This CKS practice question tests your understanding of cluster setup and 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 TWO of the following are recommended settings from the CIS Kubernetes Benchmark for the kube-apiserver? (Select 2)
Why wrong: This flag is for etcd, not kube-apiserver.
D
--profiling=false
Why wrong: While profiling should be disabled, the CIS benchmark recommends it for the kube-controller-manager and scheduler, not specifically for the API server in the basic recommendations.
E
--insecure-bind-address=0.0.0.0
Why wrong: The insecure bind address should not be enabled at all.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
--anonymous-auth=false
Option A is correct because disabling anonymous authentication with `--anonymous-auth=false` ensures that all requests to the kube-apiserver must be authenticated, preventing unauthenticated access. This is a key hardening measure recommended by the CIS Kubernetes Benchmark to enforce identity verification for every API call.
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.
✓
--anonymous-auth=false
Why this is correct
Disables anonymous authentication.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
--audit-log-path=/var/log/kubernetes/audit.log
Why this is correct
Enables audit logging.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
--client-cert-auth=true
Why it's wrong here
This flag is for etcd, not kube-apiserver.
✗
--profiling=false
Why it's wrong here
While profiling should be disabled, the CIS benchmark recommends it for the kube-controller-manager and scheduler, not specifically for the API server in the basic recommendations.
✗
--insecure-bind-address=0.0.0.0
Why it's wrong here
The insecure bind address should not be enabled at all.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
CNCF often tests the distinction between flags that apply to different control plane components; candidates mistakenly apply profiling or insecure bind settings from other components to the kube-apiserver, or confuse `--client-cert-auth` with the actual `--client-ca-file` flag.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The `--anonymous-auth` flag controls whether requests without authentication credentials are treated as anonymous users (system:anonymous). When set to false, the API server rejects unauthenticated requests with a 401 Unauthorized response. The `--audit-log-path` flag enables audit logging, which records all API requests for security monitoring and forensics; the CIS Benchmark recommends a dedicated audit log file, typically under /var/log/kubernetes/. Under the hood, the API server uses an audit middleware that writes structured JSON entries to the specified path, capturing user, verb, resource, and response status.
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 small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
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: --anonymous-auth=false — Option A is correct because disabling anonymous authentication with `--anonymous-auth=false` ensures that all requests to the kube-apiserver must be authenticated, preventing unauthenticated access. This is a key hardening measure recommended by the CIS Kubernetes Benchmark to enforce identity verification for every API call.
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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