20+ practice questions focused on Software Development Security — one of the most tested topics on the Certified Information Systems Security Professional CISSP exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation so you learn why the right answer is correct.
Start Software Development Security PracticeA security team is reviewing a newly acquired third-party software component. They want to ensure that the component's supply chain is secure and that known vulnerabilities are identified. Which of the following tools provides a list of all open-source and third-party components used in the software?
Explanation: A Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) is a formal, structured record (an inventory) containing the details and supply chain relationships of components used in building software. Software Composition Analysis (SCA) is the tool category used to analyze the software and generate this list.
A developer is implementing authentication for a new application. To protect against brute-force attacks, the developer decides to implement account lockout after a certain number of failed attempts. Which security principle does this control enforce?
Explanation: Account lockout is an implementation of the 'fail-secure' (or fail-closed) principle. When a threshold of failed login attempts is reached (representing a failure of the authentication process or a potential attack), the system transitions to a secure state by blocking further access attempts to that account until it is explicitly unlocked by an administrator or a cooldown period expires.
An organization is migrating to a new application that uses serialized objects to transfer data between services. The security team is concerned about insecure deserialization attacks. Which of the following controls is most effective in preventing deserialization vulnerabilities?
Explanation: Applying a cryptographic integrity check such as an HMAC to serialized objects ensures the receiver only deserializes data that originated from a trusted sender and was not tampered with. Since insecure deserialization attacks rely on the attacker injecting or modifying a malicious serialized payload, verifying integrity before deserialization blocks the attack at the source. This is the most effective control because it prevents untrusted data from ever reaching the deserializer.
An application authenticates users using session tokens. A security analyst finds that the application does not invalidate session tokens after logout, allowing session fixation attacks. Which secure coding practice should be implemented to mitigate this?
Explanation: Session fixation attacks succeed when an attacker can set or predict a session ID that remains valid after the victim authenticates. Regenerating the session ID upon successful login invalidates any pre-authentication token and issues a fresh one, breaking the fixation vector. This is the standard secure coding mitigation recommended by OWASP. The other options reduce risk in adjacent areas but do not directly address fixation.
An organization is acquiring a third-party software product. Which THREE of the following should be included in the security assessment of the vendor?
Explanation: Option A is correct because scanning the third-party product's dependencies (e.g., with SCA tools like OWASP Dependency-Check or Trivy) identifies known CVEs in transitive libraries that the vendor's own code may inherit. Option B is correct because reviewing the Software Bill of Materials (SBOM, typically in SPDX or CycloneDX format) gives visibility into all components and their versions, enabling rapid response to supply-chain vulnerabilities such as Log4Shell. Option D is correct because a formal vendor security assessment evaluates the supplier's security posture, including their SDLC, access controls, incident response, and compliance certifications (e.g., SOC 2, ISO 27001), which is essential before acquisition. Option C is not a security control—license compliance is a legal/procurement concern, not a security risk assessment item. Option E, while a good development practice, addresses integrity assurance in the vendor's process rather than assessing the security of the delivered product and vendor, so it is not one of the three required assessment elements.
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Practice all Software Development Security questions1. Baseline your knowledge
Start with 10 questions to gauge your current understanding of Software Development Security. This tells you whether you need a concept refresher or just practice.
2. Review every explanation
For each question — right or wrong — read the full explanation. Understanding why an answer is correct is more valuable than knowing the answer itself.
3. Focus on exam traps
Software Development Security questions on the CISSP frequently use trap wording. Look for subtle differences in answers that test your precision, not just general knowledge.
4. Reach 80% consistently
Do repeated sessions until you score 80%+ three times in a row. Then move to mixed-mode practice to test cross-topic recall under realistic conditions.
The exact number varies per candidate. Software Development Security is tested as part of the Certified Information Systems Security Professional CISSP blueprint. Practicing with targeted Software Development Security questions ensures you can handle any format or difficulty that appears.
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Difficulty is subjective, but Software Development Security is a high-priority exam concept tested in multiple ways — direct recall, scenario analysis, and command-output interpretation. Consistent practice is the best way to build confidence.
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