This CKS practice question tests your understanding of system 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 of the following commands shows all loaded AppArmor profiles?
apparmor_parser
Why wrong: apparmor_parser is used to load profiles, not list them.
aa-status
aa-status displays loaded AppArmor profiles and their modes.
aa-disable
Why wrong: aa-disable disables a profile, does not show loaded ones.
aa-enforce
Why wrong: aa-enforce sets a profile to enforce mode.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
aa-status
The `aa-status` command displays the current status of AppArmor, including all loaded profiles, their enforcement mode (enforce/complain), and which processes are confined by them. This is the standard tool for listing active AppArmor profiles on a system.
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.
apparmor_parser
Why it's wrong here
apparmor_parser is used to load profiles, not list them.
aa-status
Why this is correct
aa-status displays loaded AppArmor profiles and their modes.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
aa-disable
Why it's wrong here
aa-disable disables a profile, does not show loaded ones.
aa-enforce
Why it's wrong here
aa-enforce sets a profile to enforce mode.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse `apparmor_parser` (which loads profiles) with `aa-status` (which lists them), or assume that `aa-enforce` or `aa-disable` somehow show profile status, when they are actually mode-changing commands.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
aa-disable disables a profile, does not show loaded ones.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, `aa-status` reads from the securityfs filesystem mounted at `/sys/kernel/security/apparmor/` to gather profile and process confinement information. In a real-world scenario, after deploying new AppArmor profiles, you would run `aa-status` to verify they are loaded and in the correct mode before enabling enforcement, ensuring no critical services are accidentally blocked.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the CKS exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
System Hardening — This question tests System Hardening — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: aa-status — The `aa-status` command displays the current status of AppArmor, including all loaded profiles, their enforcement mode (enforce/complain), and which processes are confined by them. This is the standard tool for listing active AppArmor profiles on a system.
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
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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