easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CKS Practice Question: Is a CIS benchmark recommendation for securing…
Which of the following is a CIS benchmark recommendation for securing the Kubernetes API server?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates 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.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
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.
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
Disabling audit logging removes the only record of actions performed against the Kubernetes API, leaving no trail for post-incident forensic analysis or compliance audits. The CIS benchmark explicitly instructs clusters to enable an audit policy and back up audit logs, because this telemetry is essential for detecting malicious API requests, misconfigurations, and unauthorized access attempts.
- ✗
Enable anonymous authentication
Why it's wrong here
Enabling anonymous authentication sets kube-apiserver's --anonymous-auth=true, allowing unauthenticated HTTP requests to reach the cluster. The CIS benchmark requires setting --anonymous-auth=false, because if anonymous users can query or modify resources—especially when RBAC rules accidentally grant them broad permissions—the cluster loses a fundamental control for verifying client identity and enforcing access limits.
- ✓
Use RBAC for authorization
Why this is correct
The CIS benchmark directly recommends running the control plane with --authorization-mode=RBAC, which delegates access decisions to Role-Based Access Control policies. RBAC lets administrators define granular roles and bindings, enforcing least-privilege access across namespaces and cluster scopes, and it is a prerequisite for many other hardening measures like restricting service account permissions and separating duties.
- ✗
Allow all service accounts to use cluster-admin
Why it's wrong here
Granting every service account the cluster-admin role collapses all privilege boundaries, giving any workload in any namespace full control over nodes, secrets, and other namespaces. This violates the CIS benchmark's clear guidance to follow least privilege and to restrict cluster-admin to a minimal set of highly trusted users or service accounts, as a compromised workload would instantly compromise the entire cluster.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Kubernetes Security Fundamentals
Key term
API Server Security
API Server Security refers to the practices, configurations, and controls that protect the Kubernetes API server from unauthorized access, data breaches, and malicious attacks.
Key term
RBAC Configuration
RBAC Configuration is the process of defining who can do what with which resources in a system by assigning roles that carry specific permissions.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.