--- title: Kubernetes Dashboard lang: en-US meta: - name: keywords content: pomerium identity-access-proxy kubernetes helm k8s oauth dashboard description: >- This guide covers how to add authentication and authorization to kubernetes dashboard using single-sing-on, pomerium, helm, and letsencrypt certificates. --- # Securing Kubernetes Dashboard The following guide covers how to secure [Kubernetes Dashboard] using Pomerium. Kubernetes Dashboard is a powerful, web-based UI for managing Kubernetes clusters. Pomerium can act as a **forward-auth provider** _and_ as an independent **identity-aware access proxy** improving and adding single-sign-on to Kubernetes Dashboard's default access control. This guide aims to demonstrate a concrete example of those two methods of access control. ![fresh kubernetes dashboard install](./img/k8s-fresh-dashboard.png) This tutorial covers: - Installing [Helm] a package manger for Kubernetes - Deploying [NGINX Ingress Controller] - Install and configure [Cert-Manager] to issue [LetsEncrypt] certificates - Deploying Pomerium - Deploying [Kubernetes Dashboard] - Secure Kubernetes Dashboard access: - _directly_, using Pomerium's proxy component - _indirectly_, using Pomerium as a [forward-auth] provider :::warning nginx-ingress [version 0.26.2](https://github.com/helm/charts/issues/20001) contains a regression that breaks external auth and results in an infinite loop. ::: ## Background Though securing [kubernetes dashboard] as an example may seem contrived, the damages caused by an unsecured dashboard is a real threat vector. In late 2018, Telsa [determined](https://redlock.io/blog/cryptojacking-tesla) that the hackers who were running [crypto-mining malware](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/02/tesla-cloud-resources-are-hacked-to-run-cryptocurrency-mining-malware/) on their cloud accounts came in through an unsecured [Kubernetes Dashboard] instance. ![tesla hacked from kubernetes dashboard](./img/k8s-tesla-hacked.png) ## Helm First, we will install [Helm]. Helm is a package manager similar to `apt-get` or `brew` but for Kubernetes and it's what we'll use to install Pomerium, nginx-ingress, cert-manager, and the dashboard. ### Install There are two parts to Helm: the client, and the server. This guide will cover the most common installation path. Please refer to the [Helm install] instructions for more details, and other options. #### Client We'll install by installing the helm client on our client on our local machine. OSX via [homebrew]. ```bash brew install kubernetes-helm ``` Linux via [snap]. ```bash sudo snap install helm --classic ``` A script for the [trusting](https://sysdig.com/blog/friends-dont-let-friends-curl-bash/) πŸ˜‰. ```bash curl -L https://git.io/get_helm.sh | bash ``` Add the default repository ```bash helm repo add pomerium https://helm.pomerium.io ``` ## NGINX Ingress [NGINX ingress controller] is a [Kubernetes Ingress] based on [NGINX] the is a very popular, full-feature reverse-proxy. We will use NGINX in two configurations: as a fronting proxy, and as proxy that delegates every request's access-control decision to Pomerium using forward-auth. Also, please note that while this guide uses [NGINX Ingress Controller], Pomerium can act as a forward auth-provider alongside other fronting ingresses like [Traefik](https://docs.traefik.io/middlewares/forwardauth/), [Ambassador](https://www.getambassador.io/reference/services/auth-service/), and [envoy](https://www.envoyproxy.io/docs/envoy/latest/intro/arch_overview/security/ext_authz_filter.html) in a similar fashion. ### Install NGINX Ingress controller can be installed via [Helm] from the official charts repository. To install the chart with the release name `helm-nginx-ingress`: ```bash helm repo add stable https://kubernetes-charts.storage.googleapis.com helm repo update # important to make sure we get >.30 helm install helm-nginx-ingress stable/nginx-ingress ``` ```bash NAME: helm-nginx-ingress .... NAMESPACE: default STATUS: DEPLOYED ``` Confirm the ingress has been installed, and that an external `LoadBalancer` IP has been set. ```sh $kubectl get svc ``` ``` NAME TYPE CLUSTER-IP EXTERNAL-IP PORT(S) AGE helm-nginx-ingress-controller LoadBalancer 10.99.182.128 localhost 80:31059/TCP,443:32402/TCP 15m helm-nginx-ingress-default-backend ClusterIP 10.108.251.51 80/TCP 15m kubernetes ClusterIP 10.96.0.1 443/TCP 93m ``` We now have a kubernetes ingress resource that can be used to delegate access control decisions to or front-proxy for Pomerium. ## Certificates [Cert-manager] is a Kubernetes plugin that helps automate issuance of TLS certificates. In our case, we will use cert-manager to retrieve certs to each of our configured routes. ### Install Like in previous steps, we will use [Helm] to install [Cert-manager]. ```sh # Install the CustomResourceDefinition resources separately $ kubectl apply --validate=false -f https://github.com/jetstack/cert-manager/releases/download/v0.12.0/cert-manager.yaml # Create the namespace for cert-manager $ kubectl create namespace cert-manager # Add the Jetstack Helm repository helm repo add jetstack https://charts.jetstack.io # Update your local Helm chart repository cache helm repo update # Install the cert-manager Helm chart helm install \ --namespace cert-manager \ --version v0.12.0 \ cert-manager \ jetstack/cert-manager ``` And we'll confirm cert-manager is up and running. ``` $ kubectl get pods --namespace cert-manager ``` ``` NAME READY STATUS RESTARTS AGE cert-manager-756d9f56d6-brv6z 1/1 Running 0 23s cert-manager-cainjector-74bb68d67c-7jdw6 1/1 Running 0 23s cert-manager-webhook-645b8bdb7-8kgc9 1/1 Running 0 23s ``` ### Configure Now that cert-manager is installed, we need to make one more configuration to be able to retrieve certificates. We need to add a [http-01 issuer](https://letsencrypt.org/docs/challenge-types/) for use with [LetsEncrypt]. ```sh $ kubectl apply -f docs/recipes/yml/letsencrypt-prod.yaml ``` <<< @/examples/yml/letsencrypt-prod.yaml And confirm your issuer is set up correctly. ```bash $ kubectl describe issuer ``` ```bash Name: letsencrypt-prod ... API Version: cert-manager.io/v1alpha2 Kind: Issuer Metadata: Spec: Acme: Private Key Secret Ref: Name: letsencrypt-prod Server: https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/directory Solvers: Http 01: Ingress: Class: nginx Selector: Status: Acme: Last Registered Email: .... Uri: https://acme-v02.api.letsencrypt.org/acme/acct/69070883 Conditions: Message: The ACME account was registered with the ACME server Reason: ACMEAccountRegistered Status: True Type: Ready ``` If you see something like the above, cert-manager should be all set to help issue you new certificates when you create a new `https` protected ingress. Note, if you need wild-card certificates, you may also need a [DNS-01](https://docs.cert-manager.io/en/latest/tasks/issuers/setup-acme/dns01/) type issuer. ## Dashboard [Kubernetes Dashboard] is a general purpose, web-based UI for Kubernetes clusters. It allows users to manage applications running in the cluster and troubleshoot them, as well as manage the cluster itself. ![kubernetes dashboard login page](./img/k8s-dashboard-login.png) ### Install As with the previous steps, we can use [Helm] to install our instance of [Kubernetes Dashboard]. ```sh helm install \ helm-dashboard \ stable/kubernetes-dashboard \ --set ingress.enabled="false" \ --set enableSkipLogin="true" ``` That's it. We've now configured kubernetes dashboard to use the default service account, if none-is provided. We've also explicitly told helm that we are going to deploy our own custom, nginx / Pomerium / cert-manager enabled ingress. ## Pomerium Pomerium is an identity-aware access proxy that can used to serve as an identity-aware reverse proxy, or as a forward-auth provider. ### Configure Before installing, we will configure Pomerium's configuration settings in `values.yaml`. Other than the typical configuration settings covered in the quick-start guides, we will add a few settings that will make working with Kubernetes Dashboard easier. We can retrieve the token to add to our proxied policy's authorization header as follows. ```sh $ kubectl describe secret helm-dashboard ``` ```Name: dashboard-kubernetes-dashboard-token-bv9jq Namespace: default Labels: Annotations: kubernetes.io/service-account.name: dashboard-kubernetes-dashboard kubernetes.io/service-account.uid: 18ab35ee-eca1-11e9-8c75-025000000001 Type: kubernetes.io/service-account-token Data ==== ca.crt: 1025 bytes namespace: 7 bytes token: eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsImtpZCI6IiJ9....... ``` The above token then needs to be assigned to our route configuration and policy. ```yaml # values.yaml authenticate: idp: provider: "google" clientID: YOUR_CLIENT_ID clientSecret: YOUR_SECRET forwardAuth: enabled: true config: sharedSecret: YOUR_SHARED_SECRET cookieSecret: YOUR_COOKIE_SECRET policy: # this route is directly proxied by pomerium & injects the authorization header - from: https://dashboard-proxied.domain.example to: https://helm-dashboard-kubernetes-dashboard allowed_users: - user@domain.example tls_skip_verify: true # dashboard uses self-signed certificates in its default configuration set_request_headers: Authorization: Bearer eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsImtpZCI6IiJ9..... # this route is indirectly checked for access using forward-auth - from: https://dashboard-forwardauth.domain.example to: https://helm-dashboard-kubernetes-dashboard allowed_users: - user@domain.example ingress: annotations: kubernetes.io/ingress.class: "nginx" cert-manager.io/issuer: "letsencrypt-prod" # see `le.issuer.yaml` nginx.ingress.kubernetes.io/backend-protocol: "HTTPS" secretName: pomerium-ingress-tls ``` ### Install Finally, we get to install Pomerium! πŸŽ‰ Once again, we will use Helm to deploy Pomerium. ```bash helm install \ "helm-pomerium" \ pomerium/pomerium \ --values values.yaml ``` ## Putting it all together Now we just need to tell external traffic how to route everything by deploying the following ingresses. ```sh $kubectl apply -f docs/recipes/yml/dashboard-forwardauth.ingress.yaml ``` <<< @/examples/yml/dashboard-forwardauth.ingress.yaml ```sh $kubectl apply -f docs/recipes/yml/dashboard-proxied.ingress.yaml ``` <<< @/examples/yml/dashboard-proxied.ingress.yaml And finally, check that the ingresses are up and running. ```sh $kubectl get ingress ``` ```sh NAME HOSTS ADDRESS PORTS AGE dashboard-forwardauth dashboard-forwardauth.domain.example 80, 443 42h dashboard-proxied dashboard-proxied.domain.example 80, 443 42h helm-pomerium *.domain.example,authenticate.domain.example 80, 443 42h ``` You'll notice this is the step where we put everything together. We've got [nginx] handling the initial requests, [cert-manager] handling our public certificates, and Pomerium handling access control. ## Conclusion Though the net result will be similar between using forward-auth and direct proxying, there are a few differences: - By having Pomerium **directly proxy the requests**, you as an administrator have control control over the underlying request. In this example, we are able to inject an authenticating bearer token header to the downstream request which arguably makes for a better user experience. * Conversely, going the **forward-auth** route potentially means using the ingress / reverse proxy you are are already accustomed to or have already modified to support your particular deployment. In the end, you should choose whichever option makes the most sense for your use-case and environment. Whichever option you choose to go with, πŸŽ‰πŸΎπŸŽŠ **congratulations** πŸŽ‰πŸΎπŸŽŠ! You now have a single-sign-on enabled [Kubernetes Dashboard] protected by Pomerium and automatically renewing [LetsEncrypt] certificates. [bearer token]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/admin/authentication/ [cert-manager]: https://github.com/jetstack/cert-manager [command line proxy]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/access-application-cluster/web-ui-dashboard/#command-line-proxy [creating sample users]: https://github.com/kubernetes/dashboard/blob/master/docs/user/access-control/creating-sample-user.md [dashboard ui]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/access-application-cluster/web-ui-dashboard/#deploying-the-dashboard-ui [dns01 challenge provider]: https://docs.cert-manager.io/en/latest/tasks/issuers/setup-acme/dns01/index.html [forward-auth]: ../reference/readme.md#forward-auth [helm install]: https://helm.sh/docs/using_helm/#installing-the-helm-client [helm]: https://helm.sh [homebrew]: https://brew.sh [kubernetes dashboard]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/access-application-cluster/web-ui-dashboard/ [kubernetes ingress]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/concepts/services-networking/ingress/ [kubernetes securing a cluster]: https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/administer-cluster/securing-a-cluster/ [letsencrypt]: https://letsencrypt.org [nginx ingress controller]: https://github.com/kubernetes/ingress-nginx [nginx]: https://docs.nginx.com/nginx/admin-guide/security-controls/configuring-subrequest-authentication/ [securing your helm installation]: https://helm.sh/docs/using_helm/#securing-your-helm-installation [snap]: https://github.com/snapcrafters/helm [with pomerium]: ../reference/readme.md#forward-auth [your dashboard]: http://localhost:8001/api/v1/namespaces/kubernetes-dashboard/services/https:kubernetes-dashboard:/proxy/#/login