cks/tasks/cks/course/README.md at master · ViktorUJ/cks

What it is

The ViktorUJ/cks course README is the index and study plan for an open-source CKS preparation course. It was written by Viktar Mikalayeu, a CNCF Kubestronaut, and contributors. It is not an official CNCF or Linux Foundation course. It assumes CKA-level skills: RBAC, NetworkPolicy, SecurityContext, kubeadm, TLS and CSR. Chapters are in Russian (source) with English and other translations, but the lab descriptions are Russian only.

Preconditions / Affected

• The exam is hands-on: 2 hours, 67% to pass, with several contexts, control plane config and node access over SSH.
• Version mismatch: labs 101-112 and 114 run on Kubernetes v1.36. Lab 113 starts on v1.35.x and has you upgrade to v1.36.x.
• As of 6 September 2026, the LF pages say the exam environment is Kubernetes v1.35. The CNCF curriculum file is still named v1.34. So the labs are one minor version ahead of the exam.
• Killer.sh access comes with standard LF registration but not with CKS-SINGLE (no retake). That plan needs a separate purchase.

What to do

The course sets four practice levels that do not replace each other:

1. Level 1, 5-15 minutes: Killercoda scenarios. These appear in 23 of 33 chapters. Chapters 1-2 and 33 have none.
2. Level 2, 30-120+ minutes: labs with automatic check_result verification. The workflow is hardening, break, verify, evidence.
3. Level 3, 120 minutes: timed mock exams that mix all domains, in English.
4. Level 4: Killer.sh, two runs of 17 tasks, each with a 36-hour window. Use it at the end.

Suggested order: chapters 01-03 first, then each domain with its labs.

• Cluster Setup: chapters 04-09, labs 101-103
• Cluster Hardening: chapters 10-13, lab 104
• System Hardening: chapters 14-17, labs 105-106
• Microservice Vulnerabilities: chapters 18-23, labs 107-110
• Supply Chain: chapters 24-28, lab 111
• Runtime: chapters 29-32, lab 112
• Chapter 33: tactics and the final checklist, plus timed mocks

Domain weights: Cluster Setup 15%, Cluster Hardening 15%, System Hardening 10%, Microservice Vulnerabilities 20%, Supply Chain 20%, Monitoring/Logging/Runtime 20%.

Before the exam, re-check the main CKS page, "Important Instructions: CKS", the FAQ and the version shown in ExamUI.

Caveats

• The reference lab solutions are deliberately short, exam-oriented paths. The page says they are not the only correct answers and not always production-grade.
• The page says the Muschko O'Reilly study guide (2023) should be checked against current docs and the course's Security Delta appendices.
• The Kubernetes v1.37 Security Delta appendix covers current upstream and is not automatically CKS Core.