CRA Compliance for Kubernetes Clusters
Specific engineering requirements and security-by-design principles to make Kubernetes Clusters compliant with the Cyber Resilience Act.
Core Definition
Building Kubernetes Clusters under the Cyber Resilience Act requires strict adherence to secure-by-default and secure-by-design principles. Kubernetes Clusters are considered 'products with digital elements' or core components of them, meaning you are legally required to manage their vulnerabilities, patch them effectively for up to 5 years, and maintain complete component transparency via an SBOM.
Key Compliance Steps for Kubernetes Clusters
- Generate accurate SBOMs: Use tools specific to Kubernetes Clusters to generate CycloneDX or SPDX Software Bill of Materials in your CI/CD pipeline.
- Enforce 'Secure by Default': Ensure Kubernetes Clusters ship with the most restrictive permissions, no default passwords, and encryption enabled by default.
- Implement Over-The-Air (OTA) Updates: Guarantee that patches can be successfully deployed to Kubernetes Clusters seamlessly to fix critical vulnerabilities.
- Manage Third-Party Risk: Track open-source dependencies within your Kubernetes Clusters to prevent supply chain compromise.
How This Plays Out in Practice
Generate a cluster-wide SBOM covering both application containers and the cluster's own control-plane components (ingress controllers, service mesh sidecars), which are often overlooked.
What to Watch For
Overly permissive RBAC bindings and exposed, unauthenticated Kubernetes dashboards are the most common access-control failures found in clusters.
Assess Your CRA Readiness
Evaluate your product's Cyber Resilience Act readiness using our interactive tool. Find exactly which of the 22 security requirements apply directly to Kubernetes Clusters.