SecurityContext

SecurityContext is a Kubernetes object that defines privilege and access control settings for a Pod or Container. It allows administrators to specify security-related options for a workload, ensuring that it runs with the intended security posture.

There are two main levels at which SecurityContext can be applied: Pod level and Container level. When applied at the Pod level, the settings are inherited by all containers within that Pod, unless overridden by a Container-level SecurityContext. Container-level settings take precedence over Pod-level settings.

Key security features that can be configured using SecurityContext include:

* runAsUser and runAsGroup: Specifies the user and group ID under which the container's processes will run. This is crucial for enforcing least privilege.

* fsGroup: Sets a supplementary group ID for the volume that is mounted into the Pod. This controls access to shared volumes.

* allowPrivilegeEscalation: Determines whether a process can gain more privileges than its parent process. It's recommended to set this to false.

* capabilities: Allows for fine-grained control over Linux capabilities, such as adding or dropping specific capabilities. This avoids granting unnecessary root privileges.

* seccompProfile: Applies a Seccomp (Secure Computing Mode) profile to restrict the system calls a container can make, further limiting its attack surface.

* privileged: When set to true, the container runs in privileged mode, bypassing many security restrictions. This should be used with extreme caution.

* readOnlyRootFilesystem: Enforces that the container's root filesystem is mounted as read-only.

By utilizing SecurityContext, Kubernetes users can significantly enhance the security of their containerized applications, aligning with best practices for container security and compliance.