Third-party and supply chain security for an AKS regulated cluster for PCI DSS 4.0.1

PCI DSS 4.0.1 expands requirements for managing third-party service providers and supply chain risk. This document provides guidance for managing dependencies, images, and providers in AKS.

AKS feature support

AKS provides several features to help you meet PCI DSS 4.0.1 third-party and supply chain security requirements:

  • Microsoft Defender for Cloud: Monitors third-party images and dependencies for vulnerabilities and compliance in AKS clusters.
  • Azure Policy: Enforces approved image registries and controls deployment of third-party components.
  • Azure Container Registry (ACR) Tasks: Supports automated image scanning and approval workflows for container images.
  • Azure Monitor: Tracks provider activity and compliance status for third-party integrations.

Your responsibilities

  • Maintain an up-to-date inventory of all third-party components, images, and service providers used in AKS workloads.
  • Enforce vulnerability scanning and approval for all dependencies and images before deployment.
  • Monitor provider compliance and security posture using Defender for Cloud and Azure Monitor.
  • Document contracts, SLAs, and security requirements for all third-party providers with access to the CDE.
  • Regularly review and update supply chain security controls as new risks and dependencies emerge.

Key practices

  • Maintain an inventory of all third-party components and images.
  • Enforce vulnerability scanning and approval for all dependencies.
  • Monitor provider compliance and security posture.
  • Document contracts and SLAs with third-party providers.

Integrated AKS security context

You should implement third-party and supply chain security as part of a broader security strategy that includes:

For the latest AKS security features, see the Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) documentation.

Next steps

Learn about implementing customized approaches for PCI DSS compliance when standard requirements don't apply.

For more information, review the official PCI DSS 4.0.1 documentation.