kube-bench
kube-bench checks whether a Kubernetes cluster is configured according to the CIS Kubernetes Benchmark.
Legal & ethical use. Use this tool only on systems, networks and data that you own or have explicit written permission to test. Unauthorised access or scanning can break computer-misuse laws (for example Pakistan's Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, and equivalents elsewhere). Practise in your own lab or in authorised environments such as CTFs.
What it is used for
- Audit a test cluster against CIS recommendations
- Track configuration drift
Key features
- CIS benchmark checks
- Runs as a Job or on the node
- Remediation hints
Installation
Run as a container/Job as described in the documentation.
Beginner usage guide
Run in a lab cluster and fix FAIL results, starting with control-plane settings.
Example commands
Run these only against your own lab or authorised targets. Placeholder addresses such as 192.0.2.x are documentation ranges.
Run on a node (docs)
kube-bench run --targets nodeRuns the node checks; target names vary by version.
References
Source verification
Last reviewed: 2026-10-27
Links checked over HTTP: 2026-10-27 07:51 UTC — official: 200, docs: 200, repo: 200
Commands were written from the official documentation and have not been executed on this site; test them in your lab.