KCSA Kubernetes Cluster Component Security Practice Question
Which THREE of the following practices should be implemented to secure etcd in a production Kubernetes deployment? (Choose THREE)
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
✓
Enable client certificate authentication using --client-cert-auth=true.
Etcd security relies on mTLS for client and peer connections, and encryption at rest.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Disable TLS verification to simplify certificate rotation.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling TLS verification removes protection against man-in-the-middle attacks.
- ✓
Enable client certificate authentication using --client-cert-auth=true.
Why this is correct
Enforcing client cert auth ensures clients like the API server are cryptographically verified.
- ✗
Expose etcd on a public internet IP address without authentication for easy monitoring.
Why it's wrong here
Exposing etcd publicly without auth leads to immediate cluster compromise.
- ✓
Encrypt data at rest in etcd using an EncryptionConfiguration file.
Why this is correct
Encrypting secrets at rest prevents cleartext storage in etcd.
- ✓
Enable peer-to-peer encryption and mutual TLS using peer certificate flags.
Why this is correct
Securing peer communication prevents lateral interception between etcd cluster nodes.
About these practice questions
This KCSA question is part of Courseiva's 320-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. 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.