This CKS practice question tests your understanding of cluster setup and 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.
An administrator runs kube-bench and receives a failing result for CIS control 1.1.1. What does this control typically check?
That the API server pod specification file permissions are set to 644 or more restrictive
This is the check for control 1.1.1.
That etcd is using TLS
Why wrong: That is a different control.
That the API server audit log path is configured
Why wrong: That is a different control.
That anonymous authentication is disabled on the API server
Why wrong: That is a different control.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
That the API server pod specification file permissions are set to 644 or more restrictive
CIS control 1.1.1 specifically checks that the API server pod specification file (typically /etc/kubernetes/manifests/kube-apiserver.yaml) has permissions set to 644 or more restrictive (e.g., 600 or 640). This ensures that only authorized users (root or the kube-apiserver process) can read or modify the file, preventing unauthorized changes to critical API server configuration.
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.
That the API server pod specification file permissions are set to 644 or more restrictive
Why this is correct
This is the check for control 1.1.1.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
That etcd is using TLS
Why it's wrong here
That is a different control.
That the API server audit log path is configured
Why it's wrong here
That is a different control.
That anonymous authentication is disabled on the API server
Why it's wrong here
That is a different control.
Common exam traps
CNCF often tests candidates' ability to map CIS control numbers to their exact checks, so the trap here is that candidates confuse control 1.1.1 (file permissions) with other common API server hardening controls like TLS, audit logging, or authentication settings.
Detailed technical explanation
The kube-apiserver.yaml file is a static pod manifest that defines the API server's command-line arguments and container spec. If permissions are too permissive (e.g., 777), any user on the node could modify the manifest to inject malicious flags (like --insecure-port or --anonymous-auth=true) or change the container image, leading to cluster compromise. The 644 permission (owner read/write, group/others read) is a baseline; many hardened environments use 600 to prevent any non-root read access.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
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FAQ
Cluster Setup and Hardening — This question tests Cluster Setup and Hardening — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: That the API server pod specification file permissions are set to 644 or more restrictive — CIS control 1.1.1 specifically checks that the API server pod specification file (typically /etc/kubernetes/manifests/kube-apiserver.yaml) has permissions set to 644 or more restrictive (e.g., 600 or 640). This ensures that only authorized users (root or the kube-apiserver process) can read or modify the file, preventing unauthorized changes to critical API server configuration.
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 30, 2026
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.
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