This SCS-C02 practice question tests your understanding of infrastructure security. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Exhibit
Which THREE actions will improve the security of an Amazon EKS cluster?
A security engineer is reviewing the security of an Amazon EKS cluster. The cluster is used to run containerized applications. Which three actions should the engineer take to improve the security of the cluster?
Exhibit
Which THREE actions will improve the security of an Amazon EKS cluster?
A
Restrict access to the cluster using AWS IAM authentication for kubectl.
IAM provides fine-grained access control to the cluster.
B
Use the default VPC for the cluster.
Why wrong: Using the default VPC may not follow security best practices; custom VPCs are recommended.
C
Configure the cluster API server endpoint to be private.
A private endpoint prevents internet access to the API server.
D
Grant the cluster-admin role to all developers.
Why wrong: This violates least privilege principle.
E
Enable audit logging for the cluster.
Audit logs help detect and investigate suspicious activities.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Restrict access to the cluster using AWS IAM authentication for kubectl.
Restricting access to the cluster using AWS IAM authentication for kubectl is correct because it integrates with AWS IAM to manage user and role permissions, ensuring that only authorized principals can interact with the EKS cluster. This replaces the default, less secure static token or certificate-based authentication with a robust, auditable identity federation. By mapping IAM roles to Kubernetes RBAC, you enforce least-privilege access and prevent unauthorized API calls.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Restrict access to the cluster using AWS IAM authentication for kubectl.
Why this is correct
IAM provides fine-grained access control to the cluster.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use the default VPC for the cluster.
Why it's wrong here
Using the default VPC may not follow security best practices; custom VPCs are recommended.
✓
Configure the cluster API server endpoint to be private.
Why this is correct
A private endpoint prevents internet access to the API server.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Grant the cluster-admin role to all developers.
Why it's wrong here
This violates least privilege principle.
✓
Enable audit logging for the cluster.
Why this is correct
Audit logs help detect and investigate suspicious activities.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse using the default VPC as a 'safe' choice because it is pre-configured, but it lacks the isolation and security group controls needed for production workloads, making Option B a common distractor.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
EKS integrates with AWS IAM via the aws-iam-authenticator, which validates IAM identity tokens (using STS) and maps them to Kubernetes RBAC subjects. When the API server endpoint is private (Option C), it is accessible only from within the VPC, eliminating exposure to the public internet and reducing the risk of DDoS or unauthorized scanning. Audit logging (Option E) captures all API calls to the cluster, including kubectl commands, which is essential for forensic analysis and compliance with frameworks like PCI DSS or SOC 2.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
Model
Acronym
Who Controls Access?
Best For
Discretionary Access Control
DAC
Resource owner
Small teams, file shares
Mandatory Access Control
MAC
System / security labels
Classified govt / military
Role-Based Access Control
RBAC
Administrator (via roles)
Enterprise environments
Attribute-Based Access Control
ABAC
Policy engine (user + resource attributes)
Fine-grained, dynamic policies
Rule-Based Access Control
RuBAC
System rules / ACLs
Firewall rules, network ACLs
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Infrastructure Security — This question tests Infrastructure Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Restrict access to the cluster using AWS IAM authentication for kubectl. — Restricting access to the cluster using AWS IAM authentication for kubectl is correct because it integrates with AWS IAM to manage user and role permissions, ensuring that only authorized principals can interact with the EKS cluster. This replaces the default, less secure static token or certificate-based authentication with a robust, auditable identity federation. By mapping IAM roles to Kubernetes RBAC, you enforce least-privilege access and prevent unauthorized API calls.
What should I do if I get this SCS-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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