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Kubernetes can audit the details of requests made to the API server. The —auditpolicy-file flag must be set for this logging to be enabled.

Risk Level

Low

Address

Security

Compliance Standards

  • CIS GKE

Triage and Remediation

Remediation

Manual Steps

  1. On any machine with gcloud and project access, list clusters and identify the affected one:
  2. For the specific cluster, confirm current logging/audit-related configuration:
  3. Review whether cluster or organization logging requirements (e.g., needing API audit equivalents) are documented, and compare them with what GKE provides (Cloud Audit Logs for Kubernetes):
    • Check if “Admin Activity”, “Data Access”, and “System Event” logs are enabled for the project/folders/org in Cloud Logging / Cloud Audit Logs.
    • Confirm with your security/compliance policy whether GKE’s managed audit/logging features are acceptable as the “minimal audit policy” for your environment.
  4. In the Google Cloud console, navigate to Logging → Logs Explorer, and verify that Kubernetes API–related events are appearing:
    • Use a query such as:
    • Optionally filter for specific verbs (e.g., create, delete) or resources to ensure sufficient coverage.
  5. If existing logs are insufficient for your compliance requirements, adjust Cloud Audit Logs / Logging configuration (via organization policy, project IAM and Logging settings) to capture the required Kubernetes API activities, and document the decision that GKE control-plane manifests (including /etc/kubernetes/manifests/kube-apiserver.yaml) are not directly modifiable.
  6. Record the outcome of this review (evidence from gcloud commands, Logs Explorer screenshots/exports, and policy mapping) in your internal audit/tracking system, explicitly noting that CISGKE 2.2.1 is “Not directly configurable in GKE; covered by managed audit/logging” or documenting any residual gap and compensating controls.
kubectl cannot modify this setting because it is controlled by the GKE-managed control plane and the kube-apiserver manifest (/etc/kubernetes/manifests/kube-apiserver.yaml) is not user-editable. To address or review this finding, follow the guidance in the Manual Steps section for GKE-managed control planes.

Additional Reading: