diff --git a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_server_journal.go b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_server_journal.go
index bf3114519c6..22b0039a2d1 100644
--- a/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_server_journal.go
+++ b/pkg/kubelet/kubelet_server_journal.go
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ var (
 	// The set of known safe characters to pass to journalctl / GetWinEvent flags - only add to this list if the
 	// character cannot be used to create invalid sequences. This is intended as a broad defense against malformed
 	// input that could cause an escape.
-	reServiceNameUnsafeCharacters = regexp.MustCompile(`[^a-zA-Z\-_0-9@]+`)
+	reServiceNameUnsafeCharacters = regexp.MustCompile(`[^a-zA-Z\-_.:0-9@]+`)
 )
 
 // journalServer returns text output from the OS specific service logger to view