Drag a concept onto its matching description — or click a concept then click the description.
Concepts
Matches
Use a hash value.
Use symmetric encryption.
Use asymmetric encryption.
Use a digital signature.
SY0-701 General Security Concepts Practice Question
Match the security need to the best cryptographic solution.
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
✓
Confidentiality: Encryption
Confidentiality uses encryption; integrity uses hashes; authentication uses certificates; non-repudiation uses signatures; access control uses PKI; availability uses redundancy.
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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Confidentiality: Encryption
Why this is correct
Encryption, such as AES or RSA, protects data confidentiality by using a cryptographic key to transform readable plaintext into unreadable ciphertext. Only someone with the corresponding decryption key can restore the original data, preventing unauthorized disclosure. However, encryption alone does not detect tampering, which is why it is paired with integrity controls like hashing.
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Integrity: Hashing
Why this is correct
Hashing, exemplified by SHA-256, is a one-way function that converts data of arbitrary length into a fixed-size digest. Any alteration to the input, even a single bit, produces a dramatically different digest, allowing detection of modifications. Hashes are deterministic but non-reversible, so they serve integrity, not confidentiality, because the original plaintext cannot be recovered.
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Authentication: Symmetric encryption
Why it's wrong here
Symmetric encryption, like AES with a shared secret key, provides confidentiality but not true authentication because both parties possess the same key, so the receiver cannot prove which party sent a given ciphertext. Authentication requires proving possession of an identity-bound private key, as in asymmetric digital signatures or certificate-based protocols. At best, symmetric encryption can offer implicit integrity through authenticated modes like GCM, but it does not establish identity.
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Non-repudiation: Digital signatures
Why this is correct
Digital signatures use asymmetric cryptography where a signer creates a unique signature with their private key, and anyone with the corresponding public key can verify it. Because the private key is known only to the signer, the signature is cryptographically bound to that individual, making it difficult to deny authorship. This provides non-repudiation, proving the signer approved the message, unlike symmetric encryption or hashing alone.
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Access control: Hashing
Why it's wrong here
Access control determines who is allowed to view or use resources, and hashing cannot make that determination; it only generates a digest for integrity checking. Hashing might be used to store password derivatives, but that is an authentication verification step, not an authorization decision. Effective access control relies on identity certificates, access control lists, or policy engines, which account for user identities and permissions.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Security Controls
Key term
Least privilege
Least privilege is a security principle that means giving users, systems, or programs only the minimum permissions they need to do their job and nothing more.
Key term
Integrity
Integrity is the assurance that data has not been altered or tampered with in an unauthorized way, preserving its accuracy and consistency from source to destination.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SY0-701 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 SY0-701 exam.