CV0-004 Security Practice Question
A security administrator needs to enforce least privilege for a Kubernetes cluster in a cloud environment. Which approach should be used to restrict permissions for pods that need to access the cloud provider's API?
⚠ Common exam trap
CV0-004 often tests the misconception that assigning a static IAM user to a pod is acceptable, when least privilege requires short-lived, role-based workload identity.
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
✓
Use a service account with a role that has only the required permissions
In Kubernetes, pods assume a Kubernetes service account, and cloud providers support mapping that service account to a cloud IAM role via workload identity (for example, IRSA on EKS or Workload Identity on GKE/AKS). This lets the pod obtain short-lived credentials scoped to only the permissions in the role, enforcing least privilege without embedding static credentials.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Assign the pod a static cloud IAM user credential
Why it's wrong here
A static IAM user credential is long-lived and shared by every pod, so compromise grants persistent access and defeats per-pod least privilege. It suits legacy workloads outside Kubernetes; inside a cluster, workload identity federation issues short-lived, scoped tokens per pod.
- ✗
Disable cloud API access for all pods
Why it's wrong here
Disabling cloud API access blocks the legitimate function the pods require, breaking the workload rather than restricting it. It suits hardened namespaces with no external dependencies; here the requirement is scoped, least-privilege access, achieved through workload identity federation.
- ✓
Use a service account with a role that has only the required permissions
Why this is correct
A Kubernetes service account mapped to a cloud role grants pods only the permissions that role defines, satisfying least privilege for API access. Unlike node-wide instance profiles, which expose every pod on that node to the same credentials, this binds permissions to the workload identity itself, so each pod receives solely its required scope.
- ✗
Grant the pod cluster-admin privileges in Kubernetes
Why it's wrong here
Cluster-admin grants full control over every Kubernetes resource, directly contradicting least privilege and widening blast radius far beyond cloud API calls. It suits cluster operators managing the control plane, not application pods needing narrowly scoped access to a provider's API.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This CV0-004 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 CV0-004 exam.