Avoid deploying workloads in the default namespace

LowLevel 2Manual reviewgke

Description

Avoid deploying GKE workloads in the default namespace. Use dedicated namespaces to separate applications, environments, or tenants so namespace level controls can be applied consistently. The benchmark marks this recommendation Manual.

How it is checked

Audit method: Manual review

This recommendation cannot be checked automatically. A scan lists it with these instructions when you pass --include-manual.

Run the following command to identify resources currently deployed in the default namespace: kubectl get all,configmaps,secrets,pvc,ingress,serviceaccounts,networkpolicies -n default Review any returned resources and determine whether they are application, environment, or tenant workloads that should be moved to a dedicated namespace. GKE supports identifying workloads running in the default namespace and migrating them to dedicated namespaces to improve reliability and security.

How it is fixed

Fix method: Guidance or infrastructure patch

Create dedicated namespaces for workloads based on application, environment, or tenant boundaries, then migrate application resources out of the default namespace. Make updates so all workload resources explicitly specify the new target namespace. After migration, apply appropriate namespace level governance, including RBAC, ResourceQuotas, NetworkPolicies, Pod Security labels, and ownership labels.

Properties

Operating systems: Any
Tags: gkepolicies
Reference: CIS Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) Benchmark v2.0.0 - 4.6.4 Avoid deploying workloads in the default namespace