Security Architecture

KubeDNA is a platform designed to optimize the development and deployment of Kubernetes clusters while ensuring security, scalability, portability, reliability, and flexibility. The solution incorporates advanced security principles and architectural considerations to protect data, enhance operational reliability, and empower developers with robust infrastructure. Below is a detailed description of the Core Security Elements and Architecture based on KubeDNA’s design principles:

Core security elements and architecture

Cluster Residency and Ownership: KubeDNA provisions clusters in customer-owned public or private cloud environments as well as in private datacenters. KubeDNA facilitates the deployment and management of a set of Open Source Operators, which will be updated and patched, alongside the Kubernetes cluster itself.
The clusters provisioned are vanilla Kubernetes clusters that are fully owned by the customer and can be managed through a management interface of the customer’s choosing for all actions that are not (yet) facilitated through the KubeDNA interface.
Namespace Segmentation: KubeDNA currently does not facilitate the creation and magement of namespaces. This can be managed by the customer through a management interface of their choosing. Since KubeDNA provisions dedicated clusters for each customer in a customer-owned environment, it is not possible for clusters or data to interfere with one another.

1. Zero trust security framework

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): The core KubeDNA module offers an extensive RBAC model that allows for setting permissions and access controls for all functions that can be performed by KubeDNA.
User permissions and access controls for the provisioned clusters themselves can be implemented through Kubernetes’ native RBAC mechanisms to ensure developers, admins, and other stakeholders have access only to the resources necessary for their roles.
(ROADMAP) With the KubeIAM add-on in place, customers are able to manage the identity and entitlements of users and workloads across the customers’ Kubernetes cluster-infrastructure from the KubeDNA management console as well.
Network Policies: Network traffic between pods and clusters is regulated through Kubernetes-native network policies to ensure secure intra-cluster communication. KubeDNA does not limit the use of any of the native Kubernetes policies.

2. Compliance and governance

Audit Trails: Comprehensive logging and auditing mechanisms are available to configure observability into system activities and enabling forensic investigations when needed.
All actions within KubeDNA will be recorded and stored for 1 year in a secure storage environment.
(Roadmap) Policy Enforcement: The platform will support seamless deployment of Kubernetes Policy Controllers (OPA Gatekeeper) to enforce security policies and ensure compliance with organizational and industry standards.

3. Portability and lock-in avoidance

Cloud-Agnostic Design: KubeDNA ensures workload portability across different cloud providers and private cloud infrastructures, avoiding vendor lock-in and allowing organizations to maintain control over their data and deployments .
Interoperability: KubeDNA supports hybrid cloud configurations and seamless migration paths, offering flexibility without compromising security.

Architectural security considerations

1. Modular design

The platform is built with a modular architecture, allowing different security and operational modules to function independently. This design ensures that security breaches in one module do not cascade across the system .

2. Automation for reliability and security

CI/CD Pipeline Integration: Security is embedded into the Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines to perform vulnerability scanning, automated tests, and security checks before deploying new workloads .
Self-Healing Mechanisms: Automated recovery systems detect and respond to issues such as node failures, ensuring high availability and reducing the attack surface during downtimes.

3. Resilience to Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks

KubeDNA’s architecture scales dynamically to absorb high traffic volumes, mitigating risks from DoS attacks. Additionally, resource quotas and limits are enforced at the cluster and namespace level to prevent resource exhaustion.

4. Non-Functional Security Enhancements

Reliability as a Foundation: Non-functional requirements such as system stability, uptime, and predictable behavior are baked into the architecture. These contribute to a trustworthy and secure operating environment .
Low Maintenance Overhead: KubeDNA automates routine security tasks, such as patch management, certificate renewal, cluster scaling and healing, and monitoring (roadmap), ensuring minimal manual intervention and a reduced risk of human error.

Innovative features and differentiations

4. No vendor lock-in

KubeDNA provides a transparent and standardized Kubernetes experience, empowering organizations to easily transition workloads between environments, whether on-premises or in the cloud (roadmap), while retaining robust security controls .

5. Developer-centric security

Ease of Onboarding: Developers are quickly onboarded through standardized processes, and the platform provides comprehensive documentation and tools to reduce setup time and complexity .
(Roadmap) Visibility and Observability: Dashboards and monitoring tools provide real-time insights into cluster health, security posture, and operational metrics.