Kubernetes Admission Controller

Block Insecure Containers
Before They Run

Enforce security policies at Kubernetes admission time with real-time container validation. Block vulnerable images, enforce signing policies, validate pod security standards, and prevent misconfigurations before they reach production.

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Zero runtime overhead
Real-time policy enforcement

Complete Kubernetes Admission Control

Enforce security policies at the admission layer before containers are scheduled

Vulnerability Blocking

Block containers with critical or high CVEs from running in production. Set CVSS thresholds and enforce zero-vulnerability policies.

Image Signing Validation

Enforce container image signing with Sigstore, Cosign, or Notary. Block unsigned or untrusted images from production clusters.

Pod Security Standards

Enforce Kubernetes Pod Security Standards (Privileged, Baseline, Restricted) with custom policies for namespaces and workloads.

Misconfiguration Prevention

Block pods running as root, using host network, exposing privileged ports, or requesting excessive capabilities.

Custom Policy Engine

Define policies using OPA Rego, Kyverno, or built-in rules. Enforce organizational standards across all clusters.

Real-time Image Scanning

Scan container images on-demand at admission time. No pre-scan required—validate images when they're actually deployed.

How TigerGate Admission Controller Works

Seamless integration with Kubernetes admission webhooks for real-time policy enforcement

Developerkubectl apply -fKubernetesAPI ServerAdmissionReviewTigerGate WebhookCVE & malware scanSignature validationPod Security StandardsCustom policies (OPA)< 10ms verdictpassALLOWEDPod scheduled to nodefailDENIEDCVE-2026-1234 (CVSS 9.8)
STEP 1

Deploy Admission Webhook

Install TigerGate admission controller via Helm chart. Registers as a ValidatingWebhookConfiguration in your cluster.

STEP 2

Intercept Pod Creation

When a pod is created, Kubernetes API server calls TigerGate webhook before scheduling. Image is scanned and policies are evaluated in <10ms.

STEP 3

Allow or Deny

If policies pass, pod is admitted and scheduled. If violations detected, pod is rejected with clear error message explaining the reason.

Enforcement Points

Image Validation
Vulnerability scanning, malware detection, license compliance, SBOM validation
Pod Security
Privileged containers, host access, capabilities, seccomp, AppArmor
Custom Policies
OPA Rego, Kyverno, CEL expressions, custom validation rules

Why Teams Choose TigerGate Admission Controller

Stop vulnerable containers from running in production with real-time admission control

Zero-Day Protection

Block containers with critical CVEs before they're exploited. Real-time scanning detects newly disclosed vulnerabilities at admission time.

  • Real-time CVE database updates
  • CVSS threshold enforcement
  • Known exploit detection
  • Emergency zero-day policies

Supply Chain Security

Enforce image signing and provenance validation. Block untrusted or tampered images from running in production clusters.

  • Sigstore/Cosign validation
  • Provenance verification
  • Registry allowlist/blocklist
  • Private registry auth

Compliance Enforcement

Meet PCI-DSS, HIPAA, SOC 2, and CIS Kubernetes benchmark requirements with automated policy enforcement at the admission layer.

  • Pod Security Standards
  • CIS Kubernetes Benchmark
  • PCI-DSS requirements
  • Per-namespace policies

Audit & Visibility

Track every admission decision with detailed audit logs. Understand what's running in your cluster and why certain pods were blocked.

  • Decision audit trail
  • Violation reporting
  • Blocked deploy analytics
  • Compliance dashboard

Deploy in Any Kubernetes Environment

TigerGate admission controller works with any Kubernetes distribution

Managed Kubernetes

  • Amazon EKS
  • Google GKE
  • Azure AKS
  • DigitalOcean DOKS

Self-Managed Distributions

  • Vanilla Kubernetes
  • OpenShift
  • Rancher
  • K3s/K0s

Installation Methods

  • Helm Chart
  • Kubectl YAML
  • Kustomize
  • GitOps (ArgoCD/Flux)

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Kubernetes admission control with TigerGate

An admission controller intercepts requests to the Kubernetes API server after authentication but before objects are persisted and scheduled. TigerGate registers as a ValidatingWebhookConfiguration, so every pod creation is evaluated against your security policies — vulnerability thresholds, image signing, Pod Security Standards, and custom rules — before the workload is ever allowed to run.
Gatekeeper and Kyverno evaluate configuration only — they cannot tell whether an image actually contains a critical CVE or malware. TigerGate combines policy evaluation with real-time image scanning, signature validation (Sigstore/Cosign/Notary), and SBOM checks at admission time. You can also bring your existing OPA Rego or Kyverno policies, so no rewrite is required.
No. Policy verdicts are returned in under 10 milliseconds for previously scanned images thanks to a results cache, and first-time scans run asynchronously with configurable timeouts. Enforcement happens once at admission — there is zero overhead on running workloads.
You choose the failure policy. In fail-open mode (failurePolicy: Ignore), pods are admitted normally and the event is logged so availability is never impacted. In fail-closed mode (failurePolicy: Fail), pod creation is blocked until the webhook recovers — appropriate for high-security namespaces. TigerGate runs as a highly available deployment with multiple replicas by default.
Yes. Every policy supports audit mode, where violations are logged and reported on the dashboard but pods are still admitted. Teams typically run new policies in audit mode for a sprint, review the violation reports, fix offending workloads, and then flip to enforce mode — avoiding surprise deployment failures.
Yes. Policies can be scoped by namespace, label selector, or cluster. For example, enforce the Restricted Pod Security Standard and block CVSS ≥ 7.0 in production namespaces, while dev namespaces run in audit mode with a CVSS ≥ 9.0 threshold. Exemptions for specific system workloads are supported as well.

Protect Your Kubernetes Cluster Today

Deploy TigerGate admission controller in minutes. Block vulnerable containers and enforce security policies at the admission layer.

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