This CKS practice question tests your understanding of cluster setup and hardening. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
Which flag disables anonymous authentication on the API server?
--enable-admission-plugins=NodeRestriction
Why wrong: This enables the NodeRestriction admission plugin, not related to anonymous auth.
--authorization-mode=RBAC
Why wrong: This sets the authorization mode, not anonymous authentication.
--anonymous-auth=false
This flag disables anonymous authentication.
--client-ca-file=<path>
Why wrong: This sets the CA file for client certificates, not directly related to anonymous auth.
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
The `--anonymous-auth=false` flag explicitly disables anonymous authentication on the Kubernetes API server. When set to false, the API server will reject requests from unauthenticated users (those not presenting valid credentials), enforcing that all requests must be authenticated. This is a critical security hardening step to prevent anonymous access to the cluster's control plane.
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.
--enable-admission-plugins=NodeRestriction
Why it's wrong here
This enables the NodeRestriction admission plugin, not related to anonymous auth.
--authorization-mode=RBAC
Why it's wrong here
This sets the authorization mode, not anonymous authentication.
--anonymous-auth=false
Why this is correct
This flag disables anonymous authentication.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
--client-ca-file=<path>
Why it's wrong here
This sets the CA file for client certificates, not directly related to anonymous auth.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse authentication with authorization, mistakenly selecting `--authorization-mode=RBAC` (Option B) thinking it controls who can access the API, when in fact RBAC only controls what authenticated users can do, not whether anonymous users are allowed.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, the API server's authentication chain processes requests in order: anonymous requests are handled by the `AnonymousAuth` authenticator, which is enabled by default. Setting `--anonymous-auth=false` removes this authenticator from the chain, causing requests without valid credentials to be rejected with a 401 Unauthorized response. In real-world scenarios, this flag is often combined with `--authorization-mode=Node,RBAC` and `--enable-admission-plugins=NodeRestriction` to enforce a defense-in-depth strategy, ensuring that even if a misconfiguration allows anonymous access, other controls still apply.
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: --anonymous-auth=false — The `--anonymous-auth=false` flag explicitly disables anonymous authentication on the Kubernetes API server. When set to false, the API server will reject requests from unauthenticated users (those not presenting valid credentials), enforcing that all requests must be authenticated. This is a critical security hardening step to prevent anonymous access to the cluster's control plane.
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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