200-901 Application Deployment and Security Practice Question
This 200-901 practice question tests your understanding of application deployment and security. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
runAsUser: 1000
Option D is correct because setting `runAsUser: 1000` in the pod's security context explicitly instructs the container runtime to launch the container's main process with a user ID of 1000, which is a non-root user. This directly satisfies the security audit requirement that the container cannot run as root (UID 0). The `runAsUser` field overrides the default behavior where containers run as root unless a non-root user is specified in the container image or security context.
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.
✗
The configMap volume
Why it's wrong here
Used for configuration, not security.
✗
The image tag "latest"
Why it's wrong here
Irrelevant to user context.
✗
allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
Why it's wrong here
Prevents gaining more privileges, but does not set the initial user.
✓
runAsUser: 1000
Why this is correct
Sets the container to run as a non-root user.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between security context fields: candidates confuse `allowPrivilegeEscalation` (which prevents gaining additional privileges after startup) with `runAsUser` (which sets the initial user), leading them to incorrectly select option C when the requirement is to avoid running as root entirely.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the `runAsUser` field maps to the Linux `setuid()` system call during container initialization, ensuring the container's entrypoint process runs with the specified UID. This is part of the Pod Security Context (spec.securityContext) and can be overridden at the container level (spec.containers[].securityContext). In real-world scenarios, running as non-root is a critical security best practice to limit the blast radius of container breakouts, as root inside a container often has the same capabilities as root on the host if not properly restricted by user namespace remapping.
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 junior network technician can log in to a core router but cannot reach the enable prompt or configuration mode. The AAA server is authenticating the login — but the authorisation policy only grants privilege level 1, not 15. Authentication (who you are) is working; authorisation (what you can do) is not.
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.
Application Deployment and Security — This question tests Application Deployment and Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: runAsUser: 1000 — Option D is correct because setting `runAsUser: 1000` in the pod's security context explicitly instructs the container runtime to launch the container's main process with a user ID of 1000, which is a non-root user. This directly satisfies the security audit requirement that the container cannot run as root (UID 0). The `runAsUser` field overrides the default behavior where containers run as root unless a non-root user is specified in the container image or security context.
What should I do if I get this 200-901 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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