Question 1hardmultiple choice
Full question →hardmultiple choiceObjective-mapped
Exhibit
Password audit snapshot: User Stored value alice 5baa61e4c9b93f3f0682250b6cf8331b bob 5baa61e4c9b93f3f0682250b6cf8331b carol 2bb80d537b1da3e38bd30361aa855686 Audit note: Two accounts have the same stored value, and the security team wants to reduce the value of rainbow-table attacks if the database is stolen.
Based on the exhibit, what change would best protect the password database against precomputed attacks and make identical passwords less obvious?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
Encrypt each password with the same server key before storing it in the database.
Encryption keeps data confidential, but password storage usually needs one-way verification rather than reversible recovery. If the same key is reused, identical passwords can still produce predictable results, and an attacker who steals the key can decrypt everything. The problem in the exhibit is about resisting precomputed attacks, which is a hashing problem, not a reversible encryption problem.
B
Best answer
Add a unique salt to each password before hashing it.
Salting is the best fix because it adds unique random data to each password before hashing, so identical passwords no longer produce the same stored value. That defeats rainbow tables and makes precomputed attacks far less useful. It also means attackers cannot easily compare two users' hashes to confirm they chose the same password, which improves both security and privacy.
C
Distractor review
Use a digital signature on each password record so the database can verify authenticity.
Digital signatures prove integrity and authenticity of data from a signer, but they are not a password-storage method. They do not hide the password value or prevent rainbow-table attacks. The exhibit is about protecting stored password verifiers against theft and precomputation, so signing the record would not solve the underlying authentication risk.
D
Distractor review
Store the password hashes in uppercase so attackers cannot compare them easily.
Changing the character case of the hash output does not add security; it only changes how the same value is displayed. Attackers can normalize the text immediately and still compare or crack the hashes. The weakness in the exhibit is the lack of unique per-user randomness, not formatting. Salting changes the actual cryptographic input, which uppercase text does not.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A laptop is suspected of being used in a malware incident. It is still powered on and connected to Wi-Fi. What should the responder do before shutting it down?
Question 2
An employee reports a ransomware note on a file server. The server is still powered on, shares are still being accessed, and management wants service restored as quickly as possible. What should the incident response team do first?
Question 3
An employee reports a ransomware note on a finance laptop. The laptop is still powered on, connected to Wi-Fi, and the user says they were just working in a spreadsheet. Management wants the fastest safe response that also preserves evidence. What should the responder do first?
Question 4
You are handed a company laptop suspected in an insider theft case. Legal says the evidence may be needed in court. Which action best preserves admissibility?
Question 5
A developer wants to reduce the risk of SQL injection in a new customer search form. Which two changes are the best mitigations? Select two.
Question 6
A branch office uses a flat LAN, and a compromise on one user workstation could spread quickly to finance systems. Management wants finance workstations isolated from general users, but finance staff still need access to a central finance application and network printer. What is the best design change?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add a unique salt to each password before hashing it. — Salting each password before hashing is the best answer because the same password should not produce the same stored value for different users. A unique salt breaks the usefulness of rainbow tables and other precomputed lists by making every password hash distinct, even when the underlying password matches. That makes stolen password databases much harder to attack at scale. Why others are wrong: Encryption is reversible and is not the standard design for password verification. Digital signatures solve authenticity, not password storage, and uppercase formatting has no cryptographic value. The question specifically points to identical stored values and rainbow-table risk, which are classic signs that unique salts are missing from the password hashing process.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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