CKS System Hardening Practice Question
Which TWO AppArmor modes are available? (Select 2)
⚠ Common exam trap
The CNCF CKS exam often tests the distinction between AppArmor modes and profile rule keywords, leading candidates to confuse 'audit' (a rule keyword) or 'unconfined' (a process state) with actual operational modes.
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
✓
enforce
AppArmor has two operational modes: 'enforce' and 'complain'. In 'enforce' mode, AppArmor actively enforces the security policy, blocking actions that violate the profile and logging the denial. In 'complain' mode, AppArmor logs policy violations but does not block them, allowing administrators to test profiles before enforcing them.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
enforce
Why this is correct
Enforce mode actively denies actions not allowed by the profile.
- ✓
complain
Why this is correct
In AppArmor, the `complain` mode logs policy violations without enforcing them, allowing administrators to audit application behaviour before switching to enforcement. This satisfies the question’s requirement for an available operational mode distinct from `enforce`, which blocks non-compliant actions. The axis of difference is logging versus blocking: `complain` records denials passively, whereas `enforce` actively prevents them.
- ✗
audit
Why it's wrong here
Not a standard AppArmor mode for profiles.
- ✗
allow
Why it's wrong here
Not a valid AppArmor mode.
- ✗
unconfined
Why it's wrong here
Unconfined means AppArmor is not applied; it is a state rather than a mode for a loaded profile.
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This CKS question is part of Courseiva's 114-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.