KCSA Kubernetes Security Fundamentals Practice Question
You are deploying a ValidatingWebhookConfiguration to inspect incoming pod creations. What happens if the webhook fails and the 'failurePolicy' in the webhook configuration is set to 'Fail'?
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
✓
The API request is rejected.
When failurePolicy is set to 'Fail', any error or timeout reaching the external webhook causes the API server to reject the API request.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The API request is allowed to proceed without validation.
Why it's wrong here
Allowing requests on failure requires setting failurePolicy to 'Ignore'.
- ✓
The API request is rejected.
Why this is correct
A failurePolicy of 'Fail' means webhook errors result in request rejection (fail closed).
- ✗
The pod is created in a suspended state until the webhook recovers.
Why it's wrong here
Kubernetes does not queue requests for suspended webhook recovery; it immediately denies them.
- ✗
The kube-apiserver restarts automatically.
Why it's wrong here
Webhook failures do not trigger API server restarts.
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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.