SY0-701 General Security Concepts Practice Question
This SY0-701 practice question tests your understanding of general security concepts. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Exhibit
Database sample
users.password_hash
--------------------------------
alex 5f4dcc3b5aa765d61d8327deb882cf99
mira 202cb962ac59075b964b07152d234b70
sam 098f6bcd4621d373cade4e832627b4f6
Developer note:
- Passwords are hashed before storage
- The application does not currently store any salt values
Based on the exhibit, which change would most improve the security of the stored password data?
Database sample
users.password_hash
--------------------------------
alex 5f4dcc3b5aa765d61d8327deb882cf99
mira 202cb962ac59075b964b07152d234b70
sam 098f6bcd4621d373cade4e832627b4f6
Developer note:
- Passwords are hashed before storage
- The application does not currently store any salt values
A
Store the passwords in encrypted form so they can be recovered later if needed.
Why wrong: Encryption is reversible, which is not ideal for password storage. If the key is exposed, passwords can be recovered.
B
Add a unique salt per password and use a slow password hashing algorithm.
A unique salt defeats precomputed rainbow tables and ensures identical passwords do not produce identical stored values. Using a slow, purpose-built password hashing algorithm also increases the cost of offline cracking attempts.
C
Replace the hash with a plain SHA-256 digest because it is modern and widely supported.
Why wrong: A fast general-purpose hash without salt is still vulnerable to offline guessing and precomputed attacks. It is not enough for password storage.
D
Append the application name to each password before hashing to make the hashes unique.
Why wrong: A fixed application string is not a unique per-user salt. It does not meaningfully prevent identical hashes for identical passwords within the same system.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add a unique salt per password and use a slow password hashing algorithm.
Option B is correct because adding a unique salt per password prevents precomputed rainbow table attacks, and using a slow password hashing algorithm (like bcrypt, PBKDF2, or Argon2) increases the computational cost of brute-force attacks. This combination ensures that even if the password hashes are compromised, attackers cannot efficiently crack them. Salting also ensures that identical passwords produce different hashes, eliminating the ability to detect shared passwords across accounts.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Store the passwords in encrypted form so they can be recovered later if needed.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption is reversible, which is not ideal for password storage. If the key is exposed, passwords can be recovered.
✓
Add a unique salt per password and use a slow password hashing algorithm.
Why this is correct
A unique salt defeats precomputed rainbow tables and ensures identical passwords do not produce identical stored values. Using a slow, purpose-built password hashing algorithm also increases the cost of offline cracking attempts.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Replace the hash with a plain SHA-256 digest because it is modern and widely supported.
Why it's wrong here
A fast general-purpose hash without salt is still vulnerable to offline guessing and precomputed attacks. It is not enough for password storage.
✗
Append the application name to each password before hashing to make the hashes unique.
Why it's wrong here
A fixed application string is not a unique per-user salt. It does not meaningfully prevent identical hashes for identical passwords within the same system.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse hashing with encryption or assume that a 'modern' hash like SHA-256 is sufficient for password storage, overlooking the critical need for salting and key stretching to defend against brute-force and rainbow table attacks.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Slow password hashing algorithms like bcrypt internally incorporate a cost factor (e.g., 2^10 rounds) that exponentially increases computation time, making each guess expensive for attackers. Salts are typically stored alongside the hash in plaintext (e.g., in the format $2a$10$salt$hash) and must be cryptographically random (at least 16 bytes) to be effective. In real-world breaches, such as the 2012 LinkedIn leak, unsalted SHA-1 hashes were cracked rapidly, whereas salted bcrypt hashes remain computationally infeasible to reverse.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this SY0-701 question in full detail.
General Security Concepts — This question tests General Security Concepts — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add a unique salt per password and use a slow password hashing algorithm. — Option B is correct because adding a unique salt per password prevents precomputed rainbow table attacks, and using a slow password hashing algorithm (like bcrypt, PBKDF2, or Argon2) increases the computational cost of brute-force attacks. This combination ensures that even if the password hashes are compromised, attackers cannot efficiently crack them. Salting also ensures that identical passwords produce different hashes, eliminating the ability to detect shared passwords across accounts.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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