diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/BUILD b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/BUILD
index 2b3d9eabe1d..9cda2c92684 100644
--- a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/BUILD
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/BUILD
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ filegroup(
         "//cmd/kubeadm/app/util/apiclient:all-srcs",
         "//cmd/kubeadm/app/util/config:all-srcs",
         "//cmd/kubeadm/app/util/kubeconfig:all-srcs",
+        "//cmd/kubeadm/app/util/pubkeypin:all-srcs",
         "//cmd/kubeadm/app/util/token:all-srcs",
     ],
     tags = ["automanaged"],
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/pubkeypin/BUILD b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/pubkeypin/BUILD
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..195b85c9287
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/pubkeypin/BUILD
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+package(default_visibility = ["//visibility:public"])
+
+licenses(["notice"])
+
+load(
+    "@io_bazel_rules_go//go:def.bzl",
+    "go_library",
+    "go_test",
+)
+
+go_test(
+    name = "go_default_test",
+    srcs = ["pubkeypin_test.go"],
+    library = ":go_default_library",
+    tags = ["automanaged"],
+)
+
+go_library(
+    name = "go_default_library",
+    srcs = ["pubkeypin.go"],
+    tags = ["automanaged"],
+)
+
+filegroup(
+    name = "package-srcs",
+    srcs = glob(["**"]),
+    tags = ["automanaged"],
+    visibility = ["//visibility:private"],
+)
+
+filegroup(
+    name = "all-srcs",
+    srcs = [":package-srcs"],
+    tags = ["automanaged"],
+)
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/pubkeypin/pubkeypin.go b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/pubkeypin/pubkeypin.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1766e957555
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/pubkeypin/pubkeypin.go
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2017 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+// Package pubkeypin provides primitives for x509 public key pinning in the
+// style of RFC7469.
+package pubkeypin
+
+import (
+	"crypto/sha256"
+	"crypto/x509"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+const (
+	// formatSHA256 is the prefix for pins that are full-length SHA-256 hashes encoded in base 16 (hex)
+	formatSHA256 = "sha256"
+)
+
+// Set is a set of pinned x509 public keys.
+type Set struct {
+	sha256Hashes map[string]bool
+}
+
+// NewSet returns a new, empty PubKeyPinSet
+func NewSet() *Set {
+	return &Set{make(map[string]bool)}
+}
+
+// Allow adds an allowed public key hash to the Set
+func (s *Set) Allow(pubKeyHashes ...string) error {
+	for _, pubKeyHash := range pubKeyHashes {
+		parts := strings.Split(pubKeyHash, ":")
+		if len(parts) != 2 {
+			return fmt.Errorf("invalid public key hash, expected \"format:value\"")
+		}
+		format, value := parts[0], parts[1]
+
+		switch strings.ToLower(format) {
+		case "sha256":
+			return s.allowSHA256(value)
+		default:
+			return fmt.Errorf("unknown hash format %q", format)
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Check if a certificate matches one of the public keys in the set
+func (s *Set) Check(certificate *x509.Certificate) error {
+	if s.checkSHA256(certificate) {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return fmt.Errorf("public key %s not pinned", Hash(certificate))
+}
+
+// Empty returns true if the Set contains no pinned public keys.
+func (s *Set) Empty() bool {
+	return len(s.sha256Hashes) == 0
+}
+
+// Hash calculates the SHA-256 hash of the Subject Public Key Information (SPKI)
+// object in an x509 certificate (in DER encoding). It returns the full hash as a
+// hex encoded string (suitable for passing to Set.Allow).
+func Hash(certificate *x509.Certificate) string {
+	spkiHash := sha256.Sum256(certificate.RawSubjectPublicKeyInfo)
+	return formatSHA256 + ":" + strings.ToLower(hex.EncodeToString(spkiHash[:]))
+}
+
+// allowSHA256 validates a "sha256" format hash and adds a canonical version of it into the Set
+func (s *Set) allowSHA256(hash string) error {
+	// validate that the hash is the right length to be a full SHA-256 hash
+	hashLength := hex.DecodedLen(len(hash))
+	if hashLength != sha256.Size {
+		return fmt.Errorf("expected a %d byte SHA-256 hash, found %d bytes", sha256.Size, hashLength)
+	}
+
+	// validate that the hash is valid hex
+	_, err := hex.DecodeString(hash)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// in the end, just store the original hex string in memory (in lowercase)
+	s.sha256Hashes[strings.ToLower(hash)] = true
+	return nil
+}
+
+// checkSHA256 returns true if the certificate's "sha256" hash is pinned in the Set
+func (s *Set) checkSHA256(certificate *x509.Certificate) bool {
+	actualHash := sha256.Sum256(certificate.RawSubjectPublicKeyInfo)
+	actualHashHex := strings.ToLower(hex.EncodeToString(actualHash[:]))
+	return s.sha256Hashes[actualHashHex]
+}
diff --git a/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/pubkeypin/pubkeypin_test.go b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/pubkeypin/pubkeypin_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..4e578a4bdb9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/kubeadm/app/util/pubkeypin/pubkeypin_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2017 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package pubkeypin
+
+import (
+	"crypto/x509"
+	"encoding/pem"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// testCertPEM is a simple self-signed test certificate issued with the openssl CLI:
+// openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -days 36500 -nodes -x509 -keyout /dev/null -out test.crt
+const testCertPEM = `
+-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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+-----END CERTIFICATE-----`
+
+// expectedHash can be verified using the openssl CLI:
+// openssl x509 -pubkey -in test.crt openssl rsa -pubin -outform der 2>&/dev/null | openssl dgst -sha256 -hex
+const expectedHash = `sha256:345959acb2c3b2feb87d281961c893f62a314207ef02599f1cc4a5fb255480b3`
+
+// testCert2PEM is a second test cert generated the same way as testCertPEM
+const testCert2PEM = `
+-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----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+-----END CERTIFICATE-----
+`
+
+// testCert is a small helper to get a test x509.Certificate from the PEM constants
+func testCert(t *testing.T, pemString string) *x509.Certificate {
+	// Decode the example certificate from a PEM file into a PEM block
+	pemBlock, _ := pem.Decode([]byte(pemString))
+	if pemBlock == nil {
+		t.Fatal("failed to parse test certificate PEM")
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// Parse the PEM block into an x509.Certificate
+	result, err := x509.ParseCertificate(pemBlock.Bytes)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("failed to parse test certificate: %v", err)
+		return nil
+	}
+	return result
+}
+
+func TestSet(t *testing.T) {
+	s := NewSet()
+	if !s.Empty() {
+		t.Error("expected a new set to be empty")
+		return
+	}
+	err := s.Allow("xyz")
+	if err == nil || !s.Empty() {
+		t.Error("expected allowing junk to fail")
+		return
+	}
+
+	err = s.Allow("0011223344")
+	if err == nil || !s.Empty() {
+		t.Error("expected allowing something too short to fail")
+		return
+	}
+
+	err = s.Allow(expectedHash + expectedHash)
+	if err == nil || !s.Empty() {
+		t.Error("expected allowing something too long to fail")
+		return
+	}
+
+	err = s.Check(testCert(t, testCertPEM))
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Error("expected test cert to not be allowed (yet)")
+		return
+	}
+
+	err = s.Allow(strings.ToUpper(expectedHash))
+	if err != nil || s.Empty() {
+		t.Error("expected allowing uppercase expectedHash to succeed")
+		return
+	}
+
+	err = s.Check(testCert(t, testCertPEM))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Errorf("expected test cert to be allowed, but got back: %v", err)
+		return
+	}
+
+	err = s.Check(testCert(t, testCert2PEM))
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Error("expected the second test cert to be disallowed")
+		return
+	}
+}
+
+func TestHash(t *testing.T) {
+	actualHash := Hash(testCert(t, testCertPEM))
+	if actualHash != expectedHash {
+		t.Errorf(
+			"failed to Hash() to the expected value\n\texpected: %q\n\t  actual: %q",
+			expectedHash,
+			actualHash,
+		)
+	}
+}