- github.com/docker/distribution: [v2.8.2+incompatible](https://github.com/docker/distribution/tree/v2.8.2)
- github.com/docker/docker-credential-helpers: [v0.7.0](https://github.com/docker/docker-credential-helpers/tree/v0.7.0)
- github.com/docker/go-events: [e31b211](https://github.com/docker/go-events/tree/e31b211)
- github.com/go-ini/ini: [v1.67.0](https://github.com/go-ini/ini/tree/v1.67.0)

- Updated an audit annotation key used by the `…/serviceaccounts/<name>/token` resource handler.
  The annotation used to persist the issued credential identifier is now `authentication.kubernetes.io/issued-credential-id`. ([#123098](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/123098), [@munnerz](https://github.com/munnerz)) [SIG Auth]

using an extra executable.

### Kubelet Credential Provider Graduates to Beta

Originally released as Alpha in Kubernetes 1.20, the kubelet's support for
[image credential providers](https://kubernetes.io/docs/tasks/kubelet-credential-provider/kubelet-credential-provider/)
has now graduated to Beta.
This allows the kubelet to dynamically retrieve credentials for a container image registry

- Added support in the kubelet's image pull credential tracking for service account-based verification. When an image was pulled using service account credentials via external credential providers, subsequent Pods using the same service account (UID, name, and namespace) could access the cached image without re-authentication for the lifetime of that service account....

### External credential providers

feature gate `DisableKubeletCloudCredentialProviders` which allows disabling the in-tree kubelet credential providers.
  
  The feature gate `DisableKubeletCloudCredentialProviders` is currently in Alpha, which means is currently disabled by default. Once this feature gate moves to beta, in-tree credential providers will be disabled by default, and users will need to migrate to use external credential providers. ([#102507](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/102507), [@ostrain](ht...

- The AWS credential provider can now obtain ECR credentials even without the AWS cloud provider or being on an EC2 instance. Additionally, AWS credential provider caching has been improved to honor the ECR credential timeout. ([#75587](https://github.com/kubernetes/kubernetes/pull/75587), [@tiffanyfay](https://github.com/tiffanyfay))

- Expanded the on-disk kubelet credential provider configuration to allow an optional `tokenAttribute` field to be configured. When it is set, the kubelet will provision a token with the given audience bound to the current pod and its service account. This KSA token along with required annotations on the KSA defined in configuration will be sent to the credential provider plugin via its standard input (along with the image information that is already...

  - `alpha` support (guarded by the `ServiceAccountTokenJTI` feature gate) for adding a `jti` (JWT ID) claim to service account tokens it issues, adding an `authentication.kubernetes.io/credential-id` audit annotation in audit logs when the tokens are issued, and `authentication.kubernetes.io/credential-id` entry in the extra user info when the token is used to authenticate.

### External credential provider for client-go

The client-go credential plugins can now be passed in the current cluster information via the `KUBERNETES_EXEC_INFO` environment variable. Learn more about this on [client-go credential plugins documentation](https://docs.k8s.io/reference/access-authn-authz/authentication/#client-go-credential-plugins/).