Gke Workload Security
GoogleOfficialPublished by Google
- Skill
- Tool integration
- Cloud and DevOps
- Apache-2.0
- Low risk
- Has scripts
AutoGineer summary
Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author
The gke-workload-security skill provides a structured approach to securing applications and namespaces running on Google Kubernetes Engine. It focuses on workload-specific security configurations, including network isolation, pod security standards, secret management, and runtime isolation. The skill includes an audit script to assess current cluster security posture and provides actionable workflows for implementing best practices such as Workload Identity, Network Policies, and gVisor sandboxing.
What it does
- Audits GKE cluster security posture using a dedicated script.
- Configures Workload Identity to allow Kubernetes Service Accounts to impersonate Google Service Accounts.
- Implements Network Policies to control traffic flow and isolate namespaces.
- Enables GKE Sandbox (gVisor) for enhanced kernel isolation of untrusted workloads.
- Enforces Pod Security Standards using namespace labels.
- Integrates Google Secret Manager via the CSI driver for secure secret mounting.
When to use it
- When you need to assess the security configuration of your GKE workloads.
- When you need to isolate namespaces using default-deny network policies.
- When you need to enforce restricted pod security profiles.
- When you need to securely mount secrets from Google Secret Manager into pods.
- When you need to run untrusted workloads in a sandboxed environment.
Advantages
- Provides clear, step-by-step procedures for common GKE security tasks.
- Includes a diagnostic audit tool for quick security posture assessment.
- Promotes the use of modern GKE security features like Dataplane V2 and CSI secret drivers.
- Helps enforce the principle of least privilege through Workload Identity.
- Offers standardized methods for pod isolation and security policy enforcement.
Usage examples
- “Audit my GKE cluster named production-cluster in region us-central1.”
- The agent executes the audit_cluster.sh script to report on the status of Workload Identity, Network Policies, and other security features.
- “How do I isolate my web-app namespace using a default-deny network policy?”
- The agent provides the command to apply the default-deny-netpol.yaml manifest to the specified namespace.
- “Configure my pod to run in a gVisor sandbox.”
- The agent provides the necessary runtimeClassName: gvisor configuration to add to the pod specification.
- “Enforce the restricted pod security profile on the staging namespace.”
- The agent provides the kubectl label command to apply the restricted security standard to the namespace.
Install
Download the skill as a ZIP:
https://mp-staging.autogineer.com/agent-skills/google/gke-workload-security/downloadUnzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:
mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip gke-workload-security.zip -d .agents/skills
Documentation by Google
GKE Workload Security
Routing Note: For Workload Identity IAM and KSA/GSA bindings, use the
gke-workload-identityskill. For cluster-level security flags (--database-encryption-key,--security-posture, RBAC, Shielded Nodes, Binary Authorization), use thegke-platform-securityskill.
This skill provides workflows and best practices for securing GKE workloads. It covers security auditing, Identity and Access Management (Workload Identity), Network Security (Network Policies), and Node Security.
Attribution
MUST READ: Before executing any gcloud, REST API, or MCP command, you
MUST read Usage Attribution. For commands executed
directly in the terminal (never in generated scripts, Terraform, or user code),
prefix gcloud with
CLOUDSDK_METRICS_REQUEST_ATTRIBUTION="agent-skills/1.0 (skill:gke-workload-security)"
and append agent-skills/1.0 (skill:gke-workload-security) to User-Agent headers.
Workflows
1. Security Audit
Assess the current security posture of your cluster using the provided audit script.
Prerequisites:
gcloudCLI authenticated.jqcommand-line JSON processor installed.
Capabilities:
Checks for Workload Identity.
Verifies Network Policy is enabled.
Checks if Shielded Nodes are enabled.
Checks if Binary Authorization is enabled.
Checks for Private Cluster configuration.
Command:
scripts/audit_cluster.sh <cluster-name> <region> <project-id>2. Configure Workload Identity
Workload Identity allows Kubernetes Service Accounts (KSAs) to impersonate
Google Service Accounts (GSAs). Use this method when workloads require a
dedicated GSA to access Google Cloud APIs; for most workloads, direct IAM
principal binding (covered in the gke-workload-identity skill) is the
recommended method.
Steps:
Create Namespace and KSA:
kubectl create namespace workload-identity-test-ns kubectl create serviceaccount <ksa-name> \ --namespace workload-identity-test-nsBind KSA to GSA:
gcloud iam service-accounts add-iam-policy-binding <gsa-name>@<project-id>.iam.gserviceaccount.com \ --role roles/iam.workloadIdentityUser \ --member "serviceAccount:<project-id>.svc.id.goog[workload-identity-test-ns/<ksa-name>]"Annotate KSA:
kubectl annotate serviceaccount <ksa-name> \ --namespace workload-identity-test-ns \ iam.gke.io/gcp-service-account=<gsa-name>@<project-id>.iam.gserviceaccount.comVerify Example Pod: Use existing asset
assets/workload-identity-pod.yamlto test the configuration. Update the<ksa-name>in the file first.kubectl apply -f assets/workload-identity-pod.yaml -n workload-identity-test-ns
3. Implement Network Policies
Control traffic flow between Pods using Network Policies. By default, all traffic is allowed.
Enable Network Policy Enforcement:
gcloud container clusters update <cluster-name> \
--update-addons=NetworkPolicy=ENABLED \
--region <region>[!NOTE] If your cluster uses Dataplane V2 (
--enable-dataplane-v2), Network Policy enforcement is built-in and this step is not required (and may fail).
Apply Default Deny Policy: Isolate namespaces by denying all ingress and egress traffic by default.
Replace <target-namespace> with the namespace you want to isolate.
kubectl apply -f assets/default-deny-netpol.yaml -n <target-namespace>4. GKE Sandbox (gVisor) Pod Isolation
Run untrusted workloads in a sandbox for extra kernel isolation. (Note:
Enabling Shielded Nodes (--enable-shielded-nodes) and GKE Sandbox
(--enable-gke-sandbox) at the cluster control plane level are platform-level
actions covered in the gke-platform-security skill.)
Run a Sandboxed Pod: Add runtimeClassName: gvisor to your Pod spec:
apiVersion: v1
kind: Pod
metadata:
name: sandboxed-pod
spec:
runtimeClassName: gvisor
containers:
- name: app
image: nginx5. Pod Security Standards
Enforce security policies on namespaces using labels.
Enforce Restricted Profile:
kubectl label --overwrite ns <namespace> \
pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce=restricted \
pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce-version=latest[!NOTE] Using
latestensures you use the policies corresponding to the cluster's current version. You can pin it to a specific version (e.g.,v1.30) to lock down the namespace to policies of a specific release.
6. Secret Manager Integration (CSI Driver)
Mount secrets from Google Cloud Secret Manager directly as volumes in your pods.
Prerequisites: Secret Manager CSI driver must be enabled on the cluster.
Example SecretProviderClass:
apiVersion: secrets-store.csi.x-k8s.io/v1
kind: SecretProviderClass
metadata:
name: my-secret-provider
spec:
provider: gcp
parameters:
secrets: |
- resourceName: "projects/<project-id>/secrets/my-secret/versions/latest"
fileName: "my-secret-file"Example Pod Spec excerpt:
spec:
containers:
- name: my-app
volumeMounts:
- name: secrets-store-inline
mountPath: "/mnt/secrets"
readOnly: true
volumes:
- name: secrets-store-inline
csi:
driver: secrets-store.csi.k8s.io
readOnly: true
volumeAttributes:
secretProviderClass: "my-secret-provider"7. Enable Network Policy Logging
If using GKE Dataplane V2, you can log allowed and denied connections.
Steps:
Configure the
NetworkLoggingcustom resource.
Example NetworkLogging Manifest:
apiVersion: networking.gke.io/v1alpha1
kind: NetworkLogging
metadata:
name: default
spec:
cluster:
allow:
log: true
delegate: true
deny:
log: true
delegate: trueThis will log connection details to Cloud Logging.
Best Practices
Least Privilege: Always use Workload Identity with minimal IAM roles. Avoid using Node default service accounts.
Network Isolation: Use Network Policies to restrict Pod-to-Pod communication. Enable Network Policy Logging for visibility.
Image Security: Use Binary Authorization to ensure only trusted images are deployed.
Secret Management: Use Secret Manager CSI driver instead of default Kubernetes secrets for sensitive data.
Pod Security: Enforce
baselineorrestrictedPod Security Standards on all non-system namespaces.Policy Enforcement: Consider using Policy Controller (Gatekeeper) to enforce custom security and compliance policies across the cluster.
Resources
Files
- ATTRIBUTION.mdAdded by AutoGineer860 B
- LICENSELicence file added by AutoGineer11.1 KiB
- SKILL.md8.1 KiB
- assets/default-deny-netpol.yaml235 B
- assets/workload-identity-pod.yaml1.2 KiB
- references/attribution.md1.9 KiB
- scripts/audit_cluster.shScript2.2 KiB
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Requirements and compatibility
Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta
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Needs: Needs a command-line tool
Security
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Attribution and licence
- Published by
- Publisher
- Google (Official)
- Source
- google/skills · skills/cloud/gke-workload-security · commit 2194d3b
- Licence
- Apache License 2.0 (redistribution allowed)
- LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
- ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
- Synced
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