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.
You want to ensure that kubelet does not allow anonymous requests. Which flag must be set on the kubelet?
--anonymous-auth=false
Correct.
--authentication-anonymous=false
Why wrong: This is not a valid kubelet flag.
--allow-anonymous=false
Why wrong: This flag does not exist.
--read-only-port=0
Why wrong: This disables the read-only port but does not disable anonymous authentication on the secure port.
Answer choices
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
The kubelet's `--anonymous-auth` flag controls whether anonymous requests to the kubelet API are permitted. Setting `--anonymous-auth=false` explicitly denies all anonymous requests, ensuring that only authenticated users can interact with the kubelet. This is a critical hardening step to prevent unauthenticated access to node-level operations.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
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
Correct.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
--authentication-anonymous=false
Why it's wrong here
This is not a valid kubelet flag.
--allow-anonymous=false
Why it's wrong here
This flag does not exist.
--read-only-port=0
Why it's wrong here
This disables the read-only port but does not disable anonymous authentication on the secure port.
Common exam traps
CNCF often tests the exact flag name `--anonymous-auth` versus similar-sounding alternatives like `--authentication-anonymous` or `--allow-anonymous`, exploiting the fact that candidates may guess based on generic naming conventions rather than knowing the precise kubelet flag syntax.
Detailed technical explanation
The kubelet's API server supports multiple authentication modes, including x509 client certificates, bearer tokens, and anonymous access. When `--anonymous-auth` is set to `true` (the default), the kubelet treats unauthenticated requests as coming from the system:anonymous user, which may be granted permissions via RBAC. Disabling anonymous auth forces all requests to present valid credentials, which is essential in production to prevent privilege escalation or information disclosure via the kubelet API.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A security administrator must allow nursing staff to reach a patient records server while blocking access from the guest Wi-Fi VLAN. After applying an extended ACL, traffic is still blocked from nursing workstations. The ACL was applied outbound instead of inbound on the wrong interface. Questions like this test ACL direction and placement rules.
What to study next
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FAQ
Cluster Setup and Hardening — This question tests Cluster Setup and Hardening — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: --anonymous-auth=false — The kubelet's `--anonymous-auth` flag controls whether anonymous requests to the kubelet API are permitted. Setting `--anonymous-auth=false` explicitly denies all anonymous requests, ensuring that only authenticated users can interact with the kubelet. This is a critical hardening step to prevent unauthenticated access to node-level operations.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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.
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