CAS-004 Security Engineering Practice Question
A security analyst is investigating a potential side-channel attack on an IoT device. The device's cryptographic operations show variable execution times based on the key and plaintext. Which mitigation is most effective against timing attacks?
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
✓
Use constant-time cryptographic implementations.
Timing attacks exploit variations in execution time. Using constant-time algorithms ensures that operations take the same amount of time regardless of input, preventing information leakage.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use a faster processor to reduce execution time.
Why it's wrong here
Faster execution still has relative timing variations; does not address the root cause.
- ✓
Use constant-time cryptographic implementations.
Why this is correct
Constant-time code eliminates timing variations.
- ✗
Implement random delays in cryptographic operations.
Why it's wrong here
Random delays add noise but do not eliminate the correlation; averaging can still extract timing differences.
- ✗
Disable caching in the CPU during cryptographic operations.
Why it's wrong here
Cache timing attacks are different; disabling cache may not help with algorithmic timing.
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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.