ISC Security Planning And Engineering Practice Question
An ISSEP is designing a secure CI/CD pipeline. Which technique is most effective for preventing secrets (e.g., API keys) from being committed to the source code repository?
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
✓
Implement pre-commit hooks to scan for patterns of secrets.
Pre-commit hooks and automated secret scanning tools (e.g., git-secrets or GitHub Advanced Security) are the most effective preventive controls.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Rotate all secrets after every deployment.
Why it's wrong here
Rotation is a reactive control, not a preventive one.
- ✗
Use environment variables for all configuration.
Why it's wrong here
While environment variables are good, they don't prevent hardcoded secrets in the code itself.
- ✗
Delete the repository history periodically.
Why it's wrong here
This is a poor practice and does not prevent the initial commit.
- ✓
Implement pre-commit hooks to scan for patterns of secrets.
Why this is correct
This prevents secrets from entering the repository at the source.
About these practice questions
This ISC question is part of Courseiva's 209-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. 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.