Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) Practice Exam

The Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) exam validates your ability to secure and manage containerized applications deployed on Kubernetes clusters.  Earning this certification demonstrates your skills in hardening Kubernetes deployments, implementing security best practices, and detecting and responding to security threats within containerized environments.

Who Should Take This Exam?

This certification is ideal for professionals with experience in Kubernetes administration and a strong understanding of security principles - 

• DevOps engineers with a focus on security
• Security professionals specializing in cloud security
• Kubernetes administrators responsible for securing containerized applications

Prerequisites

The CKS exam requires you to hold a valid Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) certification. The CKA validates your core competencies in managing Kubernetes clusters.

Roles and Responsibilities 

• Cloud Security Architects: Design and implement secure architectures for containerized applications on Kubernetes.
• Security Engineers: Secure and harden Kubernetes clusters to mitigate security risks.
• DevSecOps Engineers: Integrate security practices throughout the development and deployment lifecycle of containerized applications.
• Security Operations Center (SOC) Analysts: Monitor and analyze security threats within Kubernetes environments.

Course Outline

The Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) exam covers the following domains:

Cluster Setup 10%

• Use Network security policies to restrict cluster-level access
• Use CIS benchmark to review the security configuration of Kubernetes components (etcd, kubelet, kubedns, kubeapi) 
• Properly set up Ingress objects with security control 
• Protect node metadata and endpoints 
• Minimize use of, and access to, GUI elements 
• Verify platform binaries before deploying

Cluster Hardening 15%

• Restrict access to Kubernetes API
• Use Role Based Access Controls to minimize exposure
• Exercise caution in using service accounts e.g. disable defaults and minimize permissions on newly created ones 
• Update Kubernetes frequently 

System Hardening 15%

• Minimize host OS footprint (reduce attack surface) 
• Minimize IAM roles 
• Minimize external access to the network 
• Appropriately use kernel hardening tools such as AppArmor, seccomp 
• Minimize Microservice Vulnerabilities 20%
• Setup appropriate OS-level security domains e.g. using PSP, OPA, and security contexts 
• Manage Kubernetes secrets 
• Use container runtime sandboxes in multi-tenant environments (e.g. gvisor, kata containers) 
• Implement pod-to-pod encryption by use of mTLS 

Supply Chain Security 20%

• Minimize base image footprint 
• Secure your supply chain: whitelist allowed registries, sign and validate images 
• Use static analysis of user workloads (e.g.Kubernetes resources, Docker files) 
• Scan images for known vulnerabilities 

Monitoring, Logging, and Runtime Security 20%

• Perform behavioral analytics of syscall process and file activities at the host and container level to detect malicious activities 
• Detect threats within a physical infrastructure, apps, networks, data, users, and workloads 
• Detect all phases of attack regardless of where it occurs and how it spreads 
• Perform deep analytical investigation and identification of bad actors within the environment 
• Ensure immutability of containers at runtime 
• Use Audit Logs to monitor access