CKS Monitoring, Logging and Runtime Security Practice Question
You need to configure Kubernetes audit logging to log all requests to the 'secrets' API. Which audit policy level captures the body of the request?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is that candidates may overthink and choose RequestResponse because it captures more, but the question precisely asks for 'the body of the request', which is captured by the Request level.
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
✓
Request
The 'Request' audit level logs the request metadata and the request body, which includes the body of the request. This is exactly what the question asks for. 'RequestResponse' adds the response body, which is not required per the question. Therefore, the correct answer is A.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Request
Why this is correct
The Request audit level instructs the kube-apiserver to log the event's metadata and the raw request body, including any submitted objects, parameters, and headers. Because the requirement is only to capture request payloads, Request satisfies the condition without also recording the response. This level is ideal when you need to know exactly what the client sent, but you don't care about the server's reply.
- ✗
None
Why it's wrong here
The None audit level suppresses all event payloads: the apiserver records only essential metadata like timestamps, source IP, and user for events that match policy, but neither the request body nor the response body is logged. Since the question demands capture of the request body, None fails because it never includes any content sent to the API server. It is typically used to exclude noisy read-only endpoints from audit logging.
- ✗
RequestResponse
Why it's wrong here
The RequestResponse audit level logs both the request body and the response body, which of course includes the request data. However, it exceeds the stated need and introduces additional overhead and security risk by also persisting response payloads, which may contain sensitive results or secrets. The question asks for the level that captures the request body, and Request alone fulfills that; RequestResponse is more than necessary and not the minimal correct choice.
- ✗
Metadata
Why it's wrong here
Metadata audit level captures only the event's metadata, such as user, verb, resource, namespace, and status code, while deliberately omitting the request and response bodies. As a result, it provides an audit trail of who did what but not what was sent, so it cannot satisfy a requirement to log the request body. This level is commonly used for compliance monitoring when payload content is unnecessary or too sensitive to store.
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Same concept, more angles
5 more ways this is tested on CKS
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. An audit policy is configured with the following rule: - level: Metadata resources: - group: "" resources: ["secrets"] What does this rule log for requests to the Secrets API?
hard- A.The full request and response body
- ✓ B.Metadata about the request, excluding the body
- C.Nothing, because secrets are excluded by default
- D.The request body only
Why B: The 'Metadata' level logs request metadata (user, timestamp, resource) but not the request or response body. Option A corresponds to the 'RequestResponse' level, which logs both request and response bodies. Option C is incorrect because secrets are not excluded by default; the rule applies to secrets. Option D corresponds to the 'Request' level, which logs the request body only.
Variation 2. An audit policy is configured with the following rule: - level: RequestResponse users: ["system:serviceaccount:kube-system:admin"] verbs: ["get", "list"] resources: - group: "" resources: ["secrets"] What will be logged when the service account 'admin' in kube-system performs a GET request on a Secret?
hard- A.Only the request metadata will be logged
- B.Only the response will be logged
- ✓ C.The request and response metadata and body will be logged
- D.Nothing will be logged because the rule uses an empty api group
Why C: The audit rule specifies `level: RequestResponse`, which instructs the API server to log both the request metadata and body, as well as the response metadata and body, for matching events. The rule matches the service account `system:serviceaccount:kube-system:admin` performing a GET on secrets (empty API group matches core API group), so the full request and response payloads are captured.
Variation 3. You have configured an audit policy with level: Request. Which request information is logged?
medium- A.Only metadata for the request
- B.Nothing is logged because Request is not a valid level
- ✓ C.Request metadata and request body
- D.Request metadata, request body, and response body
Why C: The Request level logs request metadata and request body. This is more detailed than Metadata but less than RequestResponse.
Variation 4. An audit policy is configured with level: Request. Which operations are recorded in the audit log?
medium- A.Nothing, only the fact that a request occurred
- ✓ B.Request metadata and the request body
- C.Request and response metadata and bodies
- D.Only metadata about the request
Why B: When an audit policy is configured with `level: Request`, the API server logs the request metadata and the request body for all operations. This is defined in the Kubernetes audit policy specification, where the `Request` level captures the entire request object, including metadata and the body, but does not include the response. This level is useful for debugging and security analysis without the overhead of logging response data.
Variation 5. Which audit policy level logs all requests and responses, including the request body and response body?
easy- A.None
- B.Request
- C.Metadata
- ✓ D.RequestResponse
Why D: RequestResponse logs both the request object and the response object, including bodies. Request logs only the request object. Metadata logs only metadata. None logs nothing.
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.