Binary Authorization for containers in GCP - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to enable Binary Authorization on a GKE cluster.

GCP

gcloud container clusters update my-cluster --[1]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aenable-binauthz

Benable-binary-authorization

Cenable-binary-auth

Denable-authz

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using incorrect or incomplete flag names.

Confusing Binary Authorization with other security features.

The correct flag to enable Binary Authorization on a GKE cluster is --enable-binary-authorization.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the command to create a policy for Binary Authorization.

GCP

gcloud container binauthz policies create --[1]=my-policy

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Apolicy

Bpolicy-name

Cid

Dname

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '--policy' or '--policy-name' which are invalid flags.

Omitting the policy name flag.

The correct flag to specify the policy name is --name.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the command to add an attestor to a policy.

GCP

gcloud container binauthz policies add-attestor --[1] my-policy --attestor=my-attestor

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aname

Bpolicy

Cpolicy-name

Dpolicy-id

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using '--policy' or '--policy-name' which are invalid in this context.

Omitting the policy identifier flag.

The correct flag to specify the policy is --name when adding an attestor.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to configure the attestor with an attestation authority note and description.

GCP

gcloud container binauthz attestors create my-attestor --[1]=projects/my-project/locations/global/attestationAuthorityNotes/my-note --[2]="My attestor description"

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aattestation-authority-note

Battestor-note

Cdescription

Dnote

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using incorrect flag names like '--attestor-note' or '--note'.

Confusing description flag with attestor resource flag.

The flag --attestation-authority-note specifies the attestation authority note resource, and --description adds a description.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a policy that requires attestation and sets evaluation mode.

GCP

gcloud container binauthz policies create --[1]=my-policy --[2]=REQUIRE_ATTESTATION --[3]=PROJECT_SINGLETON_POLICY_ENFORCE

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aname

Bdefault-rule-action

Cglobal-policy-evaluation-mode

Devaluation-mode

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using incorrect flag names for evaluation modes.

Mixing up evaluation mode flags.

The --name flag sets the policy name, --default-rule-action sets the mode for evaluation, and --global-policy-evaluation-mode enforces the policy globally.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of Binary Authorization in Google Cloud?

easy

A. To allow only trusted container images to run

B. To speed up container deployment

C. To monitor network traffic between containers

D. To automatically scale container clusters

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Binary Authorization's role

   Binary Authorization is designed to protect cloud environments by ensuring only trusted container images are deployed.

2. Step 2: Identify the main function

   It uses policies and signatures to verify container images before they run, preventing untrusted code execution.

3. Final Answer:

   To allow only trusted container images to run -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Binary Authorization = Trusted container enforcement [OK]

Hint: Binary Authorization controls which containers can run [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing it with scaling or monitoring tools
• Thinking it speeds up deployment
• Assuming it manages network traffic

2. Which of the following is the correct way to enable Binary Authorization on a Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) cluster?

easy

A. gcloud container clusters create my-cluster --enable-binauthz

B. gcloud container clusters create my-cluster --enable-auth-binary

C. gcloud container clusters create my-cluster --enable-binary-auth

D. gcloud container clusters create my-cluster --enable-binary-authorization

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the correct flag for enabling Binary Authorization

   The official gcloud command uses the flag --enable-binary-authorization to enable this feature on a GKE cluster.

2. Step 2: Compare options

   Only gcloud container clusters create my-cluster --enable-binary-authorization uses the exact correct flag syntax; others are incorrect or invalid flags.

3. Final Answer:

   gcloud container clusters create my-cluster --enable-binary-authorization -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Enable Binary Authorization flag = --enable-binary-authorization [OK]

Hint: Look for the full phrase 'binary-authorization' in the flag [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using shortened or incorrect flag names
• Mixing up flag order or syntax
• Assuming 'binauthz' is the flag

3. Consider this policy snippet for Binary Authorization:

{
  "attestors": ["projects/my-project/attestors/my-attestor"],
  "defaultAdmissionRule": {
    "enforcementMode": "ENFORCED",
    "requireAttestationsBy": ["projects/my-project/attestors/my-attestor"]
  }
}

What happens if a container image is not signed by the specified attestor?

medium

A. The container image will be deployed but logged

B. The container image will be blocked from deployment

C. The container image will be deployed without checks

D. The container image will be automatically signed

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the enforcement mode

   The policy sets "enforcementMode" to "ENFORCED", meaning only images meeting the policy are allowed.

2. Step 2: Check attestation requirement

   The policy requires attestations by the specified attestor. Unsigned images do not meet this requirement.

3. Final Answer:

   The container image will be blocked from deployment -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Enforced mode + missing signature = block deployment [OK]

Hint: Enforced mode means no unsigned images allowed [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing enforcement with audit mode
• Thinking unsigned images are allowed with logs
• Assuming automatic signing happens

4. You configured Binary Authorization but your container deployments are failing unexpectedly. Which of the following is a likely cause?

medium

A. The attestor's public key is not correctly configured

B. The cluster does not have enough CPU resources

C. The container image is too large

D. The network firewall blocks container traffic

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify Binary Authorization failure reasons

   Binary Authorization failures often happen if the attestor's public key is missing or misconfigured, preventing signature verification.

2. Step 2: Eliminate unrelated causes

   CPU resources, image size, and network firewall issues do not directly cause Binary Authorization failures.

3. Final Answer:

   The attestor's public key is not correctly configured -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Signature verification fails if attestor key is wrong [OK]

Hint: Check attestor keys first when deployments fail [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Blaming resource or network issues for auth failures
• Ignoring attestor key setup
• Assuming image size affects authorization

5. You want to test your Binary Authorization policy without blocking any container deployments. Which mode should you use and why?

hard

A. Disabled mode, to turn off Binary Authorization temporarily

B. Enforced mode, to block all untrusted images immediately

C. Audit mode, to log policy violations without blocking deployments

D. Strict mode, to require multiple attestations

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Binary Authorization modes

   Audit mode allows policy violations to be logged but does not block container deployments, ideal for testing.

2. Step 2: Compare other modes

   Enforced mode blocks untrusted images, Disabled mode turns off checks, and Strict mode is not a standard mode.

3. Final Answer:

   Audit mode, to log policy violations without blocking deployments -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Audit mode = test without blocking [OK]

Hint: Use audit mode to test policies safely [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing audit with enforced mode
• Thinking disabled mode logs violations
• Assuming strict mode exists