Taints and tolerations allow the node to control which pods are scheduled on the node. A taint allows a node to refuse a pod to be scheduled unless that pod has a matching toleration.
You apply taints to a node through the node specification (NodeSpec) and apply tolerations to a pod through the pod specification (PodSpec). A taint on a node instructs the node to repel all pods that do not tolerate the taint.
Taints and tolerations consist of a key, value, and effect. An operator allows you to leave one of these parameters empty.
See Controlling pod placement using node taints for more information.
See test case platform-alteration-tainted-node-kernel
Impacts and Risks of Non-Compliance: Tainted kernels indicate unauthorized modifications that can introduce instability, security vulnerabilities, and support issues.