy) analyze code pre-deployment, while dynamic testing tools (like Falco and OWASP) monitor real-time vulnerabilities during runtime
4
Standard security tools aren't Kubernetes-optimized - most general security testing tools don't understand Kubernetes-specific configurations and deployments, leading to inefficient resource usage and incomplete protection
5
Testkube bridges the gap by converting existing security testing tools into Kubernetes-native solutions, supporting tools like OWASP Zap while allowing custom integration through container executors for unsupported tools
We’ve all heard the phrase “Data is the new oil”. For most applications today, data is the lifeblood and the consequence of any data breach extends well beyond mere financial losses. Trust and the brand’s integrity are at stake, and hence, it’s crucial to safeguard critical data and harden your applications and systems.
In the world of Kubernetes, fortifying your applications against threats is not just a need anymore. It’s a necessity. That’s what we will discuss in today’s blog post. We’ll look at the importance of security testing your applications in Kubernetes and how it’s an essential lifeline today.
Application Security in Kubernetes
Security is critical to all applications and environments, but it’s a little more complicated in the case of Kubernetes. Not only from an infrastructure point of view, even building and securing applications on Kubernetes can be difficult. With the distributed nature of applications, hardening them for seamless operations is essential.
Let’s look at some of the common threats in Kubernetes that impact the stability of applications.
Misconfigured Application Code: This occurs when developers have misconfigured the application, including weak authentication or open permissions, to name a few. This can lead to unauthorized access, data breaches, or exploitation of vulnerabilities.
Vulnerable Libraries: Many applications rely on external libraries for certain functionalities, but, if these libraries are outdated, they become entry points for attackers. Such loopholes allow attackers to execute rogue code and compromise the application’s integrity.
Security Gaps in Code: Sometimes, developers inadvertently introduce security loopholes in the codebase, like improper error handling, insecure configurations, or hard-coded credentials. Such gaps can provide attackers with escalated privileges to perform malicious actions.
These are just a handful of threats that can compromise the security of your Kubernetes applications, allowing attackers to exploit weaknesses in your applications. Addressing these is crucial to harden your applications against potential threats.
Types Of Security Testing Tools
We looked at why testing for security in Kubernetes is important. Fortunately some tools help you with identifying vulnerabilities. Most of these tools are segregated into two categories:
Static Testing Tools: These tools examine the application’s code, configuration, and dependencies without execution. These employ tools like vulnerability scanners and code analyzers. From Kubernetes' point of view, these tools help analyze YAML files, dockerfiles, and other configuration scripts to identify loopholes before applications are deployed to production.
Dynamic Testing Tools: These tools run alongside the application under test and help discover real-time issues. These tools detect vulnerabilities that may creep in during runtime. This could be anything from runtime vulnerabilities to resource misuse by applications.
For complete end-to-end testing of your application, a mix of static and dynamic tests is required. While static tests offer pre-deployment checks, dynamic tests ensure real-time security monitoring.
One can utilize status testing tools like KubeScan and Trivy, to name a few, to scan your application for finding vulnerabilities. Both these tools focus on identifying issues before deploying your applications. From a dynamic testing perspective, one can look at tools like Falco or OWASP to perform various security tests on your application in real time.
Security Testing With Testkube
The security testing tools help identify vulnerabilities and help secure your applications. However, not all are designed for testing applications within the Kubernetes environment. Such tools often focus on general application security and vulnerability scanning but don’t consider the intricacies of Kubernetes configuration and deployments. This leads to unoptimized usage of resources as well as the Kubernetes infrastructure.
That’s where a tool like Testkube comes into the picture and “converts” these testing tools into Kubernetes-native so that they can leverage the full benefits of Kubernetes without you needing to make many changes.
For instance, Testklube supports OWASP Zap, which allows you to scan, test, and identify vulnerabilities across the application, including front end, back end, and APIs. You only need to provide a file with the necessary parameters and create a Testkube test. You can read our blog post on integrating OWASP Zap with Testkube, where we perform API scans defined by OpenAPI, SOAP, or GraphQL.
Further, suppose you’re using a security testing tool that Testkube doesn’t currently support. In that case, you can use our container executor to make your testing tool Kubernetes-native and leverage the perks of Kubernetes while testing your application for security vulnerabilities.
Summary
As much as you focus on delivering business value faster, you must focus on providing quality applications, too. With the rising number of security breaches, you cannot leave security for the end of the development process. It should be your first priority. Security testing also helps you to comply with regulations and other compliance requirements.
When it comes to security testing, things can get complicated with Kubernetes. From the infrastructure and application point of view, there’s a large attack area, which means your applications are more prone to attacks. That’s where using a Kubernetes-native testing tool like Testkube helps. Testkube understands Kubernetes well and supports your existing security testing tools to leverage the benefits of Kubernetes.
Login to Testkube and see how you can integrate your current testing tool with it. Try it out and explore a new world of testing. Feel free to reach out to our Slack community for any help.
Top 5 Most Important Security Testing in Kubernetes FAQs
Kubernetes Security Testing FAQs
Essential questions about securing containerized environments
Several powerful security testing tools are specifically designed for Kubernetes environments, each serving different aspects of container and cluster security:
Trivy: Comprehensive vulnerability scanner for containers and Kubernetes
Scans container images, filesystems, and Git repositories
Detects OS packages and language-specific vulnerabilities
Integrates with CI/CD pipelines and admission controllers
Falco: Runtime security monitoring and threat detection
Real-time behavioral monitoring of running containers
Detects anomalous activities and policy violations
Rule-based alerting system with customizable policies
OWASP ZAP: Dynamic application security testing for APIs and web apps
Automated security scanning of running applications
API security testing with OpenAPI support
Integration with Kubernetes-native CI/CD workflows
Kube-hunter: Penetration testing tool for Kubernetes clusters
Discovers security weaknesses in cluster configurations
Tests for common misconfigurations and vulnerabilities
Can run from inside or outside the cluster
Kubescape: CNCF security posture management tool
Assesses clusters against security frameworks like NSA and MITRE
Provides compliance reporting and remediation guidance
Supports both cluster-wide and workload-specific scanning
Pre-deployment vulnerability scanning is crucial for preventing security issues from reaching production. Here's how to implement comprehensive static analysis:
Dockerfile scanning: Analyze container images before building
Use trivy image command to scan base images and dependencies
Implement hadolint for Dockerfile best practices validation
Configure vulnerability thresholds to fail builds on critical issues
Kubernetes YAML analysis: Validate manifests against security policies
kubeval for syntax and schema validation
kube-score for security and reliability best practices
polaris for configuration validation and security scoring
Infrastructure as Code (IaC) scanning: Secure your deployment configurations
Trivy supports scanning Helm charts and Kustomize configurations
Checkov for comprehensive IaC security analysis
Terrascan for multi-cloud security policy enforcement
CI/CD integration strategies: Automate security checks in your pipeline
Add security gates before image building and deployment
Generate security reports and fail builds on policy violations
Store scan results for compliance reporting and trend analysis
Use admission controllers like OPA Gatekeeper for runtime policy enforcement
Implementing these tools early in your development lifecycle helps catch security issues before they impact production environments.
Runtime security monitoring provides continuous protection by detecting threats and anomalies in real-time as your applications run:
Falco deployment and configuration: The gold standard for Kubernetes runtime security
Deploy as DaemonSet to monitor all nodes in your cluster
Configure custom rules for application-specific threat detection
Integrate with alerting systems like Slack, PagerDuty, or SIEM tools
Monitor system calls, network activity, and file access patterns
Security profiles and policies: Implement defense-in-depth strategies
AppArmor: Confine applications to limited resource sets
SELinux: Mandatory access control for enhanced isolation
Pod Security Standards: Enforce security contexts and constraints
Network Policies: Control traffic flow between pods and services
Behavioral analysis techniques: Detect anomalies and suspicious activities
Baseline normal behavior patterns for your workloads
Monitor for privilege escalation attempts and unauthorized access
Track unusual network connections and data exfiltration patterns
Detect cryptomining, reverse shells, and other malicious activities
Integration with observability platforms: Centralize security monitoring
Forward Falco alerts to Prometheus for metrics collection
Use Grafana dashboards for security event visualization
Integrate with ELK stack for log analysis and correlation
Implement automated response workflows for critical threats
OWASP ZAP integration with Kubernetes enables comprehensive API security testing in cloud-native environments:
Containerized ZAP deployment: Run ZAP as a Kubernetes workload
Use official OWASP ZAP Docker images in your cluster
Deploy as Jobs for one-time scans or CronJobs for scheduled testing
Configure persistent volumes for scan results and configurations
Set resource limits to prevent interference with other workloads
API testing configurations: Optimize ZAP for microservices architectures
Use OpenAPI/Swagger specifications for comprehensive API coverage
Configure authentication mechanisms (JWT, OAuth, API keys)
Set up custom scan policies for different service types
Target internal services using Kubernetes DNS resolution
Automation and CI/CD integration: Streamline security testing workflows
Trigger ZAP scans automatically after deployments
Use ZAP's REST API for programmatic control and result retrieval
Implement quality gates based on security findings severity
Generate reports in multiple formats (HTML, JSON, XML)
Falco Operator for simplified runtime security deployment
Trivy Operator for continuous vulnerability scanning
Gatekeeper for policy enforcement and compliance checking
Cert-Manager for automated certificate lifecycle management
Integration with Kubernetes APIs: Native platform integration
Use Kubernetes Events API for security alert propagation
Implement admission webhooks for real-time security validation
Leverage RBAC for fine-grained security test permissions
Utilize secrets management for secure credential handling
Observability and monitoring integration: Comprehensive security visibility
Export security metrics to Prometheus for monitoring
Use OpenTelemetry for distributed security tracing
Implement security-focused Grafana dashboards
Integrate with logging aggregation platforms like Fluentd or Fluent Bit
Shift-left security practices: Early security integration
Policy-as-code with Open Policy Agent (OPA)
Security scanning in development environments
Automated security baseline validation
Integration with developer workflows and IDEs
By adopting these Kubernetes-native approaches, security testing becomes an integral part of your cluster operations rather than an external process.
About Testkube
Testkube is a test execution and orchestration framework for Kubernetes that works with any CI/CD system and testing tool you need. It empowers teams to deliver on the promise of agile, efficient, and comprehensive testing programs by leveraging all the capabilities of K8s to eliminate CI/CD bottlenecks, perfecting your testing workflow. Get started with Testkube's free trial today.
