# Cis K8S V1120 1.2.12

> Ensure that the admission control plugin ServiceAccount is set (Automated)

- Skill: `cyberstrikeus/cis-k8s-v1120-1-2-12` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add cyberstrikeus/cis-k8s-v1120-1-2-12`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/cyberstrikeus/cis-k8s-v1120-1-2-12/raw
- Safety review: PASS (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- Author: cyberstrikeus (https://skillmd.com/u/cyberstrikeus)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/cyberstrikeus/cis-k8s-v1120-1-2-12

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# 1.2.12 Ensure that the admission control plugin ServiceAccount is set (Automated)

## Profile Applicability

- Level 2 - Master Node

## Description

Automate service accounts management.

## Rationale

When you create a pod, if you do not specify a service account, it is automatically assigned the `default` service account in the same namespace. You should create your own service account and let the API server manage its security tokens.

## Impact

None.

## Audit

Run the following command on the Control Plane node:

```bash
ps -ef | grep kube-apiserver
```

Verify that the `--disable-admission-plugins` argument is set to a value that does not includes `ServiceAccount`.

## Remediation

Follow the documentation and create `ServiceAccount` objects as per your environment. Then, edit the API server pod specification file `/etc/kubernetes/manifests/kube-apiserver.yaml` on the master node and ensure that the `--disable-admission-plugins` parameter is set to a value that does not include `ServiceAccount`.

## Default Value

By default, `ServiceAccount` is set.

## References

1. [https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/command-line-tools-reference/kube-apiserver/](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/command-line-tools-reference/kube-apiserver/)
2. [https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/access-authn-authz/admission-controllers/#serviceaccount](https://kubernetes.io/docs/reference/access-authn-authz/admission-controllers/#serviceaccount)
3. [https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/configure-pod-container/configure-service-account/](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/configure-pod-container/configure-service-account/)

## CIS Controls

| Controls Version | Control                                               | IG 1 | IG 2 | IG 3 |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ---- | ---- | ---- |
| v8               | 3.3 Configure Data Access Control Lists               | \*   | \*   | \*   |
| v7               | 14.6 Protect Information through Access Control Lists | \*   | \*   | \*   |