ISC Infrastructure And System Security Practice Question
To protect against side-channel attacks on shared infrastructure, which hardware feature should be verified on physical host servers?
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
✓
Hardware-enforced isolation and constant-time execution paths.
Constant Time (CT) instructions and hardware-based mitigations like Intel SGX or isolation features prevent information leakage through timing side-channels.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Secure Boot.
Why it's wrong here
Secure Boot prevents rootkits, not side-channel attacks.
- ✗
PCIe bus encryption.
Why it's wrong here
PCIe encryption protects against physical bus sniffing, not side-channels.
- ✗
Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0
Why it's wrong here
TPM is for integrity, not side-channel protection.
- ✓
Hardware-enforced isolation and constant-time execution paths.
Why this is correct
These are specific defenses against side-channel analysis.
About these practice questions
One of 208 original ISC practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 (ISC)² exam blueprint
This ISC practice question is part of Courseiva's free (ISC)² 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 ISC exam.