easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CAS-004 Practice Question: A small business wants to achieve compliance with…
A small business wants to achieve compliance with PCI DSS. Which approach should they take to minimize the scope of the assessment?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common misconception is that encryption or tokenization alone reduces PCI DSS scope, but only network segmentation (or outsourcing to a validated third party) can remove systems from the assessed environment.
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
✓
Segment the cardholder data environment from the corporate network
Segmenting the cardholder data environment (CDE) from the corporate network using firewalls or VLANs physically or logically isolates systems that store, process, or transmit cardholder data. This reduces the number of systems and network segments that fall under PCI DSS assessment scope, because only devices within the CDE segment must comply with the full set of requirements. By minimizing the attack surface and the number of controls to validate, segmentation directly lowers the cost and complexity of the assessment.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Segment the cardholder data environment from the corporate network
Why this is correct
Segmentation reduces the systems that process, store, or transmit card data.
- ✗
Implement a tokenization service
Why it's wrong here
Tokenization can reduce scope if used properly, but segmentation is more direct.
- ✗
Encrypt all cardholder data at rest
Why it's wrong here
Encryption protects data but does not reduce scope.
- ✗
Train employees on security awareness
Why it's wrong here
Training is important but does not reduce assessment scope.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This CAS-005 question is part of Courseiva's 968-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.