This CKS practice question tests your understanding of system hardening. 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.
A pod has the following security context: capabilities: { drop: ['ALL'] } and privileged: false. The pod fails to start because it requires the ability to run iptables commands. Which of the following should be added to the pod's security context?
privileged: true
Why wrong: Setting privileged true grants all capabilities, which is excessive and insecure.
capabilities: { add: ['SYS_ADMIN'] }
Why wrong: SYS_ADMIN is a powerful capability; iptables only needs NET_ADMIN.
capabilities: { drop: ['NET_ADMIN'] }
Why wrong: Dropping NET_ADMIN would further restrict, not help.
capabilities: { add: ['NET_ADMIN'] }
NET_ADMIN is the capability required for iptables operations.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
capabilities: { add: ['NET_ADMIN'] }
The pod needs to run iptables commands, which require the NET_ADMIN capability. Since the security context drops ALL capabilities, you must explicitly add NET_ADMIN back. Option D correctly adds NET_ADMIN, granting the necessary network administration privileges without making the container fully privileged.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
privileged: true
Why it's wrong here
Setting privileged true grants all capabilities, which is excessive and insecure.
capabilities: { add: ['SYS_ADMIN'] }
Why it's wrong here
SYS_ADMIN is a powerful capability; iptables only needs NET_ADMIN.
capabilities: { drop: ['NET_ADMIN'] }
Why it's wrong here
Dropping NET_ADMIN would further restrict, not help.
capabilities: { add: ['NET_ADMIN'] }
Why this is correct
NET_ADMIN is the capability required for iptables operations.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse SYS_ADMIN with NET_ADMIN, assuming that broad system administration privileges are needed for network tools, when in fact iptables specifically requires the NET_ADMIN capability.
Detailed technical explanation
In Linux, iptables interacts with the netfilter framework in the kernel to manipulate network packet filtering and NAT rules. The NET_ADMIN capability (cap_net_admin) is required for operations such as creating, modifying, or deleting firewall rules, as well as changing network interface settings. Dropping ALL capabilities and then selectively adding only NET_ADMIN follows the security best practice of granting the minimal set of privileges needed, avoiding the broader attack surface of privileged mode or SYS_ADMIN.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
System Hardening — This question tests System Hardening — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: capabilities: { add: ['NET_ADMIN'] } — The pod needs to run iptables commands, which require the NET_ADMIN capability. Since the security context drops ALL capabilities, you must explicitly add NET_ADMIN back. Option D correctly adds NET_ADMIN, granting the necessary network administration privileges without making the container fully privileged.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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