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CAS-004 Practice Question: Which THREE of the following are essential…
Which THREE of the following are essential components of a secure software development lifecycle (SSDLC)?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the distinction between security activities that are integrated into the development process (like SAST, threat modeling, and penetration testing) versus operational or post-deployment practices (like continuous deployment and code signing), leading candidates to mistakenly include the latter as SSDLC essentials.
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
✓
Static application security testing (SAST)
Static application security testing (SAST) is a white-box testing method that analyzes source code, bytecode, or binary code for security vulnerabilities without executing the program. It is an essential component of a secure software development lifecycle (SSDLC) because it enables early detection of flaws such as SQL injection, buffer overflows, and cross-site scripting during the coding and build phases, reducing remediation cost and risk.
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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Continuous deployment
Why it's wrong here
Continuous deployment focuses on delivery automation, not security.
- ✓
Static application security testing (SAST)
Why this is correct
SAST analyzes source code for vulnerabilities during the development phase.
- ✗
Code signing
Why it's wrong here
Code signing verifies authenticity after development, not a core SSDLC process step.
- ✓
Threat modeling
Why this is correct
Threat modeling is performed during design to identify and mitigate potential security issues.
- ✓
Penetration testing
Why this is correct
Penetration testing validates the effectiveness of security controls in a production-like environment.
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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.