Role-based access control in cloud-native applications: Evaluating best practices for secure multi-tenant Kubernetes environments

As cloud-native applications grow in complexity and adoption, particularly within multi-tenant Kubernetes environ- ments, security and access control mechanisms are paramount. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is increasingly utilized as a critical security framework to manage permissions across users and services in these cloud-native platforms. However, implementing RBAC in Kubernetes presents unique challenges, especially in multi-tenant setups where robust access separation and efficient permission management are essential. This paper explores best practices for RBAC in multi-tenant Kubernetes environments, highlighting architectural design principles, po- tential vulnerabilities, and mitigation strategies. We propose an optimized RBAC model tailored for cloud-native applications, emphasizing role hierarchies, namespace isolation, and scalable access management. Our approach aims to enhance security by reducing the risk of privilege escalation and ensuring compliance with security policies across tenant boundaries. Experimental evaluation demonstrates the effectiveness of our model in min- imizing security risks and providing scalable access control in Kubernetes clusters. These findings offer actionable insights for organizations seeking to secure cloud-native applications in shared and multi-tenant infrastructures.