CAS-004 Security Operations Practice Question
An organization wants to detect attackers who have already breached the network by deploying decoy credentials and data files. Which type of deception technology should they use?
⚠ Common exam trap
CAS-005 often tests the confusion between honeypots (decoy systems) and honeytokens (decoy credentials/files), causing candidates to pick the broader deception category instead of the precise technique.
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
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Honeytoken
Honeytokens are decoy credentials, API keys, or data files placed in systems that legitimate users would never access. When an attacker uses them, an alert fires, revealing the breach. This matches the requirement to detect attackers already inside the network using decoy credentials and files.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Sandbox
Why it's wrong here
A sandbox executes suspicious files or code in an isolated environment to observe behaviour such as network callbacks or registry changes. It tempts because it is a detection technology, but it analyses submitted samples rather than planting decoy credentials and files across production systems to catch attackers already inside.
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Honeypot
Why it's wrong here
A honeypot is a decoy system or service that lures attackers into interacting with fake infrastructure; it does not distribute credential and file artefacts across real endpoints. It tempts because honeypots are deception, but detecting breached insiders using planted decoy credentials and documents requires honeytokens instead.
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Honeytoken
Why this is correct
Honeytokens are decoy credentials, files or records that have no legitimate use, so any access or use signals an attacker already inside the network. This matches the requirement to detect breached attackers, unlike honeypots, which are decoy systems rather than planted data artefacts.
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Honeynet
Why it's wrong here
Honeynets are entire decoy networks of fake hosts, built to observe attacker behaviour and tooling at scale, not to plant individual credentials and files as lures. Detecting a breach via decoy credentials and data files requires honeytokens, which are the artefacts attackers actually interact with.
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About these practice questions
This CAS-005 question is part of Courseiva's 973-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 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.