CAS-004 Security Architecture Practice Question
During a security assessment, a penetration tester discovers that a web application fails to validate the size of user input, leading to a buffer overflow. Which application security control would have BEST prevented this vulnerability?
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
✓
Input validation
Input validation ensures that data conforms to expected formats and sizes, preventing malformed input from causing overflows.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Input validation
Why this is correct
Input validation directly prevents malformed input from causing buffer overflows.
- ✗
Static application security testing (SAST)
Why it's wrong here
SAST identifies vulnerabilities but does not prevent them during runtime.
- ✗
Web application firewall (WAF)
Why it's wrong here
WAF can block some attacks but is not a preventive control for buffer overflows; input validation is more fundamental.
- ✗
Rate limiting
Why it's wrong here
Rate limiting controls request frequency, not input size.
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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.