More Info:
The kubelet.conf kubeconfig file should be owned by root:root so only privileged users can access the kubelets API credentials. Incorrect ownership could expose those credentials.Risk Level
MediumAddress
SecurityCompliance Standards
- CIS Kubernetes
Triage and Remediation
- Remediation
Remediation
Manual Steps
Manual Steps
-
On every worker node, check current ownership of the kubelet kubeconfig file:
-
On every worker node, if ownership is not
root:root, change it: -
On every worker node, ensure correct permissions are also set (optional but recommended: read/write for root only):
-
On every worker node, verify the ownership is now correct:
Using kubectl
Using kubectl
kubectl cannot modify file ownership on nodes, so it cannot be used to fix
/etc/kubernetes/kubelet.conf permissions. This change must be made directly on every worker node’s host filesystem; follow the guidance in the Manual Steps section to apply and verify the fix.Automation
Automation

