CKS System Hardening Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are valid AppArmor profile modes? (Select two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
In the CNCF-CKS exam, candidates often confuse profile modes with process states. The trap here is mistaking 'Unconfined' (a process state with no profile) for a valid profile mode, or thinking 'Audit' is a mode when it is actually a profile flag.
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
✓
Complain
AppArmor profiles operate in two primary modes: 'Complain' (also known as 'learning' mode) and 'Enforce' (the default mode). In Complain mode, policy violations are logged but not blocked, which is useful for testing and developing profiles. In Enforce mode, violations are both logged and blocked, actively enforcing the security policy. Options C (Complain) and D (Enforce) are correct.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Audit
Why it's wrong here
Audit is not a valid AppArmor profile mode. Audit is a flag that can be added to a profile to audit specific rules, but it is not a mode itself. Therefore, option A is incorrect.
- ✗
Disabled
Why it's wrong here
Disabled is not a valid AppArmor profile mode. Disabled refers to a state where AppArmor is not enabled for a process, but it is not one of the profile modes. Therefore, option B is incorrect.
- ✓
Complain
Why this is correct
Complain mode is a valid AppArmor profile mode in which policy violations are logged but not blocked. When a profile runs in complain mode (sometimes called learning mode), the kernel records every action that would have been denied under enforce mode to the audit log, while still allowing the operation to proceed. This is typically used during profile development or debugging to see what a profile would catch before enforcing it. A profile can be set to complain mode by appending 'complain' to the profile declaration or by using the aa-complain command.
- ✓
Enforce
Why this is correct
Enforce mode is a valid AppArmor profile mode in which policy violations are both logged and blocked. This is the default and production mode: the kernel actively restricts the process according to the rules defined in the profile, denying any operation not explicitly permitted and logging the denial to the audit system. Enforce mode is what ensures a compromised application cannot exceed its intended privileges. You can switch a loaded profile to enforce mode with aa-enforce, or simply load it without specifying a mode, as enforce is the default.
- ✗
Unconfined
Why it's wrong here
Unconfined is not one of the AppArmor profile modes. In AppArmor, the two operational modes are enforce and complain, which dictate how the kernel reacts to policy violations. Unconfined describes a process that has no AppArmor profile loaded at all, meaning the kernel applies no AppArmor restrictions to it. It is a status reported by tools like aa-status, not a mode that you can specify within a profile or when loading one; confusing it with a mode is a common mistake.
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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.