This CKS practice question tests your understanding of system hardening. 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.
A cluster administrator wants to prevent all containers in a namespace from running with the NET_RAW capability. They plan to use a PodSecurityPolicy (PSP) but PSP is deprecated. Which approach should they use instead?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Apply a PodSecurity admission label with 'pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce: baseline'
Option C is correct because the 'baseline' PodSecurity standard enforces the minimum restrictions that prevent privilege escalation, including dropping the NET_RAW capability by default. The 'baseline' profile is designed to be applied to namespaces where most workloads run, and it automatically adds NET_RAW to the required drop capabilities list, which directly addresses the administrator's goal without the overhead of the more restrictive 'restricted' profile.
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.
✗
Apply a PodSecurity admission label with 'pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce: privileged'
Why it's wrong here
Privileged policy allows all capabilities, including NET_RAW.
✗
Apply a PodSecurity admission label with 'pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce: restricted'
Why it's wrong here
Restricted policy drops NET_RAW, but it also imposes additional restrictions like running as non-root, which may not be desired.
✓
Apply a PodSecurity admission label with 'pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce: baseline'
Why this is correct
Baseline policy drops NET_RAW and other dangerous capabilities while being less restrictive than restricted.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a PodSecurityPolicy with 'requiredDropCapabilities: [NET_RAW]'
Why it's wrong here
PSP is deprecated and removed in Kubernetes 1.25.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
CNCF often tests the distinction between the three PodSecurity standards, and the trap here is that candidates may choose 'restricted' (option B) because it is the most secure, but the question only requires dropping NET_RAW, which is already covered by the 'baseline' profile without imposing unnecessary restrictions like requiring non-root users or seccomp profiles.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The PodSecurity admission controller evaluates pods against three predefined security standards: 'privileged', 'baseline', and 'restricted'. The 'baseline' profile, defined in the Kubernetes Pod Security Standards, automatically sets 'requiredDropCapabilities: ["NET_RAW"]' as part of its policy, which prevents the use of raw sockets and thus mitigates certain network-based attacks like ARP spoofing or ICMP redirects. This is enforced at admission time via labels on the namespace, such as 'pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce: baseline', which rejects any pod that violates the policy.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CKS question in full detail.
System Hardening — This question tests System Hardening — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Apply a PodSecurity admission label with 'pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce: baseline' — Option C is correct because the 'baseline' PodSecurity standard enforces the minimum restrictions that prevent privilege escalation, including dropping the NET_RAW capability by default. The 'baseline' profile is designed to be applied to namespaces where most workloads run, and it automatically adds NET_RAW to the required drop capabilities list, which directly addresses the administrator's goal without the overhead of the more restrictive 'restricted' profile.
What should I do if I get this CKS 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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