The correct answer is to increase the password history setting to 10. This configuration directly addresses the weakness of easy password reuse by storing a specified number of previous password hashes; when a user attempts to change their password, the system compares the new password against that stored history and rejects it if it matches any of the remembered passwords, effectively enforcing a policy that prevents cycling back through old credentials. On the CISA exam, this concept tests your understanding of operating system and application security controls, often appearing in questions about password policy parameters or audit findings related to weak authentication practices—a common trap is confusing password history with minimum password age, which only delays reuse rather than preventing it. Remember the mnemonic “History Holds Hashes” to recall that the history setting stores previous hashes to block reuse.
CISA Protection of Information Assets Practice Question
This CISA practice question tests your understanding of protection of information assets. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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
Configuration snippet from a Windows server security policy:
Password Policy:
Enforce password history: 5 passwords remembered
Maximum password age: 90 days
Minimum password age: 1 day
Minimum password length: 8 characters
Complexity requirements: Enabled
Account Lockout Policy:
Account lockout threshold: 5 invalid logon attempts
Account lockout duration: 15 minutes
Reset account lockout counter after: 15 minutes
Refer to the exhibit. An auditor finds that users are able to reuse previous passwords easily. Which setting should be modified to address this weakness?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Increase the password history to 10
Increasing the password history setting (e.g., to 10) prevents users from reusing their most recent passwords by storing a specified number of previous password hashes. When a user attempts to change their password, the system compares the new password against the stored history and rejects it if it matches any of the remembered passwords. This directly addresses the weakness of easy password reuse.
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.
✓
Increase the password history to 10
Why this is correct
Correct. A higher password history forces users to wait longer before reusing a password.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Increase the minimum password age to 7 days
Why it's wrong here
Minimum password age prevents rapid changes but does not prevent reuse after the minimum period.
✗
Enable password expiration notifications
Why it's wrong here
Notifications remind users to change passwords but do not address reuse.
✗
Increase the maximum password age to 30 days
Why it's wrong here
Shortening password age reduces password lifetime but does not prevent reuse.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse password history with password age settings, thinking that increasing the maximum password age or minimum password age will prevent reuse, when in fact only password history directly blocks the use of previously used passwords.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In Windows Active Directory, the password history setting is stored in the domain's Group Policy under 'Enforce password history' and is implemented by storing salted hashes of previous passwords in the SAM database. The number of passwords remembered is configurable from 0 to 24; setting it to 10 ensures that the last 10 unique passwords cannot be reused. This setting works in conjunction with the minimum password age to prevent users from rapidly cycling through passwords to bypass the history check.
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 practitioner preparing for the CISA exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Protection of Information Assets — This question tests Protection of Information Assets — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Increase the password history to 10 — Increasing the password history setting (e.g., to 10) prevents users from reusing their most recent passwords by storing a specified number of previous password hashes. When a user attempts to change their password, the system compares the new password against the stored history and rejects it if it matches any of the remembered passwords. This directly addresses the weakness of easy password reuse.
What should I do if I get this CISA 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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