ISC2 CC Access Controls Concepts Practice Question
A retail company issues managers a hardware token that generates a one-time code, which they enter after their password when signing in to the payroll system. A help desk technician asks why the company does not simply require longer passwords instead. Which statement best explains the security benefit of the token?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is treating any additional login step as simply stronger password policy, when the token's value comes from being a separate factor category rather than extra characters.
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
✓
The token combines something the manager knows with something the manager has, so a stolen password alone is insufficient to sign in.
The hardware token supplies a second authentication factor from a different category than the password. A password is something the manager knows, and the token is something the manager has. Requiring both means a compromised password by itself is not enough to reach the payroll system, which is a stronger defense than increasing password length alone.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The token encrypts the password while it travels across the network, preventing interception.
Why it's wrong here
Encrypting credentials in transit is the job of protocols such as TLS, not of a one-time-code token. The token adds a second verification factor rather than protecting the password channel. Even if the password were intercepted, the one-time code would still be required, so describing the token as a transport encryption mechanism misstates its purpose.
- ✗
The token replaces the need for authorization checks in the payroll system once the manager signs in.
Why it's wrong here
Authentication and authorization are separate functions. Verifying the manager's identity with a password plus token does nothing to determine which payroll records or functions that manager may use. Authorization checks remain necessary after sign-in, so the token cannot eliminate them.
- ✗
The token ensures that the manager's password meets complexity requirements imposed by policy.
Why it's wrong here
Password complexity is enforced by password policy settings such as length and character requirements, not by a hardware token. The token is an additional authentication factor presented after the password, and it does not inspect or alter the password itself. The scenario even notes that longer passwords were the alternative being considered, showing the two are separate controls.
- ✓
The token combines something the manager knows with something the manager has, so a stolen password alone is insufficient to sign in.
Why this is correct
The password represents something the manager knows, while the hardware token represents something the manager has. Combining factors from two different categories is multi-factor authentication, and it means an attacker who only obtains the password still cannot produce the current one-time code. This directly explains the added protection that longer passwords alone cannot provide.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISC2 exam blueprint
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