KCSA Kubernetes Threat Model Practice Question
An attacker with compromised Kubernetes credentials attempts to hide malicious activity by deleting Kubernetes audit logs on the worker node. Where should audit logs ideally be stored and managed in a securely hardened cluster to prevent tampering and ensure non-repudiation?
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
✓
Forwarded to an external centralized SIEM or secure remote storage backend
Audit logs should be sent synchronously or asynchronously out of the control plane nodes to an external, write-once-read-many (WORM) storage or centralized SIEM system where local node compromise does not affect log integrity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Written to the container image layer cache of the local container runtime
Why it's wrong here
Image caches are local, volatile, and trivial for root users to purge or overwrite.
- ✗
Stored inside unencrypted ConfigMaps within the default namespace
Why it's wrong here
ConfigMaps are plain text, easily editable by users with basic RBAC, and completely unsuitable for secure audit logging.
- ✗
Saved locally in an ephemeral emptyDir volume inside the kube-system namespace
Why it's wrong here
Ephemeral emptyDir volumes are deleted when the pod terminates and offer zero durability or tamper resistance.
- ✓
Forwarded to an external centralized SIEM or secure remote storage backend
Why this is correct
Centralized logging ensures that even if an attacker gains root access to control plane or worker nodes, they cannot alter or delete historical audit records.
About these practice questions
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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.