CND Application And Data Protection Practice Question
A security engineer is performing a security audit on an enterprise PostgreSQL database server. Which THREE hardening steps should be implemented to secure database access and data at rest?
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
✓
Configure pg_hba.conf to enforce scram-sha-256 password authentication and restrict remote host connection ranges
PostgreSQL hardening includes configuring pg_hba.conf for strict IP/authentication, enabling SSL/TLS in postgresql.conf, and managing superuser access properly.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Configure pg_hba.conf to enforce scram-sha-256 password authentication and restrict remote host connection ranges
Why this is correct
scram-sha-256 is the recommended secure password authentication method in PostgreSQL, and pg_hba.conf controls host access.
- ✓
Load the pgcrypto extension and configure encryption for sensitive columns
Why this is correct
pgcrypto enables column-level encryption functions for data at rest in PostgreSQL.
- ✗
Set superuser password to null and allow trust authentication for all interfaces
Why it's wrong here
Trust authentication and null passwords allow completely unauthenticated root database access.
- ✓
Enable SSL/TLS in postgresql.conf by setting ssl = on along with valid server certificate file paths
Why this is correct
Enabling ssl = on secures client-to-database connections in transit.
- ✗
Disable all logging in postgresql.conf to maximize query execution performance
Why it's wrong here
Disabling logging blinds administrators to security incidents and query activity audits.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official EC-Council exam blueprint
This CND practice question is part of Courseiva's free EC-Council 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 CND exam.