FedRAMP Kubernetes: Running Containers for Federal Workloads

FedRAMP authorization is hard. Adding Kubernetes to the boundary adds complexity. But federal agencies increasingly need container platforms for modern applications. Here's how to get Kubernetes through FedRAMP.

FedRAMP and Kubernetes

FedRAMP defines security controls that cloud services must implement. Moderate baseline has ~325 controls. High has ~421. Kubernetes touches many of these: access control (AC), audit (AU), configuration management (CM), identification (IA), system protection (SC), and system integrity (SI).

The good news: managed Kubernetes services on FedRAMP-authorized clouds (AWS GovCloud, Azure Government) inherit many controls. The bad news: you're still responsible for how you configure and use Kubernetes.

FIPS 140-2 Encryption

FedRAMP Moderate and High require FIPS 140-2 validated cryptography. Standard Kubernetes components don't use FIPS-validated modules. You need FIPS-enabled node images (RHEL FIPS mode, Ubuntu FIPS), FIPS-validated TLS in your service mesh, and applications built with FIPS-validated crypto libraries.

OpenShift is often the choice for federal Kubernetes because Red Hat provides FIPS-validated builds. EKS and AKS can run FIPS workloads but require more configuration.

STIG Hardening

DISA publishes Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs) for Kubernetes. The Kubernetes STIG covers API server configuration, etcd security, network policies, and pod security. Implement these as your baseline hardening.

Key controls: disable anonymous authentication, enable audit logging, use encrypted secrets, restrict privileged containers, implement network policies for pod segmentation. Tools like kube-bench and compliance operators automate STIG assessment.

Boundary Controls

FedRAMP requires clear boundary definition. What's in your authorization boundary? The cluster, the applications, the CI/CD pipeline? Each component in the boundary must be documented and controlled.

Network boundaries need enforcement. Private subnets for worker nodes, VPC endpoints for AWS services, network policies for east-west traffic. Internet egress should route through proxy with logging. Ingress through WAF-protected load balancers only.

Continuous Monitoring

FedRAMP requires continuous monitoring — vulnerability scanning, configuration compliance, security event monitoring. Deploy container scanning in CI/CD (Trivy, Grype) and runtime (Sysdig, Twistlock). Feed findings to your SIEM. Establish processes for remediation timeframes.

Kubernetes audit logs must flow to your security monitoring. Every API call, every authentication, every authorization decision. This supports incident response and satisfies audit requirements.

Supply Chain Security

FedRAMP increasingly focuses on software supply chain. Container images must come from trusted registries. Image signing with Sigstore or Notary provides provenance. SBOMs (Software Bill of Materials) document what's in your containers. Admission controllers enforce these policies at deploy time.

FedRAMP Kubernetes requires deliberate architecture: FIPS encryption, STIG hardening, boundary controls, continuous monitoring, and supply chain security. The path is documented — it just requires rigorous implementation. Federal agencies are successfully running Kubernetes at scale.

Key Takeaways

• FedRAMP Moderate authorization for Kubernetes-based systems requires implementing and documenting 325+ controls across access management, configuration management, audit logging, and incident response.
• Most FedRAMP controls have direct Kubernetes implementations: AC-2 maps to RBAC, AU-2 maps to API audit logging, SC-28 maps to etcd/volume encryption.
• Government contractors in Texas and California building cloud-native systems on GovCloud (AWS GovCloud, Azure Government) can achieve FedRAMP authorization with the right Kubernetes architecture.

FedRAMP Control Families and Kubernetes Implementation

The FedRAMP control catalog uses the NIST SP 800-53 framework. For Kubernetes deployments, the most operationally relevant control families are Access Control (AC), Audit and Accountability (AU), Configuration Management (CM), System and Communications Protection (SC), and Incident Response (IR).

Access Control implementation centers on Kubernetes RBAC. Every human and service account principal must have a role binding scoped to the minimum permissions required. Privileged access (cluster-admin) must require multi-factor authentication and generate audit log entries. Service accounts used by application pods must be distinct from administrative accounts and must not have API server access beyond what the specific workload requires.

Building a FedRAMP-Ready Kubernetes Architecture

FedRAMP requires a System Security Plan (SSP) that documents every control implementation. For Kubernetes, this means documenting: how nodes are hardened (CIS Kubernetes Benchmark as the baseline), how the API server audit log is configured (verbosity, retention, destination), how secrets are managed (external secrets manager integrated with GovCloud HSM services), and how inter-service communication is encrypted.

Our cybersecurity and compliance team has guided government contractors through FedRAMP Authorization To Operate (ATO) processes for Kubernetes-based systems on AWS GovCloud and Azure Government. We accelerate the process with pre-built SSP templates, automated compliance scanning, and architecture patterns that satisfy the most common FedRAMP audit findings. Talk to us about FedRAMP Kubernetes.