More Info:
Perform authorized penetration and vulnerability testing on Oracle Cloud services after reviewing the Oracle Cloud Testing Policies. Submit a Cloud Security Testing Notification with an appropriately privileged Oracle Account.Risk Level
MediumAddress
SecurityCompliance Standards
- CIS OKE
Triage and Remediation
- Remediation
Remediation
Manual Steps
Manual Steps
-
Confirm who can submit Cloud Security Testing Notifications
- In the OCI Console (any machine with browser access), go to Identity & Security → Identity → Groups and verify there is a group (for example,
sec-testing-admins) with permissions to file service maintenance requests (typically groups that can open/modify Cloud Support Requests). - Go to Identity & Security → Identity → Users and confirm at least one active user in that group with MFA enabled and access to the tenancy/compartment where the Kubernetes cluster and related services run.
- In the OCI Console (any machine with browser access), go to Identity & Security → Identity → Groups and verify there is a group (for example,
-
Review Oracle Cloud Security Testing Policy and scope
- Using a browser, open:
https://docs.cloud.oracle.com/en-us/iaas/Content/Security/Concepts/security_testing-policy.htm - Confirm that the services and regions you plan to test (VCN, Load Balancers, OKE clusters, compute nodes, object storage, etc.) are allowed under the policy, and note any prohibited activities, ports, or testing types.
- Using a browser, open:
-
Inventory resources and testing targets for the cluster
- On any machine with OCI CLI configured, list compartments and identify the one hosting your OKE cluster:
- List OKE clusters in the target compartment:
- Enumerate public-facing endpoints that may be in scope:
- Capture this list as the proposed testing scope.
- On any machine with OCI CLI configured, list compartments and identify the one hosting your OKE cluster:
-
Submit a Cloud Security Testing Notification for the identified scope
- Log in to the OCI Console with the privileged Oracle Account.
- From the console header, open Help → Support Center → Create Support Request (or equivalent in your region/console version).
- Select the appropriate category for Cloud Security Testing Notification and fill in:
- Tenancy OCID, compartments, and regions.
- Exact resources/endpoints (from step 3).
- Types of tests (e.g., network penetration test, web app scan, container image scan) aligned with the policy.
- Planned dates and times, source IP ranges of your testing infrastructure, and any third-party testers.
- Submit and record the Request/Reference ID.
-
Await and document Oracle’s approval/conditions
- Monitor the Support Request in the Support Center for approval or required changes (timing, scope, methods).
- Save the approval message and any conditions (e.g., specific disallowed techniques) in your security documentation or IaC repo docs adjacent to the OKE/infra code.
-
Verify compliance and evidence for the benchmark
- Ensure you have:
- A copy/screenshot of the submitted Cloud Security Testing Notification (request details and ID).
- A copy/screenshot of Oracle’s approval/response showing the request status and allowed testing window.
- Optionally, from any machine with OCI CLI, retrieve Support Request metadata (if enabled in your tenancy) to show status:
- Confirm that this documentation is current (covers your active OKE environment and testing schedule) to consider the control satisfied.
- Ensure you have:
Using kubectl
Using kubectl
kubectl cannot be used to address this finding because it concerns Oracle Cloud account- and tenancy-level security testing approvals, not Kubernetes API objects. Remediation must be performed in the Oracle Cloud Console/OCI APIs/IaC at the cloud provider level; follow the guidance in the Manual Steps section.
Automation
Automation
- Each line represents an OKE cluster.
- Key columns:
REGION,COMPARTMENT_NAME,CLUSTER_NAME,CLUSTER_OCID: identify the cluster that might be in scope for penetration/vulnerability testing.STATE: clusters inACTIVEorCREATINGstate are typically in scope for review.APPROVAL_TAG_PRESENT:yesif the cluster has a tag namedsecurity-testing-approved(or whatever you configure inTEST_APPROVED_TAG_KEY),nootherwise.APPROVAL_TAG_VALUE: free-form value your process can use (e.g., “request-1234”, “approved-2026‑07‑01”, or a link to the submitted Cloud Security Testing Notification).
- Any cluster that:
- Is planned to be tested, and
- Has
APPROVAL_TAG_PRESENT=no, or - Has an empty/invalid
APPROVAL_TAG_VALUE.
- That Oracle Cloud Security Testing Policies have been reviewed.
- That a Cloud Security Testing Notification has been submitted for the correct tenancy/region and timeframe, using an Oracle Account with appropriate privileges.
- That your internal tracking (e.g., tags, CMDB, ticket system) is updated to reflect the approval.

