CKAD Practice Question: Application Environment, Configuration and Security
Which three security contexts can be set at the pod level (as opposed to container level)? (Select THREE.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse Pod-level and container-level security contexts, often selecting `capabilities` or `readOnlyRootFilesystem` because they are commonly used, but they are only valid at the container level in the Kubernetes API.
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
✓
fsGroup
B is correct because `fsGroup` is a Pod-level security context field that applies a supplemental group ID to all containers in the Pod, ensuring that volumes mounted with that group ownership are accessible. It is set under `spec.securityContext.fsGroup`, not at the container level, making it a Pod-scoped setting.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
readOnlyRootFilesystem
Why it's wrong here
readOnlyRootFilesystem is a container-level securityContext field, not a pod-level one. It controls whether the container's root filesystem is mounted as read-only, which is a per-container filesystem property. Attempting to set this at the pod level is invalid because the pod securityContext does not define this field; it must be specified individually for each container, often paired with an emptyDir volume for writable scratch space.
- ✓
fsGroup
Why this is correct
fsGroup is a pod-level securityContext field that specifies the group ID for volume ownership. When set, Kubernetes changes the group ownership of volumes mounted into the pod (except Secrets and ConfigMaps) to that GID, and files created in those volumes will also inherit this group. This ensures containers have consistent group-based access to shared volumes, even when runAsGroup differs, because fsGroup applies at the mount layer.
- ✓
runAsGroup
Why this is correct
runAsGroup is a pod-level securityContext field that sets the primary group ID for all processes in all containers in the pod. It overrides any group specified in the container image and works in conjunction with runAsUser to determine effective credentials. While it can also be set at the container level, a pod-level value provides a default that applies to every container unless individually overridden.
- ✗
capabilities
Why it's wrong here
capabilities are a container-level securityContext setting, not a pod-level one. This field allows adding or dropping specific Linux capabilities (such as NET_ADMIN or SYS_TIME) for a single container's processes. The pod-level securityContext does not include a capabilities field because capabilities are inherently tied to individual process execution contexts, so they must be configured per container in the container's securityContext.
- ✓
runAsUser
Why this is correct
runAsUser is a pod-level securityContext field that specifies the numeric user ID under which all containers in the pod execute. It overrides any user defined in the container image and is fundamental for non-root execution. A container-level runAsUser can override this pod-level default, allowing per-container exceptions, but the pod-level setting ensures a consistent security baseline across the entire pod.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CKAD practice question is part of Courseiva's free CNCF 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 CKAD exam.