diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index f2ee30c308aac234bb71ad9fb28f798515e5d680..8532ef98d7087665641b309cfcc7fdae72057491 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -319,10 +319,11 @@ deploy-theodolite-kaniko:
   image:
     name: gcr.io/kaniko-project/executor:debug
     entrypoint: [""]
+  before_script:
+    - mkdir -p /kaniko/.docker
+    - echo "{\"auths\":{\"${CR_HOST}\":{\"auth\":\"$(printf "%s:%s" "${CR_USER}" "${CR_PW}" | base64 | tr -d '\n')\"}}}" > /kaniko/.docker/config.json
   script:
     - DOCKER_TAG_NAME=$(echo $CI_COMMIT_REF_SLUG- | sed 's/^master-$//')
-    - mkdir -p /kaniko/.docker
-    - echo "{\"auths\":{\"$CR_HOST\":{\"username\":\"$CR_USER\",\"password\":\"$CR_PW\"}}}" > /kaniko/.docker/config.json
     - /kaniko/executor --context $PWD --dockerfile $PWD/src/main/docker/Dockerfile.jvm -d $CR_HOST/$CR_ORG/theodolite:${DOCKER_TAG_NAME}latest-kaniko
   rules:
     - if: "$CR_HOST && $CR_ORG && $CR_USER && $CR_PW && $CI_COMMIT_TAG"