Cluster Setup15%

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 with TLS
Protect node metadata and endpoints
Verify platform binaries before deploying

Cluster Hardening15%

Use Role Based Access Controls to minimize exposure
Exercise caution in using service accounts e.g. disable defaults, minimize permissions on newly created ones
Restrict access to Kubernetes API
Upgrade Kubernetes to avoid vulnerabilities

System Hardening10%

Minimize host OS footprint (reduce attack surface)
Using least-privilege identity and access management
Minimize external access to the network
Appropriately use kernel hardening tools such as AppArmor, seccomp

Minimize Microservice Vulnerabilities20%

Use appropriate pod security standards
Manage Kubernetes secrets
Understand and implement isolation techniques (multi-tenancy, sandboxed containers, etc.)
Implement Pod-to-Pod encryption (Cilium, Istio)

Supply Chain Security20%

Minimize base image footprint
Understand your supply chain (e.g. SBOM, CI/CD, artifact repositories)
Secure your supply chain (permitted registries, sign and validate artifacts, etc.)
Perform static analysis of user workloads and container images (e.g. Kubesec, KubeLinter)

Monitoring, Logging and Runtime Security20%

Perform behavioral analytics to detect malicious activities
Detect threats within physical infrastructure, apps, networks, data, users and workloads
Investigate and identify phases of attack and bad actors within the environment
Ensure immutability of containers at runtime
Use Kubernetes audit logs to monitor access

Jan 2026

The exam is best suited for advanced professionals working as DevOps, SRE, SysAdmin, and Cloud Professionals, who want to expand and demonstrate their knowledge of Kubernetes and security.

I really admire that these exams were quite challenging, it was fun to implement the settings from questions. The main challenge was time. For me it's about more challenge more fun. Worst case scenario I will have to take it again.

Dec 2025

I like the exam content, and also the hands-on nature of the exams. It gives me the opportunity to learn more about the different areas of Kubernetes, and also gives me the opportunity to get hands-on experience as well.

Fixing real-world problems, doing real work, actual challenges, and figuring stuff out. Access to documents, so you learn to navigate the documents instead of learning off by heart for exams, then promptly forgetting.

Oct 2025

I like the amount of value the Kubernetes exams have. It really gives you an advantage on your resume, and on job intakes.

Aug 2025

I loved the practical approach to the exam. The Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) exam goes well-beyond standard, multiple-choice, theory-based examinations, and the practical element allows me to showcase my problem-solving skills under pressure.

Jul 2025

A very scary exam, as it pushes you to know all the edges of what makes Kubernetes secure. To me the best part is that even though I am re-certifying, I can tell that there is much to learn still, and there really is progress in what is expected from this certification.

May 2025

It is well organized. The process is very clear, and even with my poor connection, I could take the course.

A comprehensive, hands-on, practical exam on all aspects of Kubernetes security, mimicking real-world scenarios. I wish all IT certifications in the market were done this way.

Mar 2025

I like the breadth of the topics involved, and the fact that it is a hands-on exam. The difficulty feels adequate; I know that other people who obtained the CKS certificate are willing to work, and have a good knowledge of Kubernetes security.

Feb 2025

When preparing you really learn many tools and a lot of context, which will help me in my daily work!

Jan 2025

Performance based exam with clear goals. Practical exams provide clear ways to maintain certification quality. Being extremely time-limited is also good, as it tests how familiar the candidate is with the areas.

Dec 2024

I think it's a useful certification to teach sales and engineers about the latest Kubernetes technology.

Oct 2024

One of the hardest and hands-on certifications in the Industry. One who gains this certification is capable of work in the Kubernetes Cloud Native infrastructure and development sector.

Sep 2024

I have learned many new tools, and how to use them in real world scenarios.

Aug 2024

Hard exam, but if you come prepared with the recommended sources, plus your killer.sh attempts, you will be fine.

Jul 2024

100% practical exam, no “gotcha” questions. A limited focus on rote memorization, with a heavy focus on solid technical understanding of the material at hand. Sets a strong standard/baseline that other IT Certifications should try and meet.

I learned about a lot of security tools I was unaware of. I feel confident that I can secure things within a Kubernetes cluster.

The exam gave a good insight into cloud-native security, and helped me improve my skills as a cloud engineer.

Jun 2024

Hands-on format is really great at testing the practical knowledge and not just theory cramming.

May 2024

I liked that the exam is hands-on, which, together with the time limit, encourages a certain level of proficiency, which turned out to help me be a little faster and more efficient with Kubernetes tasks at my job.

Apr 2024

I like that it is performance-based. And that it is very challenging. It ensures the candidate understands the concepts thoroughly.

Feb 2024

The exam is challenging and covers a broad aspect of the Kubernetes day-to-day administration tasks.

Jan 2024

Time management and hands-on practice are the most important required skills to attend and complete this exam.

Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS)

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