Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist: the honest guide
Everything Linux Foundation / CNCF publishes about CKS, in one place: what the exam asks, how the domains are weighted, and what it takes to be ready.
This guide page is built from the registry, not written yet.
Everything below comes from CKS’s published exam data, and every figure links to the vendor page it came from. The researched version, with study plans and the parts nobody publishes, is still being written. This page is not submitted to search engines until it is.
Practise CKS questions in the meantimeWhat the exam actually asks you to do
Entirely hands-on: tasks in a terminal against live clusters, open book against allowed documentation. No multiple choice at all.
- Performance-based
The highlighted formats are the ones you cannot answer from memory alone. Linux Foundation, CKS exam details ↗
Domain breakdown and official weightings
From the official published CNCF curriculum. Minimize Microservice Vulnerabilities is the heaviest domain at 20 percent, followed by Supply Chain Security at 20 percent.
- Cluster Setup15%
- Cluster Hardening15%
- System Hardening10%
- Minimize Microservice Vulnerabilities20%
- Supply Chain Security20%
- Monitoring, Logging and Runtime Security20%
What comes after passing
CKS lasts two years. Renewal means passing the current exam again, though the Linux Foundation discounts exams heavily and often.
Costs across the full renewal cycle are on the CKS cost page.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need CKA before CKS?
Yes, and formally: sitting CKS requires a current, non-expired CKA certification. That prerequisite is the Linux Foundation's rule rather than advice, so plan the pair in order.
How does CKS differ in difficulty from CKA?
Same terminal format, narrower and deeper content. Expect AppArmor and seccomp profiles, admission control, NetworkPolicies, image scanning and runtime detection with tools like Falco, all under the same clock pressure.
Which CKS domains carry the most weight?
Three tie at 20 percent: minimizing microservice vulnerabilities, supply chain security, and monitoring with runtime security. Together with hardening they are the exam; pure cluster setup is only 15 percent.
Keep reading
CKS practice questions
Free sample questions with the full explanation on every answer.
CKS passing score
The exact cut score, what kind of number it is, and the retake terms.
How hard is CKS?
An honest difficulty read from the format, the clock and the weights.
Practise CKS for free while you decide
Original questions written from the published objectives, with the concept, the reasoning, and a note on every wrong option. No account needed to start.
Start free CKS questions