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 run --targets=master' and sees a failing check for 'Ensure that the --audit-log-path argument is set'. What is the correct remediation?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add '--audit-log-path=/var/log/audit.log' to the kube-apiserver
The kube-bench check for 'Ensure that the --audit-log-path argument is set' specifically targets the kube-apiserver component, as it is the primary component that handles API requests and should log them for audit purposes. The correct remediation is to add '--audit-log-path=/var/log/audit.log' to the kube-apiserver's startup arguments, which enables writing audit logs to a specified file path. This ensures that all API server requests are recorded for security monitoring and compliance.
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.
✗
Add '--audit-policy-file=/etc/kubernetes/audit-policy.yaml' to the API server
Why it's wrong here
This sets the policy file, not the log path.
✓
Add '--audit-log-path=/var/log/audit.log' to the kube-apiserver
Why this is correct
The API server audit log path is set with this flag.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Add '--audit-log-path=/var/log/audit.log' to the kube-controller-manager
Why it's wrong here
The audit log path is an API server flag, not controller-manager.
✗
Add '--audit-log-maxsize=100' to the API server
Why it's wrong here
This sets log rotation size, not the path.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the audit policy file argument with the audit log path argument, or mistakenly think audit logging applies to other control plane components like the controller-manager, when in fact it is exclusively a kube-apiserver configuration.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the kube-apiserver's audit logging is implemented via a middleware that intercepts every request and writes structured JSON records to the configured log file; without '--audit-log-path', no audit logs are generated even if a policy file is provided. In a real-world scenario, failing to set this argument means that during a security incident, there would be no audit trail of API calls, making forensic analysis impossible. The CIS Benchmark for Kubernetes (v1.6+) explicitly requires this setting for all control plane nodes.
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 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.
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: Add '--audit-log-path=/var/log/audit.log' to the kube-apiserver — The kube-bench check for 'Ensure that the --audit-log-path argument is set' specifically targets the kube-apiserver component, as it is the primary component that handles API requests and should log them for audit purposes. The correct remediation is to add '--audit-log-path=/var/log/audit.log' to the kube-apiserver's startup arguments, which enables writing audit logs to a specified file path. This ensures that all API server requests are recorded for security monitoring and compliance.
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.
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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