hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CAS-004 Practice Question: A financial services company uses a continuous…
A financial services company uses a continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipeline to deploy microservices. The security team wants to ensure that no secrets (e.g., API keys, database passwords) are hard-coded in source code repositories. Which tool or practice is most appropriate for detecting secrets before they are committed?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA CASP+ often tests the distinction between 'detecting secrets before commit' (pre-commit hooks) versus 'scanning after commit' (SAST in build pipeline), where candidates mistakenly choose SAST because it is a familiar security testing method, but it fails to prevent the secret from entering the repository history.
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
✓
Implement a pre-commit hook using git-secrets or similar
A pre-commit hook using a tool like git-secrets scans staged changes for patterns matching common secret formats (e.g., AWS keys, passwords) before the commit is finalized. This prevents secrets from ever entering the local repository, which is the earliest and most effective point of control. Unlike later-stage scans, pre-commit hooks catch issues before they are pushed to shared branches or CI/CD pipelines.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Run dynamic application security testing (DAST) on deployed apps
Why it's wrong here
DAST identifies runtime vulnerabilities, not secrets in code.
- ✓
Implement a pre-commit hook using git-secrets or similar
Why this is correct
Scans code before commit, blocking secrets from being pushed.
- ✗
Perform static application security testing (SAST) in the build pipeline
Why it's wrong here
SAST can detect secrets, but after commit it's too late.
- ✗
Deploy runtime application self-protection (RASP)
Why it's wrong here
RASP protects apps at runtime, not prevent secret exposure in code.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.