Secrets in ConfigMaps / env vars
Plaintext secrets read from insecurely stored cluster objects
categoryCloud, container and supply chain attacksseverityHighdetectabilityHighlabnot yet measured
Classification
24 values: 9 imported, 3 derived, 12 machine-classified. What do these mean?
Exploitability
| Attack vector | Credential attacksMisconfigurationSoftware vulnerabilities |
|---|---|
| Reach (CVSS) | Network |
| Attack complexity | Low |
| Privileges required | Low |
| User interaction | None |
| Attacker skill required | Low |
| Resources required | Low |
| Likelihood / prevalence | High |
| Maturity | Established |
Impact & scope
| Severity | High |
|---|---|
| Impact | Confidentiality |
| Platform | Containers |
| Environment | Cloud |
| Target asset class | IdentityServer |
| Kill-chain phase (tactic) | Credential Access |
Detection & telemetry
| Detectability | High |
|---|---|
| Testability | Atomic Red Team test |
| Data sources (ATT&CK data components) | Application Log ContentCommand ExecutionProcess CreationUser Account Authentication |
Detection & response
Mitigated by 13
- M1018 attack-mitigation
- M1026 attack-mitigation
- M1030 attack-mitigation
- M1035 attack-mitigation
D3-ANCId3fendD3-CCSAd3fendD3-CHd3fendD3-CRd3fendD3-CROd3fendD3-CTSd3fendD3-DUCd3fendD3-MFAd3fendD3-RICd3fend
Detected by 5
- DET0198 attack-detection-strategy
6ad91e31-53df-4826-bd27-0166171c8040sigmaa61a3c56-4ce2-4351-a079-88ae4cbd2b58sigmaeeb3e9e1-b685-44e4-9232-6bb701f925b5sigmaeed82177-38f5-4299-8a76-098d50d225absigma
Tested by 3
31e794c4-48fd-4a76-aca4-6587c155bc11atomic43c3a49d-d15c-45e6-b303-f6e177e44a9aatomic788e0019-a483-45da-bcfe-96353d46820fatomic
Attack relationships
- Parent: API key / secret leakage
- Parent: CI/CD credential hygiene failures
Framework references
- Primary source: https://kubernetes-top10.owasp.org/
- owasp-k8s: K03 (primary)
- attack: T1552.007
- cwe: CWE-312
Evidence & sources
- ev-0001 (Cyber Attack Taxonomy) — Name, definition and Example/ID taken verbatim from the 'Cloud, container and supply chain attacks' table, line 411 of Cyber-Attack-Taxonomy.md
- ev-0002 (Seeded-record enrichment run 2026-09-30 (crosswalk + facet classification)) — Crosswalk to attack:T1552.007, cwe:CWE-312 as the nearest framework entries; ids verified to exist in the cached catalogues.
- ev-0003 (MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) 4.20) — Linked to CWE-312 'Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information', a CWE Base-level weakness (CWE 4.20).
Cleartext Storage of Sensitive Information
- ev-0004 (MITRE Enterprise ATT&CK v19.2 (STIX 2.1)) — ATT&CK usage prevalence: 3 groups/software/campaigns reference this technique (ATT&CK enterprise v19.2)