This CKS practice question tests your understanding of cluster setup and hardening. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 is a CIS benchmark recommendation for securing the Kubernetes API server?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use RBAC for authorization
C is correct because the CIS Benchmark for Kubernetes recommends using Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to authorize API requests, ensuring that users and service accounts have only the minimum necessary permissions. RBAC is a core security control that restricts access based on roles, and its use is explicitly required to meet CIS compliance for the API server.
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.
✗
Disable audit logging to reduce overhead
Why it's wrong here
The CIS benchmark recommends enabling audit logging to capture API requests for security monitoring.
✗
Enable anonymous authentication
Why it's wrong here
The CIS benchmark recommends disabling anonymous authentication by setting --anonymous-auth=false.
✓
Use RBAC for authorization
Why this is correct
The CIS benchmark recommends using RBAC as the authorization mode to enforce least-privilege access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Allow all service accounts to use cluster-admin
Why it's wrong here
This goes against the principle of least-privilege and is not a CIS recommendation.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may think disabling audit logging reduces performance overhead and is a valid optimization, but the CIS benchmark explicitly requires audit logging to be enabled for security compliance.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the Kubernetes API server uses the `--authorization-mode` flag to specify which authorization modules are enabled; RBAC is one such module that evaluates requests against Role and ClusterRole objects. A subtle behavior is that RBAC rules are evaluated in order, and if multiple authorization modes are chained (e.g., Node, RBAC, Webhook), a request denied by one mode may be allowed by another, so the CIS benchmark recommends using RBAC as the primary mode. In a real-world scenario, misconfigured RBAC can lead to privilege escalation, such as a service account with `list` and `create` permissions on pods being able to spawn a privileged container to escape to the host.
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 junior network technician can log in to a core router but cannot reach the enable prompt or configuration mode. The AAA server is authenticating the login — but the authorisation policy only grants privilege level 1, not 15. Authentication (who you are) is working; authorisation (what you can do) is not.
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: Use RBAC for authorization — C is correct because the CIS Benchmark for Kubernetes recommends using Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to authorize API requests, ensuring that users and service accounts have only the minimum necessary permissions. RBAC is a core security control that restricts access based on roles, and its use is explicitly required to meet CIS compliance for the API server.
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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