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GKE

Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) is a managed Kubernetes service that simplifies the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications in Google Cloud. It abstracts infrastructure management while providing flexibility and control over Kubernetes clusters.

Integrating OX Security with GKE gives your security team real-time visibility into what’s running in your clusters and improves workload protection, as follows:

  • Workload-Level Scanning: OX identifies which container images are actively running in Kubernetes workloads, such as deployments and pods, and scans those confirmed to be in use. This improves precision and reduces unnecessary overhead.

  • Runtime Context OX enriches security findings across your environment with runtime metadata. When a vulnerability is found in code or an image that is deployed and running, the issue is flagged with additional severity context to support informed triage and decision-making.

  • Risk Prioritization Support You can prioritize issues based on runtime status, filter findings by whether they are actively running, or create custom policies that adjust severity accordingly.

For a description of the supported Kubernetes connection models, including direct cloud integration and Inspector-based access, see Kubernetes Reachability.

To support GKE integration, OX also connects to Google Cloud Platform (GCP). The GCP connector is required to enable GKE connectivity and provides cloud-level context for Kubernetes workloads.

Prerequisites

  • A Google Cloud project with IAM permissions to:

    • Create service accounts

    • Manage service account keys

  • Enable required APIs (e.g., Compute Engine API, IAM API, Kubernetes Engine API).

  • Optional: gcloud CLI installed and configured.

  • A running GKE cluster in the selected GCP project, with Kubernetes API enabled.

  • Authorized OX static IP address to access your GKE: 108.128.213.11, 34.247.61.212.

Connect to GKE

After you configure the GCP connector, you can connect your GKE clusters. The GKE connector does not require separate credentials. Instead, it automatically uses the credentials you created for GCP, because both connectors rely on the same authentication format and access scope within your Google Cloud project.

Configuring GKE is a short process. Once the GCP connector is active and the required services are enabled in your Google Cloud project, you only need to select your cluster and complete the connection.

When you connect GKE, OX retrieves metadata from your Kubernetes clusters and enriches your environment with workload-level and runtime insights.

To connect to GKE:

  1. In the OX Security platform, go to Connectors and search for GKE.

  1. Select GKE.

  1. Select Connect.

  2. To select specific clusters for scanning by OX platform, select the gear icon next to DELETE.

  3. Select the clusters you want to protect.

  1. Select SAVE.

After connecting your cluster, OX begins collecting Kubernetes metadata, such as deployed workloads, image versions, and runtime status. This information enriches your Applications, Issues, Attack Path, and Artifact BOM pages with cloud-native context.

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