CAS-004 Security Engineering Practice Question
An organization is concerned about side-channel attacks on its embedded devices. Which of the following is the MOST effective countermeasure against power analysis 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
✓
Using a constant-time algorithm for cryptographic operations
Power analysis attacks exploit variations in power consumption during cryptographic operations. Constant-time algorithms ensure that execution time and power consumption are independent of secret data, making them the most effective software countermeasure against such attacks. While hardware countermeasures like power randomizers exist, among the given options, constant-time algorithms directly address the root cause of power analysis 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.
- ✗
Encrypting all data in memory
Why it's wrong here
Memory encryption does not prevent power side-channel leaks.
- ✗
Disabling debug interfaces
Why it's wrong here
This prevents physical access but not side-channel attacks.
- ✗
Increasing the clock speed of the processor
Why it's wrong here
This does not prevent power analysis.
- ✓
Using a constant-time algorithm for cryptographic operations
Why this is correct
Constant-time algorithms reduce correlation between data and power consumption.
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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.