This CKS practice question tests your understanding of cluster setup and hardening. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 wants to disable anonymous authentication to the Kubernetes API server. Which flag should be added to the kube-apiserver configuration?
--disable-anonymous
Why wrong: This flag does not exist; the correct flag is --anonymous-auth=false.
--authorization-mode=RBAC
Why wrong: This enables RBAC but does not disable anonymous auth.
--anonymous-auth=false
This flag disables anonymous authentication.
--enable-admission-plugins=DenyAnonymous
Why wrong: There is no such admission plugin named DenyAnonymous.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
--anonymous-auth=false
Option C is correct because the `--anonymous-auth=false` flag explicitly disables anonymous authentication to the Kubernetes API server. When set to false, requests without valid authentication credentials are rejected with a 401 Unauthorized error, preventing unauthenticated access. This is the standard Kubernetes mechanism to disable anonymous authentication as documented in the kube-apiserver reference.
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.
--disable-anonymous
Why it's wrong here
This flag does not exist; the correct flag is --anonymous-auth=false.
--authorization-mode=RBAC
Why it's wrong here
This enables RBAC but does not disable anonymous auth.
--anonymous-auth=false
Why this is correct
This flag disables anonymous authentication.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
--enable-admission-plugins=DenyAnonymous
Why it's wrong here
There is no such admission plugin named DenyAnonymous.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse authentication flags with authorization modes or admission plugins, and may invent non-existent flags like `--disable-anonymous` or assume `DenyAnonymous` is a valid admission plugin name.
Detailed technical explanation
When `--anonymous-auth=true` (the default), the API server allows requests with no authentication to be treated as the `system:anonymous` user, which can then be authorized by RBAC or other modes. Disabling it (`--anonymous-auth=false`) forces all requests to present valid credentials (e.g., client certificates, bearer tokens, or basic auth). In hardened clusters, this flag is often combined with `--authorization-mode=Node,RBAC` and strict admission plugins to ensure only authenticated, authorized requests reach the API.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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.
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: --anonymous-auth=false — Option C is correct because the `--anonymous-auth=false` flag explicitly disables anonymous authentication to the Kubernetes API server. When set to false, requests without valid authentication credentials are rejected with a 401 Unauthorized error, preventing unauthenticated access. This is the standard Kubernetes mechanism to disable anonymous authentication as documented in the kube-apiserver reference.
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 24, 2026
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