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220-1102 Practice Question: A small business wants to ensure that all…
A small business wants to ensure that all employees use strong passwords that include uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters, and that passwords expire every 60 days. Which tool should be used to enforce these settings on a standalone Windows 10 workstation?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA A+ often tests the distinction between user account management tools (lusrmgr.msc) and security policy enforcement tools (secpol.msc), leading candidates to mistakenly choose Local Users and Groups for password policy configuration.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Local Security Policy (secpol.msc)
The Local Security Policy (secpol.msc) is the correct tool because it provides a centralized interface to configure password policies, such as minimum password length, complexity requirements (uppercase, lowercase, numbers, special characters), and maximum password age (e.g., 60 days). These settings are enforced locally on a standalone Windows 10 workstation through the Security Settings node under Account Policies.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Local Users and Groups (lusrmgr.msc)
Why it's wrong here
Local Users and Groups creates and manages local accounts and group membership, but exposes no password-policy settings; complexity and 60-day expiry live in Local Security Policy (secpol.msc). It would be correct for adding a local user or assigning group membership on a standalone workstation.
- ✓
Local Security Policy (secpol.msc)
Why this is correct
Local Security Policy enforces password complexity and maximum password age directly through the workstation's local account database, satisfying the standalone constraint without domain infrastructure. Configure the Password Policy node's "Password must meet complexity requirements" and "Maximum password age" (60 days) settings, which apply to local accounts on that Windows 10 device.
- ✗
Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security
Why it's wrong here
Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security filters inbound and outbound network traffic by port, protocol and program; it contains no account-policy engine, so it cannot set password complexity or a 60-day maximum age. It would be the right tool for blocking or permitting traffic on a standalone host.
- ✗
Device Manager
Why it's wrong here
Device Manager manages hardware and drivers, exposing no password policy settings. It tempts because it is a familiar Windows administrative console, and would be correct for troubleshooting or updating a device driver, not for enforcing account password complexity and expiry.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Password Managers and Best Practices
Key term
Windows 10
Windows 10 is a personal computer operating system developed by Microsoft that combines the familiarity of Windows 7 with the modern features of Windows 8, designed to run on a wide range of devices from desktops to tablets.
Key term
Security policy
A security policy is a formal set of rules and guidelines that an organization establishes to protect its information assets and technology resources.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1202 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1202 exam.