Suspicious Kubernetes Permission Enumeration via kubectl auth can-i

ATT&CK techniques

Discovery

Recon
Resource Dev
Initial Access
Execution
Persistence
Priv Esc
Defense Evasion
Cred Access
Discovery
- T1613Container and Resource Discovery
Lateral Movement
Collection
C2
Exfiltration
Impact

What it detects

This rule detects use of kubectl to enumerate the caller permissions in a cluster by listing all allowed actions, a post-compromise reconnaissance step observed in real-world Kubernetes intrusions after remote code execution in a pod. Attackers use this to map the reach of a stolen service-account token before attempting privilege escalation or lateral movement.

Reporting behind it

Related detections8 linkedT1613 — drag to rearrange

Suspicious Kubernetes SelfSubjectAccessReview Permission Enumeration

Malicious Kubernetes Reconnaissance Tooling Activity

Suspicious Container Environment Reconnaissance in Serverless Build

Suspicious Kubernetes Secret Enumeration via kubectl

Suspicious Kubernetes API Request From Anonymous User

Suspicious Kubernetes Secret and Permission Enumeration via kubectl (via process_creation)

Suspicious Anonymous Access to Kubernetes API Server via Audit Log

Kubernetes audit log signals potential tool and shell enumeration/execution activity

Suspicious Kubernetes Permission Enumeration via kubectl auth can-i

Pivot detection · T1613 · 8 related

Detection content is published as a reviewed draft. Tune thresholds and exclusions against your own telemetry before enabling this rule for alerting.

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