CAS-004 Security Architecture Practice Question
A DevOps team integrates security into the CI/CD pipeline. They want to identify vulnerabilities in open-source libraries used by their application. Which tool or practice is specifically designed for this purpose?
⚠ Common exam trap
CAS-005 often tests the confusion between SAST, DAST, RASP, and SBOM, where candidates mistakenly pick SAST for third-party library vulnerabilities because it sounds like 'code analysis' — but SAST only scans first-party source code, not dependencies.
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
✓
Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) and dependency analysis
SBOM and dependency analysis are specifically designed to inventory open-source components and their transitive dependencies, then cross-reference them against vulnerability databases like the NVD or OSV. This directly addresses the need to identify vulnerabilities in third-party libraries, which is a core part of software supply chain security. Unlike code analysis tools that focus on first-party code, SBOM-driven scanning targets the exact problem of open-source component risk.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) and dependency analysis
Why this is correct
SBOM generation plus dependency analysis inventories every open-source component and its transitive dependencies, then cross-references them against vulnerability databases to flag known CVEs. This directly satisfies the stem's constraint: identifying vulnerabilities in open-source libraries, which static code scanning or container hardening would not target at the dependency layer.
- ✗
Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP)
Why it's wrong here
RASP instruments a running application to detect and block attacks at execution time, so it cannot inventory or flag vulnerable open-source dependencies during the build. It is tempting because it addresses runtime exploitation, which suits protecting a deployed application rather than scanning its dependency tree.
- ✗
Static Application Security Testing (SAST)
Why it's wrong here
SAST analyses first-party source code for coding flaws such as injection or buffer errors; it does not resolve third-party library versions against vulnerability databases. It is tempting because it runs early in the pipeline, and would be correct when the goal is finding defects in code the team itself wrote.
- ✗
Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST)
Why it's wrong here
DAST probes a running application from outside, exercising endpoints for exploitable behaviour; it cannot identify which open-source library versions are present or known-vulnerable. It is tempting because it tests deployed builds, and suits finding runtime flaws rather than scanning dependency manifests.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This CAS-005 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-005 exam.