What is the CKS exam?

CKS (Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist) is a 2-hour, hands-on, performance-based exam from the CNCF testing advanced Kubernetes security skills. You harden clusters, configure NetworkPolicies, enforce pod security, scan for supply chain risks, and detect runtime threats. Passing score is 67%. CKA certification is a PREREQUISITE for CKS.

How much does CKS cost in 2026?

CKS exam costs $445 USD as of 2026, including one free retake. Linux Foundation runs 30-40% discounts during KubeCon and Cyber Week. You must hold an active CKA certification to register for CKS.

Do I need CKA before taking CKS?

Yes. CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) is a mandatory prerequisite for CKS. Your CKA must be active (not expired) when you sit CKS. ExamCert recommends finishing CKA at least 3-6 months before attempting CKS so the cluster admin fundamentals are deeply familiar.

What topics are on the CKS exam?

CKS domains: Cluster Setup (10%), Cluster Hardening (15%), System Hardening (15%), Minimize Microservice Vulnerabilities (20%), Supply Chain Security (20%), Monitoring, Logging and Runtime Security (20%). Tools tested: kube-bench, Trivy, Falco, OPA/Gatekeeper, audit logs, NetworkPolicies, Pod Security Standards, AppArmor, seccomp, gVisor.

How long should I prepare for CKS?

Most candidates need 8-12 weeks for CKS preparation after passing CKA. CKS is heavy on tooling (Falco, Trivy, OPA), so hands-on lab time is critical. Plan 1-2 hours daily for kubectl and security tool drills.

Is CKS harder than CKA and CKAD?

Yes, CKS is widely considered the hardest of the three core Kubernetes certifications. It assumes CKA-level cluster admin fluency and adds advanced security topics (Falco rules, OPA policies, kube-bench remediation, supply chain scanning). Pass rate is reportedly the lowest of the three.

Is the CKS certification worth it in 2026?

Yes. CKS-certified engineers earn $150,000-$200,000+ average salary in 2026. With Kubernetes attacks growing 300% YoY and zero-trust mandates expanding, demand for verified Kubernetes security skills is at an all-time high. CKS is one of the highest-ROI cloud-native certifications.

Free CKS Practice Exam 2026 | 300+ Kubernetes Security Questions

Free CKS Practice Exam 2026 — 300+ Kubernetes Security Specialist Questions

Get free CKS practice questions for the Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist exam. 300+ hands-on scenarios covering cluster hardening, NetworkPolicies, Pod Security Standards, Falco runtime detection, Trivy image scanning, OPA/Gatekeeper, and supply chain security. Updated May 2026 — built to mirror the real CKS performance-based exam.

✅ 300+ Free Questions ✅ Falco / Trivy / OPA ✅ Updated May 2026 ✅ All Domains Covered

🛡️ CKS Exam Domains Covered

⚙️ Cluster Setup (10%)

NetworkPolicies, CIS benchmarks, ingress TLS, GUI access lockdown, node metadata protection

🔒 Cluster Hardening (15%)

RBAC least-privilege, ServiceAccount hardening, kubectl/kubeadm secure updates, API server config

🐧 System Hardening (15%)

Kernel hardening (AppArmor, seccomp), minimize IAM roles, restrict network access, vulnerability scanning

🧱 Microservice Vulnerabilities (20%)

Pod Security Standards, OPA/Gatekeeper, secrets management, container runtime sandboxes (gVisor, Kata)

📦 Supply Chain Security (20%)

Image footprint minimization, image scanning (Trivy), image signing, allowlist registries, SBOMs

📡 Monitoring & Runtime Security (20%)

Behavioral analytics (Falco), syscall tracing, audit logs, immutability at runtime, threat detection

📝 Sample Free CKS Practice Questions

Sample questions from our free CKS practice exam bank — modeled on the real performance-based format.

Question 1 — Pod Security Standards

You must block any pod from running as root in the prod namespace, with the policy enforced by the API server (not just audited). Which is the correct configuration?

A. Label namespace with pod-security.kubernetes.io/audit=restricted

B. Label namespace with pod-security.kubernetes.io/enforce=restricted

C. Apply a NetworkPolicy denying ingress to root pods

D. Add runAsNonRoot: true to the cluster's default ServiceAccount

Question 2 — Runtime Security (Falco)

You want to detect any pod spawning a shell process (bash, sh) inside a container at runtime — flagging it as a security alert. Which tool is the BEST fit?

A. Trivy

B. kube-bench

C. Falco

D. OPA/Gatekeeper

Question 3 — NetworkPolicy Default Deny

Which NetworkPolicy YAML implements a "default deny all ingress" baseline in namespace prod?

A. podSelector: {} with policyTypes: [Ingress] and no ingress rules

B. podSelector: {} with ingress: [{from: []}]

C. egress: [{}] with no podSelector

D. policyTypes: [Egress] with empty namespaceSelector

🚀 Access 300+ Free CKS Practice Questions →

❓ Free CKS Practice Exam — FAQ

Can I take CKS without CKA?

No. Active CKA certification is a hard prerequisite — you cannot register for CKS without it. Your CKA must be valid (not expired) on the day you sit CKS. Plan accordingly: many candidates do CKA, gain 3-6 months of cluster-admin experience, then attempt CKS.

Which tools should I know inside-out for CKS?

Memorize: Falco (rule syntax, custom rules), Trivy (image, fs, k8s scan flags), kube-bench (CIS benchmark IDs, remediation), OPA/Gatekeeper (Rego basics), AppArmor/seccomp (profile attachment), and audit log policy syntax. Practice each in a real cluster.

Is kubernetes.io documentation allowed during CKS?

Yes. kubernetes.io, Falco docs, Trivy docs, and a few other officially listed sites are allowed. Bookmark NetworkPolicy, Pod Security Standards, AppArmor, and seccomp pages before exam day — every second matters.