The Kubernetes kubeadm.conf must have file permissions set to 644 or more restrictive.

Severity
Group ID
Group Title
Version
Rule ID
Date
STIG Version
mediumV-242455SRG-APP-000516-CTR-001325CNTR-K8-003220SV-242455r961863_rule2025-02-202
Description
The Kubernetes kubeadm.conf contains sensitive information regarding the cluster nodes configuration. If this file can be modified, the Kubernetes Platform Plane would be degraded or compromised for malicious intent. Many of the security settings within the document are implemented through this file.
ℹ️ Check
Review the kubeadm.conf file : Get the path for kubeadm.conf by running: systemctl status kubelet Note the configuration file installed by the kubeadm is written to (Default Location: /etc/systemd/system/kubelet.service.d/10-kubeadm.conf) stat -c %a <kubeadm.conf path> If the file has permissions more permissive than "644", this is a finding.
✔️ Fix
Change the permissions of kubeadm.conf to "644" by executing the command: chmod 644 <kubeadm.conf path>