diff --git a/Dockerfile b/Dockerfile
index 4cdd077391..c1ce5fc1a8 100644
--- a/Dockerfile
+++ b/Dockerfile
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ RUN rm -vf /charts/*.sh /charts/*.md /charts/chart_versions.yaml
 # This image includes any host level programs that we might need. All binaries
 # must be placed in bin/ of the file image and subdirectories of bin/ will be flattened during installation.
 # This means bin/foo/bar will become bin/bar when rke2 installs this to the host
-FROM rancher/hardened-kubernetes:v1.29.3-rke2r1-build20240315 AS kubernetes
+FROM rancher/hardened-kubernetes:v1.29.4-rke2r1-build20240416 AS kubernetes
 FROM rancher/hardened-containerd:v1.7.11-k3s2-build20231211 AS containerd
 FROM rancher/hardened-crictl:v1.29.0-build20231219 AS crictl
 FROM rancher/hardened-runc:v1.1.12-build20240201 AS runc
diff --git a/scripts/version.sh b/scripts/version.sh
index 7ba93ba768..51d165a2e9 100755
--- a/scripts/version.sh
+++ b/scripts/version.sh
@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ REVISION=$(git rev-parse HEAD)$(if ! git diff --no-ext-diff --quiet --exit-code;
 PLATFORM=${GOOS}-${GOARCH}
 RELEASE=${PROG}.${PLATFORM}
 # hardcode versions unless set specifically
-KUBERNETES_VERSION=${KUBERNETES_VERSION:-v1.29.3}
-KUBERNETES_IMAGE_TAG=${KUBERNETES_IMAGE_TAG:-v1.29.3-rke2r1-build20240315}
+KUBERNETES_VERSION=${KUBERNETES_VERSION:-v1.29.4}
+KUBERNETES_IMAGE_TAG=${KUBERNETES_IMAGE_TAG:-v1.29.4-rke2r1-build20240416}
 ETCD_VERSION=${ETCD_VERSION:-v3.5.9-k3s1}
 PAUSE_VERSION=${PAUSE_VERSION:-3.6}
 CCM_VERSION=${CCM_VERSION:-v1.29.3-build20240412}