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 security team wants to ensure that no pod runs with privileged access. They have created a PodSecurityPolicy (PSP) that sets 'privileged: false'. However, a pod with privileged: true still gets created. What is the most likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The user creating the pod does not have a RoleBinding that grants use of the PSP
A is correct because PodSecurityPolicy (PSP) requires the user or service account creating the pod to have a RoleBinding or ClusterRoleBinding that grants the `use` verb on the PSP resource. Without this RBAC authorization, the PSP is not enforced for that user, even if the PSP exists and the admission controller is enabled. The pod with `privileged: true` bypasses the PSP because the creating identity lacks the necessary RBAC permissions to trigger the PSP's validation.
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.
✓
The user creating the pod does not have a RoleBinding that grants use of the PSP
Why this is correct
Without authorization, the PSP does not apply; the user may be using a default PSP that allows privileged.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The pod has a higher priority than the PSP
Why it's wrong here
Priority doesn't override PSP.
✗
The PodSecurityPolicy admission controller is not enabled
Why it's wrong here
If not enabled, PSPs have no effect; but the question implies PSP is in use.
✗
The PodSecurityPolicy is defined after the pod creation
Why it's wrong here
PSPs are enforced at admission time, order doesn't matter.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
CNCF often tests the misconception that simply creating a PSP is enough to enforce restrictions, but the trap here is that PSP enforcement requires explicit RBAC binding—without it, the PSP is effectively ignored for the pod's creator.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the PSP admission controller intercepts all pod creation requests and checks if the requesting user (or the service account of the pod) has RBAC permissions for the `use` verb on the PSP resource. If not, the PSP is skipped entirely, and no validation occurs—this is a common misconfiguration where administrators create PSPs but forget to bind them via RoleBindings or ClusterRoleBindings. In real-world scenarios, this often leads to security gaps where pods run with elevated privileges despite a restrictive PSP being present.
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: The user creating the pod does not have a RoleBinding that grants use of the PSP — A is correct because PodSecurityPolicy (PSP) requires the user or service account creating the pod to have a RoleBinding or ClusterRoleBinding that grants the `use` verb on the PSP resource. Without this RBAC authorization, the PSP is not enforced for that user, even if the PSP exists and the admission controller is enabled. The pod with `privileged: true` bypasses the PSP because the creating identity lacks the necessary RBAC permissions to trigger the PSP's validation.
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: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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