CNCF and The Linux Foundation are excited to announce the upcoming Kubernetes and Cloud Security Associate (KCSA) certification from CloudNativeSecurityCon North America 2023 in Seattle, WA. The exam, which will provide an entry point for individuals looking to get started in cloud native security, is now under expert community development and is expected to be generally available in the third quarter of 2023.
Our 2022 Cloud Native Security Microsurvey found that the biggest security challenges organizations face in running cloud native environments are a lack of technical expertise, and trouble matching new methods like DevOps and CI/CD with existing requirements, tools, and processes. At the same time, there is a huge demand for more training for cloud native beginners. The KCSA certification aims to fill this gap by providing actionable knowledge and skills that can be incorporated directly into an organization’s cloud native infrastructure.
“Security within the cloud native ecosystem is deeply complex because of our focus on rapid development and deployment. Cloud native is fast becoming ubiquitous, and the next cloud security breach is unfortunately not a matter of if, but when,” said Chris Aniszczyk, CTO CNCF. “Finding efficient and effective security professionals is more important than ever for organizations. The KCSA certification will help pre-professionals, developers, and engineers with an interest in security demonstrate a solid foundation of cloud native security skills and best practices.”
The KCSA certification follows the success of the Kubernetes and Cloud Native Associate (KCNA) and Certified Kubernetes Security Specialist (CKS) programs. The certification consists of a pre-professional exam, much like the KCNA exam, and is designed for individuals looking to get a start in security before they take the CKS exam.
The KCSA certification will demonstrate a candidate’s basic knowledge of evaluating the security configuration of a Kubernetes cluster for compliance with security requirements. A Kubernetes and Cloud Security Associate is responsible for helping to design, implement, and maintain an organization’s cloud native security infrastructure. The certification will help these individuals demonstrate skills in:
- Developing security policies and procedures and helping ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations.
- Identifying and assessing security risks and vulnerabilities and helping implement controls to mitigate those risks.
- Assisting in incident response and forensic investigations, as well as testing and monitoring security systems.
- Educating and training employees on security best practices.
The KCSA exam is now under development by a diverse team of community experts. Industry professionals who would like to be considered as beta testers when the exam is ready can submit their applications using this form. To learn more about the certification, visit the KCSA page.
The certification is expected to be generally available before the KubeCon + CloudNativeCon North America 2023 event in Chicago, November 6-9, 2023. More information about KCSA and other important cloud native security topics can be found at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2023 in Amsterdam from April 18-21.