Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) Exam Voucher

Proven security & Kubernetes skills are a career door opener! Show off your skills with this globally recognized, vendor-neutral certification.

How will the CKS benefit me?

What about AWS, Red Hat & other certs?

Make sure your IT credentials include a strong, vendor-neutral foundation for the best career flexibility and growth. Add CKS to your career profile today & check out our career roadmap for whats next.

Merit Global is an authorized trainer partner of Linux Foundation for their certification programs. We distribute certification exam vouchers at good discounts.

Cluster Setup (15%)

• Use network security policies to restrict cluster-level access
• Use CIS benchmarks to review security configurations of Kubernetes components (etcd, kubelet, kube-dns, kube-apiserver)
• Properly set up Ingress with TLS
• Protect node metadata and endpoints
• Verify platform binaries before deploying



Cluster Hardening (15%)

• Use Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to minimize exposure
• Exercise caution with service accounts, including disabling defaults and minimizing permissions
• Restrict access to the Kubernetes API
• Upgrade Kubernetes regularly to avoid vulnerabilities



System Hardening (10%)

• Minimize host OS footprint to reduce attack surface
• Apply least-privilege identity and access management
• Minimize external network access
• Use kernel hardening tools such as AppArmor and seccomp appropriately



Minimize Microservice Vulnerabilities (20%)

• Use appropriate Pod security standards
• Manage Kubernetes Secrets securely
• Understand and implement isolation techniques such as multi-tenancy and sandboxed containers
• Implement Pod-to-Pod encryption using tools like Cilium and Istio



Supply Chain Security (20%)

• Minimize base image footprint
• Understand the software supply chain including SBOMs, CI/CD pipelines, and artifact repositories
• Secure the supply chain using permitted registries and by signing and validating artifacts
• Perform static analysis of workloads and container images using tools such as Kubesec and KubeLinter



Monitoring, Logging and Runtime Security (20%)

• Perform behavioral analytics to detect malicious activity
• Detect threats across infrastructure, applications, networks, data, users, and workloads
• Investigate and identify attack phases and malicious actors within the environment
• Ensure container immutability at runtime
• Use Kubernetes audit logs to monitor access and activity

Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) candidates must have taken and passed the Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) exam prior to attempting the CKS exam.

The CKS was created by the Linux Foundation and the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) as a part of their ongoing effort to help develop the Kubernetes ecosystem. The exam is online, proctored, performance-based test that requires solving multiple tasks from a command line running Kubernetes.

Once enrolled you will receive access to an exam simulator, provided by Killer.sh, allowing you to experience the exam environment. You will have two simulation attempts (36 hours of access for each attempt from the start of activation). Each CKS simulator session has 17 questions, and you will receive a different set of questions (17 total) in each attempt. The simulation will provide graded results.

The exam is based on Kubernetes v1.34. The CKS exam environment will be aligned with the most recent K8s minor version within approximately 4 to 8 weeks of the K8s release date.

• Build confidence to write the CKS exam by completing Kubernetes Security Essentials course. You will get $100 discount if you buy both together - Kubernetes Security Essentials Course & CKS Exam Bundle.
• You can directly apply for the CKS exam without attending any course.

Kubernetes is the de‑facto standard for container orchestration in modern cloud‑native environments, and securing Kubernetes clusters is critical as organisations increasingly deploy mission‑critical applications on containers. The Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) certification, offered by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation and the Linux Foundation, validates your specialised expertise in securing containerised applications and Kubernetes infrastructure.

Unlike foundational Kubernetes exams, CKS focuses specifically on security principles, including cluster hardening, network security policies, secrets management, vulnerability scanning and runtime protection. This makes it ideal for DevOps engineers, DevSecOps professionals, cloud security specialists, and platform engineers who want to lead in cloud‑native security.

CKS certification offers strong career and salary benefits in the United States and globally. As organisations adopt Kubernetes for production workloads, demand is rising for professionals who can secure container environments effectively:

• 1. Entry‑level or junior Kubernetes security and cloud roles typically pay around $100,000 to $150,000 per year in the U.S. for CKS‑certified professionals, depending on experience and location.
• 2. Mid‑level and specialised roles — such as Kubernetes Security Engineer or DevSecOps Engineer — often see salaries in the range of $120,000 to $180,000+ per year, with top roles paying even more in tech hubs.
• 3. Cloud and security leadership positions that build on CKS skills — including Cloud Security Architect or Platform Security Lead — can command salaries well above $150,000 per year in many organisations.

Beyond salary, CKS certification enhances your professional credibility, demonstrates your ability to protect critical cloud‑native infrastructure and positions you to take on high‑impact roles in DevOps, cloud security and platform engineering teams.

By earning the Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist certification, you establish yourself as a security‑focused cloud native professional - ready to tackle complex security challenges in Kubernetes environments and advance your career in one of the most in‑demand areas of modern IT.

This is not a course. It provides official access to the Linux Foundation CKS certification exam through their portal. We are authorized resellers of exam vouchers, offering them at discounted prices along with exam preparation courses.

CKS includes: