diff --git a/api/v1/aerospikecluster_types.go b/api/v1/aerospikecluster_types.go
index fd01c5703..5e42a1c79 100644
--- a/api/v1/aerospikecluster_types.go
+++ b/api/v1/aerospikecluster_types.go
@@ -872,8 +872,8 @@ type AerospikePodStatus struct { //nolint:govet // for readability
 	// PodSpecHash is ripemd160 hash of PodSpec used by this pod
 	PodSpecHash string `json:"podSpecHash"`
 
-	// SecurityEnabled is true if security is enabled in the pod
-	SecurityEnabled bool `json:"securityEnabled"`
+	// IsSecurityEnabled is true if security is enabled in the pod
+	IsSecurityEnabled bool `json:"isSecurityEnabled"`
 }
 
 // +kubebuilder:object:root=true
diff --git a/config/crd/bases/asdb.aerospike.com_aerospikeclusters.yaml b/config/crd/bases/asdb.aerospike.com_aerospikeclusters.yaml
index 757c0d37a..648fde7c5 100644
--- a/config/crd/bases/asdb.aerospike.com_aerospikeclusters.yaml
+++ b/config/crd/bases/asdb.aerospike.com_aerospikeclusters.yaml
@@ -14255,6 +14255,10 @@ spec:
                       items:
                         type: string
                       type: array
+                    isSecurityEnabled:
+                      description: IsSecurityEnabled is true if security is enabled
+                        in the pod
+                      type: boolean
                     networkPolicyHash:
                       description: NetworkPolicyHash is ripemd160 hash of NetworkPolicy
                         used by this pod
@@ -14270,10 +14274,6 @@ spec:
                       description: PodSpecHash is ripemd160 hash of PodSpec used by
                         this pod
                       type: string
-                    securityEnabled:
-                      description: SecurityEnabled is true if security is enabled
-                        in the pod
-                      type: boolean
                     servicePort:
                       description: ServicePort is the port Aerospike clients outside
                         K8s can connect to.
@@ -14282,11 +14282,11 @@ spec:
                   required:
                   - aerospikeConfigHash
                   - image
+                  - isSecurityEnabled
                   - networkPolicyHash
                   - podIP
                   - podPort
                   - podSpecHash
-                  - securityEnabled
                   type: object
                 description: Pods has Aerospike specific status of the pods. This
                   is map instead of the conventional map as list convention to allow
diff --git a/controllers/reconciler.go b/controllers/reconciler.go
index 8ca37bec9..18496827d 100644
--- a/controllers/reconciler.go
+++ b/controllers/reconciler.go
@@ -1004,7 +1004,7 @@ func (r *SingleClusterReconciler) getSecurityEnabledPods() ([]corev1.Pod, error)
 	securityEnabledPods := make([]corev1.Pod, 0, len(r.aeroCluster.Status.Pods))
 
 	for podName := range r.aeroCluster.Status.Pods {
-		if r.aeroCluster.Status.Pods[podName].SecurityEnabled {
+		if r.aeroCluster.Status.Pods[podName].IsSecurityEnabled {
 			pod := &corev1.Pod{}
 			podName := types.NamespacedName{Name: podName, Namespace: r.aeroCluster.Namespace}
 
@@ -1024,32 +1024,36 @@ func (r *SingleClusterReconciler) enablingSecurity() bool {
 }
 
 func (r *SingleClusterReconciler) handleEnableSecurity() error {
-	if r.aeroCluster.Status.Pods != nil && r.enablingSecurity() {
-		securityEnabledPods, err := r.getSecurityEnabledPods()
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
+	if !r.enablingSecurity() {
+		return nil // No need to proceed if security is not to be enabling
+	}
 
-		if len(securityEnabledPods) > 0 {
-			ignorablePodNames, err := r.getIgnorablePods(nil, getConfiguredRackStateList(r.aeroCluster))
-			if err != nil {
-				r.Log.Error(err, "Failed to determine pods to be ignored")
+	securityEnabledPods, err := r.getSecurityEnabledPods()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 
-				return err
-			}
+	if len(securityEnabledPods) == 0 {
+		return nil // No security-enabled pods found
+	}
 
-			// Setup access control.
-			if err := r.validateAndReconcileAccessControl(securityEnabledPods, ignorablePodNames); err != nil {
-				r.Log.Error(err, "Failed to Reconcile access control")
-				r.Recorder.Eventf(
-					r.aeroCluster, corev1.EventTypeWarning, "ACLUpdateFailed",
-					"Failed to setup Access Control %s/%s", r.aeroCluster.Namespace,
-					r.aeroCluster.Name,
-				)
+	ignorablePodNames, err := r.getIgnorablePods(nil, getConfiguredRackStateList(r.aeroCluster))
+	if err != nil {
+		r.Log.Error(err, "Failed to determine pods to be ignored")
 
-				return err
-			}
-		}
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// Setup access control.
+	if err := r.validateAndReconcileAccessControl(securityEnabledPods, ignorablePodNames); err != nil {
+		r.Log.Error(err, "Failed to Reconcile access control")
+		r.Recorder.Eventf(
+			r.aeroCluster, corev1.EventTypeWarning, "ACLUpdateFailed",
+			"Failed to setup Access Control %s/%s", r.aeroCluster.Namespace,
+			r.aeroCluster.Name,
+		)
+
+		return err
 	}
 
 	return nil
diff --git a/helm-charts/aerospike-kubernetes-operator/crds/customresourcedefinition_aerospikeclusters.asdb.aerospike.com.yaml b/helm-charts/aerospike-kubernetes-operator/crds/customresourcedefinition_aerospikeclusters.asdb.aerospike.com.yaml
index 757c0d37a..648fde7c5 100644
--- a/helm-charts/aerospike-kubernetes-operator/crds/customresourcedefinition_aerospikeclusters.asdb.aerospike.com.yaml
+++ b/helm-charts/aerospike-kubernetes-operator/crds/customresourcedefinition_aerospikeclusters.asdb.aerospike.com.yaml
@@ -14255,6 +14255,10 @@ spec:
                       items:
                         type: string
                       type: array
+                    isSecurityEnabled:
+                      description: IsSecurityEnabled is true if security is enabled
+                        in the pod
+                      type: boolean
                     networkPolicyHash:
                       description: NetworkPolicyHash is ripemd160 hash of NetworkPolicy
                         used by this pod
@@ -14270,10 +14274,6 @@ spec:
                       description: PodSpecHash is ripemd160 hash of PodSpec used by
                         this pod
                       type: string
-                    securityEnabled:
-                      description: SecurityEnabled is true if security is enabled
-                        in the pod
-                      type: boolean
                     servicePort:
                       description: ServicePort is the port Aerospike clients outside
                         K8s can connect to.
@@ -14282,11 +14282,11 @@ spec:
                   required:
                   - aerospikeConfigHash
                   - image
+                  - isSecurityEnabled
                   - networkPolicyHash
                   - podIP
                   - podPort
                   - podSpecHash
-                  - securityEnabled
                   type: object
                 description: Pods has Aerospike specific status of the pods. This
                   is map instead of the conventional map as list convention to allow