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AWS eks documentation change

Service: eks · 2025-03-30 · Documentation medium

File: eks/latest/userguide/automode-learn-instances.md

Summary

Added section about IMDSv2 enforcement with hop limit 1 by default in Auto Mode, including security considerations for pod access

Security assessment

Documents security best practices (IMDSv2 enforcement) but doesn't address a specific vulnerability. Adds guidance about securing metadata access.

Diff

diff --git a/eks/latest/userguide/automode-learn-instances.md b/eks/latest/userguide/automode-learn-instances.md
index 60bfd2e09..9f9e00e0e 100644
--- a/eks/latest/userguide/automode-learn-instances.md
+++ b/eks/latest/userguide/automode-learn-instances.md
@@ -5 +5 @@
-Comparison tableEKS Auto Mode supported instance referenceConsiderations
+Comparison tableEKS Auto Mode supported instance referenceInstance Metadata ServiceConsiderations
@@ -51,0 +52,2 @@ With EKS Auto Mode, AWS determines the image (AMI) used for your compute nodes.
+Generally, EKS releases a new AMI each week containing CVE and security fixes.
+
@@ -79,0 +82,25 @@ For more information, see [Amazon EC2 instance type naming conventions](https://
+## Instance Metadata Service
+
+  * EKS Auto Mode enforces IMDSv2 with a hop limit of 1 by default, adhering to AWS security best practices
+
+  * This default configuration cannot be modified in Auto Mode
+
+  * For add-ons that typically require IMDS access:
+
+    * Supply parameters, such as AWS region, during installation to avoid IMDS lookups
+
+    * For more information, see [Determine fields you can customize for Amazon EKS add-ons](./kubernetes-field-management.html)
+
+  * If a pod absolutely requires IMDS access when running in Auto Mode:
+
+    * The pod must be configured to run with `hostNetwork: true`
+
+    * This allows the pod to access the instance metadata service directly
+
+  * Consider the security implications when granting pods access to instance metadata
+
+
+
+
+For more information about the EC2 Instance Metadata Service (IMDS), see [Configure the Instance Metadata Service options](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/configuring-instance-metadata-options.html) in the EC2 User Guide.
+