diff --git a/content/en/blog/_posts/2022-05-18-prevent-unauthorised-volume-mode-conversion.md b/content/en/blog/_posts/2022-05-18-prevent-unauthorised-volume-mode-conversion.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000000..814177f97c --- /dev/null +++ b/content/en/blog/_posts/2022-05-18-prevent-unauthorised-volume-mode-conversion.md @@ -0,0 +1,116 @@ +--- +layout: blog +title: 'Kubernetes 1.24: Prevent unauthorised volume mode conversion' +date: 2022-05-18 +slug: prevent-unauthorised-volume-mode-conversion-alpha +--- + +**Author:** Raunak Pradip Shah (Mirantis) + +Kubernetes v1.24 introduces a new alpha-level feature that prevents unauthorised users +from modifying the volume mode of a [`PersistentVolumeClaim`](/docs/concepts/storage/persistent-volumes/) created from an +existing [`VolumeSnapshot`](/docs/concepts/storage/volume-snapshots/) in the Kubernetes cluster. + + + +### The problem + +The [Volume Mode](/docs/concepts/storage/persistent-volumes/#volume-mode) determines whether a volume +is formatted into a filesystem or presented as a raw block device. + +Users can leverage the `VolumeSnapshot` feature, which has been stable since Kubernetes v1.20, +to create a `PersistentVolumeClaim` (shortened as PVC) from an existing `VolumeSnapshot` in +the Kubernetes cluster. The PVC spec includes a `dataSource` field, which can point to an +existing `VolumeSnapshot` instance. +Visit [Create a PersistentVolumeClaim from a Volume Snapshot](/docs/concepts/storage/persistent-volumes/#create-persistent-volume-claim-from-volume-snapshot) for more details. + +When leveraging the above capability, there is no logic that validates whether the mode of the +original volume, whose snapshot was taken, matches the mode of the newly created volume. + +This presents a security gap that allows malicious users to potentially exploit an +as-yet-unknown vulnerability in the host operating system. + +Many popular storage backup vendors convert the volume mode during the course of a +backup operation, for efficiency purposes, which prevents Kubernetes from blocking +the operation completely and presents a challenge in distinguishing trusted +users from malicious ones. + +### Preventing unauthorised users from converting the volume mode + +In this context, an authorised user is one who has access rights to perform `Update` +or `Patch` operations on `VolumeSnapshotContents`, which is a cluster-level resource. +It is upto the cluster administrator to provide these rights only to trusted users +or applications, like backup vendors. + +If the alpha feature is [enabled](https://kubernetes-csi.github.io/docs/) in +`snapshot-controller`, `snapshot-validation-webhook` and `external-provisioner`, +then unauthorised users will not be allowed to modify the volume mode of a PVC +when it is being created from a `VolumeSnapshot`. + +To convert the volume mode, an authorised user must do the following: + +1. Identify the `VolumeSnapshot` that is to be used as the data source for a newly +created PVC in the given namespace. +2. Identify the `VolumeSnapshotContent` bound to the above `VolumeSnapshot`. + +``` + kubectl get volumesnapshot -n +``` + +3. Add the annotation [`snapshot.storage.kubernetes.io/allowVolumeModeChange`](/docs/reference/labels-annotations-taints/#snapshot-storage-kubernetes-io-allowvolumemodechange) +to the `VolumeSnapshotContent`. + +4. This annotation can be added either via software or manually by the authorised +user. The `VolumeSnapshotContent` annotation must look like following manifest fragment: + +```yaml + kind: VolumeSnapshotContent + metadata: + annotations: + - snapshot.storage.kubernetes.io/allowVolumeModeChange: "true" + ... +``` + +**Note**: For pre-provisioned `VolumeSnapshotContents`, you must take an extra +step of setting `spec.sourceVolumeMode` field to either `Filesystem` or `Block`, +depending on the mode of the volume from which this snapshot was taken. + +An example is shown below: + +```yaml + apiVersion: snapshot.storage.k8s.io/v1 + kind: VolumeSnapshotContent + metadata: + annotations: + - snapshot.storage.kubernetes.io/allowVolumeModeChange: "true" + name: new-snapshot-content-test + spec: + deletionPolicy: Delete + driver: hostpath.csi.k8s.io + source: + snapshotHandle: 7bdd0de3-aaeb-11e8-9aae-0242ac110002 + sourceVolumeMode: Filesystem + volumeSnapshotRef: + name: new-snapshot-test + namespace: default +``` + +Repeat steps 1 to 3 for all `VolumeSnapshotContents` whose volume mode needs to be +converted during a backup or restore operation. + +If the annotation shown in step 4 above is present on a `VolumeSnapshotContent` +object, Kubernetes will not prevent the volume mode from being converted. +Users should keep this in mind before they attempt to add the annotation +to any `VolumeSnapshotContent`. + + +### What's next + +[Enable this feature](https://kubernetes-csi.github.io/docs/) and let us know +what you think! + +We hope this feature causes no disruption to existing workflows while preventing +malicious users from exploiting security vulnerabilities in their clusters. + +For any issues, create a thread in the #sig-storage slack channel or an issue +in the CSI external-snapshotter [repository](https://github.com/kubernetes-csi/external-snapshotter). \ No newline at end of file