KCSA Kubernetes Threat Model Practice Question
A cluster administrator wants to mitigate supply chain risks stemming from vulnerable base images used by developers. Where in the software lifecycle should vulnerability scanning ideally be integrated first to shift-left security?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
CI/CD pipeline build and image registry push stages
Integrating vulnerability scanning into the CI/CD pipeline registry push phase or source code repository ensures vulnerable base images are flagged before they reach cluster deployment stages.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Manual inspection of etcd database backups
Why it's wrong here
etcd backups store cluster state data, not container image layers or source code vulnerabilities.
- ✗
Configuring kube-dns forwarding rules to external resolvers
Why it's wrong here
DNS forwarding handles name resolution and has no impact on container image vulnerability analysis.
- ✗
Setting up PersistentVolume backup retention policies
Why it's wrong here
PV backups deal with data persistence and disaster recovery, not container CVE identification.
- ✓
CI/CD pipeline build and image registry push stages
Why this is correct
Scanning container images inside the CI/CD pipeline prevents vulnerable artifacts from ever being published to registries or deployed to production clusters.
About these practice questions
One of 320 original KCSA practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official CNCF / Linux Foundation exam blueprint
This KCSA practice question is part of Courseiva's free CNCF / Linux Foundation certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the KCSA exam.