Quick Answer
The answer is to enforce a strong password policy. This control directly addresses the risk of weak passwords by mandating complexity, length, and expiration requirements—such as a minimum of 12 characters with mixed case, numbers, and symbols—which increases password entropy and dramatically reduces the success rate of brute-force and dictionary attacks. On the CompTIA SecurityX CAS-004 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between preventive controls that eliminate root causes versus compensating or detective controls; a common trap is selecting multi-factor authentication, which adds a second layer but does not fix the weak password itself. Remember that a strong password policy is the foundational preventive control for credential-based threats. A useful memory tip: think of the mnemonic "CLE" for Complexity, Length, and Expiration—the three pillars that turn weak passwords into strong defenses.
This CAS-004 practice question tests your understanding of governance, risk and compliance. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company's risk assessment identifies that employees often use weak passwords. Which control directly addresses this risk?
Conduct security awareness training
Why wrong: Training is helpful but may not be as effective as enforced policy.
Deploy single sign-on
Why wrong: SSO simplifies authentication but does not enforce password strength.
Implement multi-factor authentication
Why wrong: MFA improves security but does not ensure strong passwords.
Enforce a strong password policy
A strong password policy directly addresses weak passwords.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Enforce a strong password policy
Enforcing a strong password policy directly addresses the risk of weak passwords by mandating complexity, length, and expiration requirements (e.g., minimum 12 characters, mixed case, numbers, symbols). This control reduces the likelihood of successful brute-force or dictionary attacks by increasing the entropy of user credentials. Unlike other options, it specifically targets the root cause—weak password creation—rather than adding compensating controls.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Conduct security awareness training
Why it's wrong here
Training is helpful but may not be as effective as enforced policy.
Deploy single sign-on
Why it's wrong here
SSO simplifies authentication but does not enforce password strength.
Implement multi-factor authentication
Why it's wrong here
MFA improves security but does not ensure strong passwords.
Enforce a strong password policy
Why this is correct
A strong password policy directly addresses weak passwords.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates confuse 'addressing the risk' with 'mitigating the impact'—MFA (Option C) reduces the impact of a weak password but does not prevent the weak password itself, which is the root cause identified in the risk assessment.
Detailed technical explanation
A strong password policy typically enforces rules via Group Policy (Windows) or PAM modules (Linux) that reject passwords failing complexity checks (e.g., passwdqc on Linux). Under the hood, password entropy is calculated as log2(N^L) where N is the character set size and L is length; a policy requiring 12+ characters with 95 printable ASCII characters yields ~79 bits of entropy, making offline brute-force computationally infeasible (e.g., trillions of years with modern GPUs). In real-world scenarios, organizations often combine this with password filters (e.g., banned password lists) to block common patterns like 'Password123!'.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the CAS-004 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
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FAQ
Governance, Risk and Compliance — This question tests Governance, Risk and Compliance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Enforce a strong password policy — Enforcing a strong password policy directly addresses the risk of weak passwords by mandating complexity, length, and expiration requirements (e.g., minimum 12 characters, mixed case, numbers, symbols). This control reduces the likelihood of successful brute-force or dictionary attacks by increasing the entropy of user credentials. Unlike other options, it specifically targets the root cause—weak password creation—rather than adding compensating controls.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This CAS-004 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 CAS-004 exam.
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