CKS System Hardening Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are valid AppArmor profile modes?
⚠ Common exam trap
The CKS exam often tests the distinction between AppArmor and SELinux modes; the trap here is that candidates confuse 'Permissive' (SELinux) with 'Complain' (AppArmor), or assume 'Audit' is a valid AppArmor mode because of the Linux audit subsystem.
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 has two primary operational modes: 'Complain' (also known as 'learning' mode) and 'Enforce'. In Complain mode, policy violations are logged but not blocked, allowing administrators to test profiles. In Enforce mode, violations are both logged and blocked, actively enforcing the security policy.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Complain
Why this is correct
In complain mode, violations are logged but not blocked.
- ✓
Enforce
Why this is correct
In enforce mode, the profile is actively enforced.
- ✗
Audit
Why it's wrong here
Audit is not a mode; it is a flag.
- ✗
Disable
Why it's wrong here
Disable is not a mode; unconfined is used to disable.
- ✗
Permissive
Why it's wrong here
Permissive is not an AppArmor term.
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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.