AWSOverview
Disable public IP addresses for cluster nodes, so that they only have private IP addresses. Private Nodes are nodes with no public IP addresses.
Rationale
Disabling public IP addresses on cluster nodes restricts access to only internal networks, forcing attackers to obtain local network access before attempting to compromise the underlying Kubernetes hosts.
Impact
To enable Private Nodes, the cluster has to also be configured with a private master IP range and IP Aliasing enabled.
Private Nodes do not have outbound access to the public internet. If you want to provide outbound Internet access for your private nodes, you can use Cloud NAT or you can manage your own NAT gateway
Remediation guidance
Disable the public IP addresses.
References
Multiple Remediation Paths
AWS
SERVICE-WIDE (RECOMMENDED when many resources are affected): Deploy centralized guardrails and remediation using AWS Config Conformance Packs and (if applicable) AWS Organizations SCPs.
aws configservice put-organization-conformance-pack --organization-conformance-pack-name <pack-name> --template-s3-uri s3://<bucket>/<template>.yaml
ASSET-LEVEL: Apply the resource-specific remediation steps above to only the affected assets.
PREVENTIVE: Add CI/CD policy checks (CloudFormation/Terraform validation) before deployment to prevent recurrence.
References for Service-Wide Patterns
- AWS Config Conformance Packs: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/config/latest/developerguide/conformance-packs.html
- AWS Organizations SCP examples: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/organizations/latest/userguide/orgs_manage_policies_scps_examples.html
Operational Rollout Workflow
Use this sequence to reduce risk and avoid repeated drift.
1. Contain at Service-Wide Scope First (Recommended)
- AWS: deploy/adjust organization conformance packs and policy guardrails.
aws configservice put-organization-conformance-pack --organization-conformance-pack-name <pack-name> --template-s3-uri s3://<bucket>/<template>.yaml
2. Remediate Existing Affected Assets
- Execute the control-specific Console/CLI steps documented above for each flagged resource.
- Prioritize internet-exposed and production assets first.
3. Validate and Prevent Recurrence
- Re-scan after each remediation batch.
- Track exceptions with owner and expiry date.
- Add preventive checks in IaC/CI pipelines.
Query logic
These are the stored checks tied to this control.
EKS NodeGroups with public nodes
Connectors
Covered asset types
Expected check: eq []
{
EKSNodeGroupsWithPublicNodes {
...AssetFragment
}
}
