Kubernetes Network Policies: Strengthening Application Security & Meeting Compliance Requirements

Modern cloud-native applications rely on microservices communicating across pods, namespaces, and clusters. This distributed architecture delivers scalability and resilience—but without proper network segmentation, it also increases the attack surface dramatically.

Why Network Policies Matter in Modern DevSecOps

1. Reduce Lateral Movement

If an attacker compromises a single pod, network policies prevent them from pivoting across the cluster.

2. Enforce Least Privilege

Only necessary microservice-to-microservice traffic is allowed.

3. Protect Sensitive Services

Databases, internal APIs, and credentials vaults are isolated from the rest of the cluster.

4. Stop Common Attack Scenarios

• Internal port scanning

• SSRF attacks toward internal cluster services

• Stolen pod credentials used from other pods

• Malware spreading laterally

5. Meet Compliance Requirements

Segmentation is required across every major security framework.

📘 Compliance Mapping: Network Policies & Security Controls

Compliance Standard	Control / Section	How Network Policies Help
PCI-DSS 4.0	1.2.3 – Restrict inbound/outbound traffic to only what is necessary	Enforce microsegmentation and least-privilege communication.
	7.2 – Least Privilege Access	Restrict pod access to only authorized services.
	11.4.5 – Detect and prevent internal attacks	Limit lateral movement if a workload is compromised.
HIPAA	164.308(a)(3) – Workforce Access Control	Only authorized microservices can access PHI-related workloads.
	164.312(e)(1) – Transmission Security	Limit data flow only to approved destinations.
GDPR	Article 32 – Security of Processing	Prevent unauthorized internal access; enforce strong segmentation.
	Article 25 – Data Protection by Design	Microsegmentation is a required “state-of-the-art” safeguard.
ISO 27001:2022	A.8.12 – Data Transmission	Ensures data is sent only between approved endpoints.
	A.5.15 – Access Control	Logical segmentation in containerized environments.
	A.8.1 – Network Security	Enforces Zero-Trust internal communication.
NIST SP 800-53	AC-4 – Information Flow Control	Policies explicitly restrict allowed traffic.
	SC-7 – Boundary Protection	Pod-level segmentation and micro-boundaries.
	CM-7 – Least Functionality	Removes unnecessary network paths.