{"id":220,"date":"2025-11-29T01:13:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T01:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.ngocha.biz\/?p=220"},"modified":"2025-11-29T01:13:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T01:13:00","slug":"cks-exam-guide-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.ngocha.biz\/?p=220","title":{"rendered":"CKS Exam Study Guide: Tips to Pass Kubernetes Security Specialist Certification"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) Exam study guide, I have listed all the resources you can use to pass the CKS certification exam.<\/p>\n

What Is the Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist Exam?<\/h2>\n

CKS is one of the best Kubernetes Certifications<\/a> that is focused on the security aspects of Kubernetes.<\/p>\n

The official CNCF certification page says,<\/p>\n

\n
The Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) program provides assurance that a CKS has the skills, knowledge, and competence on a broad range of best practices for securing container-based applications and Kubernetes platforms during build, deployment, and runtime.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The CKS exam curriculum is well structured, with topics related to Kubernetes security. In fact, you can use the curriculum as a checklist for your existing Kubernetes implementations<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Register For CKS Exam [Save 50% Today]<\/h2>\n

Your first step towards CKS Certification is registering for the exam on the Linux Foundation portal. When you register you get free access to two sessions of killer.sh CKS practice exams<\/strong> that will help you clear the CKS exam.<\/p>\n

\n
Note: <\/strong><\/b>Save 50% today on CKA | CKAD | CKS certification using the Voucher code given below. This offer expires soon.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
SAVE 50% ON CKS Exam Today<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n CKA Exam Voucher:<\/b>: Use Code MM26CCCT<\/b> at checkout\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) Exam Preparation Guide<\/h2>\n

We will look at the detailed CKS resources list and links to the official documentation you could use during the CKS exam.<\/p>\n

CKS Exam Prerequisites<\/h2>\n

The only prerequisite is that you should have a valid CKA certification<\/strong> to sit for the CKS Exam.<\/p>\n

If you have not passed the CKA exam, refer to our CKA exam guide<\/a> for all useful resources.<\/p>\n

Even if you do not have the CKA certification, you can purchase the CKS exam as a bundle (CKA + CKS)<\/a>. You can save up to $428 using the bundle with a 45% discount. However, you need to first pass the CKA and then you can appear for the CKS exam.<\/p>\n

CKS Exam Details<\/h2>\n

Following is the important information about CKS Exam.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Exam Duration<\/td>\n2 hrs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pass Percentage<\/td>\n67%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kubernetes Version <\/td>\nv1.36<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CKS Validity<\/td>\n2 Years<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CKS Certification Exam Cost<\/td>\n$445<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

As CKS is an open-book exam, you can use the following Kubernetes and third-party tools documentation that is part of the CKS exam.<\/p>\n

Kubernetes Documentation<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. https:\/\/kubernetes.io\/docs\/home\/<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. https:\/\/github.com\/kubernetes\/<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. https:\/\/kubernetes.io\/blog\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Allowed Third-Party Tools & Documentation for CKS exam<\/h3>\n
    \n
    Important Note:<\/strong><\/b> The following domains are allowed in the exam. However, you are not allowed to visit any other domains that are mentioned in the documents.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
      \n
    1. https:\/\/github.com\/aquasecurity\/trivy<\/a><\/li>\n
    2. https:\/\/falco.org\/docs\/<\/a><\/li>\n
    3. https:\/\/gitlab.com\/apparmor\/apparmor\/-\/wikis\/Documentation<\/a><\/li>\n
    4. https:\/\/istio.io\/latest\/docs\/<\/a><\/li>\n
    5. https:\/\/kubernetes-sigs.github.io\/bom\/cli-reference\/ <\/a><\/li>\n
    6. https:\/\/docs.cilium.io\/en\/stable<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Please refer to the official Kubernetes exam FAQ section<\/a> for more details<\/p>\n

      CKS Exam Syllabus<\/h2>\n

      CKS Exam aims to test your skills in different security aspects. The following table shows the different domains and their weightage for the CKS certification.<\/p>\n

      <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      Topic<\/th>\nWeightage<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
      Cluster Setup<\/td>\n15%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Cluster Hardening<\/td>\n15%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      System Hardening<\/td>\n10%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Minimize Microservice Vulnerabilities<\/td>\n20%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Supply Chain Security<\/td>\n20%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Monitoring, Logging, and Runtime Security<\/td>\n20%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

      <\/p>\n

      Setting up CKS Practice Labs<\/h2>\n

      It would be best to have a practice cluster to learn and try out all the concepts involved in CKS certification. I have the following suggestion for CKS practice labs.<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Killercoda CKS Playground<\/a><\/li>\n
      2. Minikube<\/a><\/li>\n
      3. Kubernetes Setup using Kubeadm<\/a> [Recommended LAB setup for CKS]<\/li>\n
      4. Kubernetes Vagrant Setup using Kubeadm<\/a><\/li>\n
      5. GKE Cluster<\/a> using free Google Cloud Credits<\/li>\n
      6. EKS Service on AWS<\/a> using a Free tier program<\/li>\n
      7. AKS service on Azure<\/a> using free cloud credits<\/li>\n
      8. Kubernetes Cluster on Digital Ocean[ Get $100 Digital Ocean Free Credits<\/a>]<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n
        Note<\/strong><\/b>: To get notification on the above mentioned setup and other CKS tutorial articles, Signup to the CKS newsletter<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

        Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist Certification Courses<\/h2>\n

        If you want to sign up for a course for your CKS preparation, the following are the courses you will ever need.<\/p>\n

        There is free course available on youtube by the creater of Killercoda. This course helps you understand the CKS exam concepts. You can parallely practice the scenarios on Killercoda.<\/p>\n