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 is the correct way to disable swap on a Kubernetes node to improve security?
Run 'swapoff -a' and remove swap entry from /etc/fstab
This disables swap immediately and permanently.
Set kernel parameter 'vm.swappiness=0'
Why wrong: This reduces swapping but does not disable it completely.
Run 'systemctl stop swap'
Why wrong: There is no standard systemd unit for swap.
Run 'kubelet --disable-swap'
Why wrong: This is not a valid kubelet flag.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Run 'swapoff -a' and remove swap entry from /etc/fstab
Disabling swap is a prerequisite for Kubernetes nodes to ensure kubelet works correctly with memory management and resource isolation. Running 'swapoff -a' disables all active swap devices immediately, and removing the swap entry from /etc/fstab prevents swap from being re-enabled after a reboot. This is the standard and complete method recommended by Kubernetes documentation for system hardening.
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.
Run 'swapoff -a' and remove swap entry from /etc/fstab
Why this is correct
This disables swap immediately and permanently.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Set kernel parameter 'vm.swappiness=0'
Why it's wrong here
This reduces swapping but does not disable it completely.
Run 'systemctl stop swap'
Why it's wrong here
There is no standard systemd unit for swap.
Run 'kubelet --disable-swap'
Why it's wrong here
This is not a valid kubelet flag.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates may think 'vm.swappiness=0' is sufficient to disable swap, but it only minimizes swap usage without actually turning it off, which still violates Kubernetes node requirements.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, the kubelet relies on the node's memory capacity being fully predictable; swap introduces latency and non-deterministic memory pressure that can break pod resource limits and Quality of Service (QoS) classes. In real-world scenarios, if swap is not fully disabled (e.g., only using 'swapoff -a' without editing /etc/fstab), a reboot will re-enable swap, causing kubelet to fail or behave unexpectedly. The CKS exam expects candidates to know that swap must be permanently disabled at the OS level, not just temporarily.
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
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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: Run 'swapoff -a' and remove swap entry from /etc/fstab — Disabling swap is a prerequisite for Kubernetes nodes to ensure kubelet works correctly with memory management and resource isolation. Running 'swapoff -a' disables all active swap devices immediately, and removing the swap entry from /etc/fstab prevents swap from being re-enabled after a reboot. This is the standard and complete method recommended by Kubernetes documentation for system hardening.
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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