This CKS practice question tests your understanding of cluster setup and 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 security audit reveals that a service account 'monitor' is bound to the cluster-admin ClusterRole, which violates least-privilege. What is the best remediation?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Clue: "least"
Why it matters: You want the option with minimum overhead, fewest steps, or lowest impact — not the most feature-rich or comprehensive answer.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a new ClusterRoleBinding that binds 'monitor' to a less privileged role (e.g., view) and delete the cluster-admin binding
Option D is correct because it directly addresses the violation of least-privilege by replacing the overly permissive cluster-admin ClusterRoleBinding with a binding to a more restrictive role like 'view'. This ensures the 'monitor' service account retains only the necessary read permissions, adhering to the principle of least privilege without disrupting its functionality.
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.
✗
Delete the service account and recreate it without any role binding
Why it's wrong here
This removes access entirely, which may break monitoring functionality.
✗
Keep the binding but add a Deny policy for write actions
Why it's wrong here
There is no native Deny policy in RBAC; RBAC is allow-only.
✗
Set automountServiceAccountToken: false in the pod spec
Why it's wrong here
This prevents mounting the token but does not reduce the permissions of the service account.
✓
Create a new ClusterRoleBinding that binds 'monitor' to a less privileged role (e.g., view) and delete the cluster-admin binding
Why this is correct
Replacing with a read-only role like 'view' follows least-privilege.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "least" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think setting automountServiceAccountToken to false (Option C) is sufficient to revoke permissions, but it only prevents token mounting in pods, not the underlying RBAC permissions that remain active for the service account.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, Kubernetes RBAC uses ClusterRole and ClusterRoleBinding objects to define permissions at the cluster level. The 'cluster-admin' ClusterRole is a built-in superuser role that grants access to all resources and verbs, including write and delete operations. Replacing it with a role like 'view' (which only allows read-only access to most resources) ensures the service account can still perform monitoring tasks without being able to modify cluster state. In real-world scenarios, this prevents accidental or malicious changes from compromised service accounts, a common attack vector in supply chain security.
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 security administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CKS question in full detail.
Cluster Setup and Hardening — This question tests Cluster Setup and Hardening — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a new ClusterRoleBinding that binds 'monitor' to a less privileged role (e.g., view) and delete the cluster-admin binding — Option D is correct because it directly addresses the violation of least-privilege by replacing the overly permissive cluster-admin ClusterRoleBinding with a binding to a more restrictive role like 'view'. This ensures the 'monitor' service account retains only the necessary read permissions, adhering to the principle of least privilege without disrupting its functionality.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best", "least". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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