Cloud Native Security Engineering: Securing Kubernetes, Workloads, APIs & Zero Trust Systems

What You Will Learn

The most practical beginner-to-advanced cloud-native security course available publicly. Replace secret sprawl and perimeter trust with workload identity, Zero Trust architecture, policy-as-code, runtime protection, and supply chain security. 16 modules, 50+ hands-on labs, completely free. Covers Kubernetes, SPIFFE/SPIRE, OPA, Falco, Sigstore, Vault, Envoy, Istio, eBPF, and AI infrastructure security.

16 modules, 32+ hands-on labs, 60+ hours, Beginner to Advanced, 100% free.

• Backend Engineers building cloud-native applications
• DevOps Engineers securing Kubernetes infrastructure
• Platform Engineers building internal developer platforms
• SREs responsible for production security posture
• Security Engineers entering cloud-native systems
• Kubernetes Beginners who want security-first foundations
• Cloud Architects designing multi-cloud security

Full Curriculum

1. Module 1: Introduction to Cloud Native Security

   Why traditional security fails in cloud-native systems and how to think about modern infrastructure protection 3 hours. 2 hands-on labs.

   • Understand the evolution from monoliths to cloud-native platforms
   • Learn why perimeter security fails with ephemeral workloads
   • Map the cloud-native threat landscape
   • Build a security-first engineering mindset
2. Module 2: Kubernetes Foundations for Security

   Understanding Kubernetes architecture, RBAC, and the API attack surface from a security perspective 3.5 hours. 3 hands-on labs.

   • Understand Kubernetes architecture through a security lens
   • Master RBAC design and common misconfigurations
   • Map the Kubernetes API attack surface
   • Debug authentication and authorization failures
3. Module 3: Containers & Workload Security

   Hardening containers from image build to runtime with Pod Security Standards, seccomp, and distroless images 3 hours. 3 hands-on labs.

   • Understand Linux container isolation primitives (namespaces, cgroups)
   • Build secure container images with distroless and rootless patterns
   • Configure Pod Security Standards for cluster-wide enforcement
   • Implement seccomp and capabilities restrictions
4. Module 4: Kubernetes Authentication & Authorization

   Service accounts, OIDC, RBAC deep dive, and identity in distributed systems 3 hours. 2 hands-on labs.

   • Configure Kubernetes authentication methods
   • Design least-privilege RBAC policies
   • Integrate OIDC for human authentication
   • Debug authentication and authorization failures
5. Module 5: Zero Trust Security Fundamentals

   Identity-based security, mTLS, trust domains, and microsegmentation for cloud-native systems 3 hours. 2 hands-on labs.

   • Understand Zero Trust principles for cloud-native systems
   • Implement mutual TLS between services
   • Design trust domains and microsegmentation
   • Plan east-west security for Kubernetes clusters
6. Module 6: SPIFFE & SPIRE Deep Dive

   Production workload identity with the CNCF standard — from concepts to Kubernetes deployment 4 hours. 2 hands-on labs.

   • Understand SPIFFE specification and SPIRE architecture
   • Deploy SPIRE on Kubernetes with auto-registration
   • Configure workload attestation and SVID issuance
   • Implement SPIFFE federation across trust domains
7. Module 7: Service Mesh Security

   Envoy, Istio, and Linkerd — transparent mTLS, identity propagation, and authorization policies 3.5 hours. 2 hands-on labs.

   • Understand service mesh architecture and security capabilities
   • Deploy Istio with mTLS enforcement
   • Configure identity-aware authorization policies
   • Integrate SPIRE as the mesh identity provider
8. Module 8: Policy-as-Code Security

   OPA, Kyverno, Gatekeeper, and admission controllers for automated security enforcement 3.5 hours. 2 hands-on labs.

   • Write OPA Rego policies for Kubernetes security
   • Deploy Kyverno for declarative policy enforcement
   • Configure Gatekeeper admission controller
   • Automate compliance checks in CI/CD
9. Module 9: Secrets Management & Machine Identity

   Vault, dynamic secrets, certificate rotation, and replacing secret sprawl with workload identity 3.5 hours. 2 hands-on labs.

   • Integrate HashiCorp Vault with Kubernetes
   • Implement dynamic secrets and automatic rotation
   • Replace static credentials with workload identity
   • Design a secrets management strategy for production
10. Module 10: Runtime Security & Threat Detection

    Falco, Tetragon, eBPF — detecting container escapes, unauthorized access, and runtime threats 3.5 hours. 2 hands-on labs.

    • Understand runtime threat categories in Kubernetes
    • Deploy Falco for syscall-based threat detection
    • Use Tetragon for eBPF-based enforcement
    • Build incident response procedures for runtime events
11. Module 11: Cloud Native Supply Chain Security

    Sigstore, SLSA, SBOM, image signing, and provenance verification 3 hours. 2 hands-on labs.

    • Understand supply chain attack vectors
    • Sign container images with Cosign
    • Verify image provenance with SLSA
    • Generate and analyze SBOMs for vulnerability tracking
12. Module 12: Secure CI/CD Pipelines

    Harden GitHub Actions, protect secrets, isolate pipelines, and implement secure deployment workflows 3 hours. 2 hands-on labs.

    • Identify CI/CD threat vectors
    • Harden GitHub Actions workflows
    • Implement pipeline isolation and secret scanning
    • Deploy securely with signed artifacts and workload identity
13. Module 13: Observability & Security Monitoring

    OpenTelemetry, audit logging, distributed tracing, and security telemetry 3 hours. 2 hands-on labs.

    • Build security-focused observability with OpenTelemetry
    • Configure Kubernetes audit logging
    • Correlate security events across services
    • Design dashboards for security posture monitoring
14. Module 14: Multi-Cluster & Multi-Cloud Security

    Federation, cross-cloud identity, hybrid infrastructure, and trust boundaries at scale 3 hours. 1 hands-on lab.

    • Design trust boundaries for multi-cluster deployments
    • Implement SPIFFE federation across clusters and clouds
    • Secure hybrid infrastructure (Kubernetes + VMs)
    • Plan cross-cloud identity portability
15. Module 15: AI Infrastructure Security

    Securing AI agents, LLM endpoints, MCP servers, vector databases, and inference pipelines 3 hours. 2 hands-on labs.

    • Understand AI infrastructure threat landscape
    • Implement workload identity for AI agents
    • Secure MCP servers and vector databases with mTLS
    • Design identity-aware AI access control policies
16. Module 16: Production Architecture & Capstone

    Build a production-grade cloud-native security platform combining all five pillars 5 hours. 1 hands-on lab.

    • Design an end-to-end production security architecture
    • Deploy the complete cloud-native security stack
    • Implement all five pillars: identity, zero trust, policy, runtime, supply chain
    • Test with attack simulations and verify containment

Course Topics

Cloud Native Security, Kubernetes Security, Zero Trust, Workload Identity, SPIFFE, SPIRE, OPA, Falco, eBPF, Sigstore, Supply Chain Security, Service Mesh, Istio, Envoy, Vault, Runtime Security, Policy-as-Code, Platform Security, Machine Identity, AI Infrastructure Security, CNCF, mTLS, Container Security, CI/CD Security

Instructor

Vishal Anand

Senior Product Engineer & Tech Lead

Creator of DRF API Logger (1.6M+ PyPI downloads), educator at CodersSecret, and author of the Mastering SPIFFE & SPIRE course. Builds production infrastructure security systems and teaches practical engineering — no theory without code, no concepts without labs.

• Creator of DRF API Logger — 1.6M+ downloads, used across enterprise systems
• Author of Mastering SPIFFE & SPIRE — comprehensive free workload identity course
• Educator at CodersSecret — 80+ production-grade engineering tutorials
• Production experience securing Kubernetes platforms at scale

Frequently Asked Questions

What is cloud native security?

Cloud native security is a comprehensive approach to securing containerized, orchestrated, and microservice-based systems. It covers workload identity, Zero Trust networking, policy-as-code, runtime threat detection, and supply chain security.

Is this course beginner-friendly?

Yes. The course starts with security fundamentals and Kubernetes basics, then progressively builds to advanced topics like SPIFFE federation, eBPF runtime security, and AI infrastructure protection.

Is this course free?

Yes, 100% free. 16 modules, 50+ hands-on labs, companion GitHub repositories, and all course content are completely free.

What tools does this course cover?

Kubernetes, SPIFFE/SPIRE, OPA, Kyverno, Gatekeeper, Falco, Tetragon, eBPF, Sigstore, Cosign, SLSA, HashiCorp Vault, Istio, Envoy, OpenTelemetry, and GitHub Actions security.

What is the difference between this course and the SPIFFE & SPIRE course?

The SPIFFE & SPIRE course goes deep on workload identity specifically. This Cloud Native Security Engineering course covers the full security stack — identity is one of five pillars alongside Zero Trust, policy, runtime protection, and supply chain security.

What is OPA vs Kyverno?

OPA (Open Policy Agent) uses the Rego language for powerful policy expressions. Kyverno uses Kubernetes-native YAML for easier adoption. Both enforce security policies via admission control. The course covers both so you can choose.

What is runtime security?

Runtime security detects and prevents threats inside running containers — shell execution, privilege escalation, sensitive file access, cryptomining. Tools like Falco (detection) and Tetragon (enforcement) use eBPF to monitor at the kernel level.

What is supply chain security?

Supply chain security ensures that every artifact from source code to running container is verified and untampered. It includes image signing (Cosign), build provenance (SLSA), and vulnerability tracking (SBOM).