CKS System Hardening Practice Question
A pod is running with AppArmor enabled using a profile named 'k8s-apparmor-profile'. You want to verify that the profile is loaded and set to enforce mode. Which command should you run on the node?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse `aa-enabled` (which only checks if AppArmor is enabled) with `aa-status` (which shows loaded profiles and their modes), or they may think the raw kernel interface file is the correct answer, but the CKS exam expects knowledge of the standard user-space tool `aa-status` for verification.
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
✓
aa-status
`aa-status` is the standard AppArmor utility that displays the status of AppArmor, including which profiles are loaded and their enforcement mode (enforce, complain, or unconfined). Running this command on the node will show whether 'k8s-apparmor-profile' is loaded and set to enforce mode, which directly answers the verification requirement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
aa-status
Why this is correct
'aa-status' lists all loaded AppArmor profiles and their modes (enforce/complain).
- ✗
aa-profile --status
Why it's wrong here
There is no 'aa-profile' command.
- ✗
aa-enabled
Why it's wrong here
'aa-enabled' checks if AppArmor is enabled, but does not list profiles.
- ✗
cat /sys/kernel/security/apparmor/profiles
Why it's wrong here
This lists profiles but does not show which mode they are in (enforce/complain).
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CKS 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 CKS exam.