Execution of command from within a Kubernetes pod using kubelet credentials

Cortex XDR Analytics Alert Reference by Alert name

Product

Cortex XDR

Last date published

2026-03-10

Synopsis

Activation Period	14 Days
Training Period	30 Days
Test Period	N/A (single event)
Deduplication Period	1 Day
Required Data	Requires: XDR Agent
Detection Modules
Detector Tags	Kubernetes - AGENT
ATT&CK Tactic	Privilege Escalation (TA0004)
ATT&CK Technique	Access Token Manipulation (T1134)
Severity	Low

Description

A command was executed from within a Kubernetes pod using Kubelet credentials. This activity allows an attacker to impersonate the node and perform privileged operations against the cluster API.

Attacker's Goals

Usage of the Kubernetes API server to perform operations inside the cluster.

Investigative actions

Check if there is an active attack against the Kubernetes cluster.

Variations

Unusual execution of command from within a Kubernetes pod using kubelet credentials