Adversaries may abuse a container administration service to execute commands within a container. A container administration service such as the Docker daemon, the Kubernetes API server, or the kubelet may allow remote management of containers within an environment.(Citation: Docker Daemon CLI)(Citation: Kubernetes API)(Citation: Kubernetes Kubelet)
In Docker, adversaries may specify an entrypoint during container deployment that executes a script or command, or they may use a command such as <code>docker exec</code> to execute a command within a running container.(Citation: Docker Entrypoint)(Citation: Docker Exec) In Kubernetes, if an adversary has sufficient permissions, they may gain remote execution in a container in the cluster via interaction with the Kubernetes API server, the kubelet, or by running a command such as <code>kubectl exec</code>.(Citation: Kubectl Exec Get Shell)
View in MITRE ATT&CK®| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIS-6.8 | Define and Maintain Role-Based Access Control | mitigates | T1609 | Container Administration Command |
Comments
Enforcing authentication and role-based access control (RBAC) on the container administration service to restrict users to the least privileges required can help prevent adversaries from abusing the service to execute commands within the container.
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| CIS-4.8 | Uninstall or Disable Unnecessary Services on Enterprise Assets and Software | mitigates | T1609 | Container Administration Command |
Comments
Removing unnecessary container-management utilities, exposed APIs, and administrative services reduces the mechanisms available for remote container commands.
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| CIS-4.6 | Securely Manage Enterprise Assets and Software | mitigates | T1609 | Container Administration Command |
Comments
Restricting Docker and Kubernetes administration to authenticated TLS, SSH, local sockets, or other secured management channels directly reduces unauthorized remote container commands. Version-controlled manifests and Infrastructure-as-Code also reduce unreviewed administrative changes.
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| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| action.hacking.variety.Abuse of functionality | Abuse of functionality. | related-to | T1609 | Container Administration Command |
| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gke_enterprise | GKE Enterprise | technique_scores | T1609 | Container Administration Command |
Comments
GKE Enterprise incorporates the Anthos Config Management feature to create and manage Kubernetes objects across multiple clusters at once. PodSecurityPolicies can be enforced to prevent Pods from using the root Linux user and prevents pods from running privileged containers. In hindsight this can ensure containers are not running as root by default.
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| google_kubernetes_engine | Google Kubernetes Engine | technique_scores | T1609 | Container Administration Command |
Comments
This control may provide provide information about vulnerabilities within container images, such as the risk from remote management of a deployed container. With the right permissions, an adversary could escalate to remote code execution in the Kubernetes cluster.
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| Capability ID | Capability Description | Mapping Type | ATT&CK ID | ATT&CK Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aws_config | AWS Config | technique_scores | T1609 | Container Administration Command |
Comments
The "eks-endpoint-no-public-access" managed rule can identify whether Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS) endpoints are misconfigured to allow public endpoint access, which should be fixed in order to prevent malicious external access to the Kubernetes API server, including malicious attempts to execute commands via the API. It is run periodically and only provides partial coverage because it is specific to public access, resulting in an overall score of Partial.
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