---
title: TLS connections between etcd peers should not use self-signed certificates
description: Datadog, the leading service for cloud-scale monitoring.
breadcrumbs: >-
  Docs > Datadog Security > OOTB Rules > TLS connections between etcd peers
  should not use self-signed certificates
---

# TLS connections between etcd peers should not use self-signed certificates
Classification:complianceFramework:cis-kubernetesControl:2.6 
## Description{% #description %}

Do not use automatically generated self-signed certificates for TLS connections between peers.

## Rationale{% #rationale %}

Etcd is a highly-available key value store used by Kubernetes deployments for persistent storage of all of its REST API objects. These objects are sensitive in nature and should be accessible only by authenticated etcd peers in the etcd cluster. Hence, do not use self-signed certificates for authentication.

## Audit{% #audit %}

This recommendation is applicable only for etcd clusters. If you are using only one etcd server in your environment then this recommendation is not applicable.

Run the following command on the etcd server node:

```
ps -ef | grep etcd
```

Verify that if the `--peer-auto-tls` argument exists, it is not set to `true`.

## Remediation{% #remediation %}

Edit the etcd pod specification file `/etc/kubernetes/manifests/etcd.yaml` on the master node and either remove the `--peer-auto-tls` parameter or set it to false.

```
--peer-auto-tls=false
```

## Impact{% #impact %}

All peers attempting to communicate with the etcd server will require a valid client certificate for authentication.

## Default value{% #default-value %}

*Note*: This recommendation is applicable only for etcd clusters. If you are using only one etcd server in your environment then this recommendation is not applicable. By default, `--peer-auto-tls` argument is set to false.

## References{% #references %}

1. [https://coreos.com/etcd/docs/latest/op-guide/security.html](https://coreos.com/etcd/docs/latest/op-guide/security.html)
1. [https://kubernetes.io/docs/admin/etcd/](https://kubernetes.io/docs/admin/etcd/)
1. [https://coreos.com/etcd/docs/latest/op-guide/configuration.html#peer-auto-tls](https://coreos.com/etcd/docs/latest/op-guide/configuration.html#peer-auto-tls)

## CIS controls{% #cis-controls %}

Version 6.14 Controlled Access Based on the Need to Know

Version 7.4 Controlled Use of Administrative Privileges