> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://cloudanix.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Ensure Kubelet Configuration File Ownership Is Set To Root

### More Info:

Ensure that the kubelet.conf file ownership is set to root:root.

### Risk Level

Low

### Address

Security

### Compliance Standards

* APRA CPS 234 (Australia)
* BSI C5 (Germany)
* Brazil LGPD
* CCPA / CPRA (California)
* CIS Critical Security Controls v8
* CIS GKE
* CMMC 2.0
* CSA Cloud Controls Matrix v4
* DPDPA
* Digital Operational Resilience Act (EU)
* Essential 8
* ISO/IEC 27017
* ISO/IEC 27018
* ISO/IEC 27701
* KSA PDPL
* MAS Technology Risk Management (Singapore)
* MITRE ATT\&CK (Cloud)
* NIS2 Directive
* NIST SP 800-171
* NYDFS 23 NYCRR 500
* SWIFT Customer Security Controls Framework
* Sarbanes-Oxley IT General Controls
* UK NCSC Cyber Assessment Framework

### Triage and Remediation

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Remediation">
    ### Remediation

    <AccordionGroup>
      <Accordion title="Manual Steps" defaultOpen="true">
        1. On every worker node, check current ownership of the kubelet configuration file:
           ```bash theme={null}
           stat -c %U:%G /etc/kubernetes/kubelet-config.yaml
           ```

        2. On every worker node, change the file owner and group to root:
           ```bash theme={null}
           sudo chown root:root /etc/kubernetes/kubelet-config.yaml
           ```

        3. (Optional, if you want to enforce permissions as well) On every worker node, restrict the file permissions:
           ```bash theme={null}
           sudo chmod 600 /etc/kubernetes/kubelet-config.yaml
           ```

        4. On every worker node, verify the ownership is now correct:
           ```bash theme={null}
           stat -c %U:%G /etc/kubernetes/kubelet-config.yaml
           ```
           The output must be:
           ```text theme={null}
           root:root
           ```
      </Accordion>

      <Accordion title="Using kubectl">
        kubectl cannot modify host-level file ownership for `/etc/kubernetes/kubelet-config.yaml` on worker nodes. This must be fixed directly on each node’s OS (over SSH or similar) by adjusting file ownership; see the Manual Steps section for the exact commands.
      </Accordion>

      <Accordion title="Automation">
        ```bash theme={null}
        #!/usr/bin/env bash
        #
        # Remediate CIS GKE 3.1.4 on every worker node:
        # Ensure /etc/kubernetes/kubelet-config.yaml is owned by root:root
        #
        # Run this script on each worker node (e.g. via SSH, Ansible shell, or your CM tool).

        set -euo pipefail

        CONFIG_FILE="/etc/kubernetes/kubelet-config.yaml"

        echo "=== CIS GKE 3.1.4: Ensure kubelet configuration file ownership is set to root:root ==="

        if [ ! -e "$CONFIG_FILE" ]; then
          echo "File not found: $CONFIG_FILE"
          echo "Nothing to change on this node."
        else
          current_owner_group="$(stat -c '%U:%G' "$CONFIG_FILE")"
          echo "Current ownership: $CONFIG_FILE -> $current_owner_group"

          if [ "$current_owner_group" != "root:root" ]; then
            echo "Updating ownership to root:root ..."
            chown root:root "$CONFIG_FILE"
          else
            echo "Ownership already set to root:root, no change needed."
          fi

          echo "Verifying ownership ..."
          verify_owner_group="$(stat -c '%U:%G' "$CONFIG_FILE")"
          echo "Post-change ownership: $CONFIG_FILE -> $verify_owner_group"

          if [ "$verify_owner_group" != "root:root" ]; then
            echo "ERROR: Failed to set ownership to root:root for $CONFIG_FILE" >&2
            exit 1
          fi

          echo "SUCCESS: $CONFIG_FILE ownership is correctly set to root:root"
        fi
        ```
      </Accordion>
    </AccordionGroup>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

### Additional Reading:

* [https://kubernetes.io/docs/admin/kubelet/](https://kubernetes.io/docs/admin/kubelet/)