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CKS Study Guide

Domain-by-domain study guide for Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS). Covers all 6 exam objectives with topic checklists, quick notes, and practice links.

Download PDF Notes

Exam Overview

Key facts before you start studying

Duration

120 min

Questions

Exam Code

CKS

Domains

Quick Navigation

Jump to a specific exam domain

1. Cluster Setup (10%)
2. Cluster Hardening (15%)
3. System Hardening (15%)
4. Minimize Microservice Vulnerabilities (20%)
5. Supply Chain Security (20%)
6. Monitoring, Logging and Runtime Security (20%)

Domain 1

10%

Cluster Setup

Configure Kubernetes security from installation

Topics to Master

Network security policies
CIS benchmark compliance
Ingress security
Node metadata protection
GUI security elements

Domain 2

15%

Cluster Hardening

Secure cluster components and access

Topics to Master

RBAC configuration
Service account security
API server hardening
Update and upgrade strategies
Certificate management

Domain 3

15%

System Hardening

Minimize host OS footprint and secure Linux

Topics to Master

AppArmor profiles
seccomp profiles
Kernel hardening
Host network security
Reduce attack surface

Domain 4

20%

Minimize Microservice Vulnerabilities

Secure containerized applications

Topics to Master

Pod Security Standards
OPA Gatekeeper policies
mTLS service mesh
Secrets encryption
Container sandboxing

Domain 5

20%

Supply Chain Security

Secure container supply chain

Topics to Master

Image scanning (Trivy)
Image signing (Cosign)
SBOM generation
Admission controllers
Private registries

Domain 6

20%

Monitoring, Logging and Runtime Security

Detect and respond to security events

Topics to Master

Falco runtime detection
Audit logging
Behavioral analytics
Immutability enforcement
Security monitoring

Continue Your Prep

Free CertStud resources for CKS

Study Notes Exam Study Plan Start Practice Test

Back to CKS

CKS Study Guide

Domain-by-domain study guide for Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS). Covers all 6 exam objectives with topic checklists, quick notes, and practice links.

Download PDF Notes

Exam Overview

Key facts before you start studying

Duration

120 min

Questions

Exam Code

CKS

Domains

Quick Navigation

Jump to a specific exam domain

1. Cluster Setup (10%)
2. Cluster Hardening (15%)
3. System Hardening (15%)
4. Minimize Microservice Vulnerabilities (20%)
5. Supply Chain Security (20%)
6. Monitoring, Logging and Runtime Security (20%)

Domain 1

10%

Cluster Setup

Configure Kubernetes security from installation

Topics to Master

Network security policies
CIS benchmark compliance
Ingress security
Node metadata protection
GUI security elements

Domain 2

15%

Cluster Hardening

Secure cluster components and access

Topics to Master

RBAC configuration
Service account security
API server hardening
Update and upgrade strategies
Certificate management

Domain 3

15%

System Hardening

Minimize host OS footprint and secure Linux

Topics to Master

AppArmor profiles
seccomp profiles
Kernel hardening
Host network security
Reduce attack surface

Domain 4

20%

Minimize Microservice Vulnerabilities

Secure containerized applications

Topics to Master

Pod Security Standards
OPA Gatekeeper policies
mTLS service mesh
Secrets encryption
Container sandboxing

Domain 5

20%

Supply Chain Security

Secure container supply chain

Topics to Master

Image scanning (Trivy)
Image signing (Cosign)
SBOM generation
Admission controllers
Private registries

Domain 6

20%

Monitoring, Logging and Runtime Security

Detect and respond to security events

Topics to Master

Falco runtime detection
Audit logging
Behavioral analytics
Immutability enforcement
Security monitoring

Continue Your Prep

Free CertStud resources for CKS

Study Notes Exam Study Plan Start Practice Test