KCSA Kubernetes Threat Model Practice Question
A security engineer discovers that an attacker has gained access to a container and is attempting to modify container files in a way that persists across pod restarts if the container image is faulty. However, the root filesystem is marked as readOnlyRootFilesystem: true. What is the impact of this setting on the attack?
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
✓
It mitigates threats by preventing attackers from writing malicious binaries or modifying system files in the root filesystem.
Setting readOnlyRootFilesystem to true prevents writes to the container's root filesystem, forcing attackers to use emptyDir or mounted volumes if they wish to write malicious binaries or tools.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
It enforces TLS encryption for all outbound pod network connections.
Why it's wrong here
Filesystem settings do not govern network transport layer encryption.
- ✓
It mitigates threats by preventing attackers from writing malicious binaries or modifying system files in the root filesystem.
Why this is correct
A read-only root filesystem blocks runtime tampering of system binaries inside the container image layer.
- ✗
It automatically encrypts all environment variables stored in the Pod spec.
Why it's wrong here
Environment variables are injected at runtime into memory/process space and are unaffected by root filesystem settings.
- ✗
It completely prevents any container from starting up if PersistentVolumeClaims are attached.
Why it's wrong here
PVCs and ephemeral volumes mounted into specific paths are still writable when the root filesystem is read-only.
About these practice questions
This KCSA question is part of Courseiva's 320-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official CNCF / Linux Foundation exam blueprint
This KCSA practice question is part of Courseiva's free CNCF / Linux Foundation 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 KCSA exam.