ISC2 CC Security Principles Practice Question
A user logs into a system using a password and a one-time passcode from a mobile authenticator app. This is an example of:
⚠ Common exam trap
CC often tests the difference between multi-factor authentication and two-step verification, where two-step verification might use the same factor twice, so candidates might incorrectly choose 'two-step verification using same factor'.
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
✓
Multi-factor authentication
Using a password (something you know) and a one-time passcode from a mobile authenticator app (something you have) combines two different authentication factors: knowledge and possession. This is the definition of multi-factor authentication (MFA).
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Biometric authentication
Why it's wrong here
Neither credential is a biometric: a password is knowledge and a one-time passcode is possession, so no fingerprint, iris or facial trait is verified. Biometric authentication would be the correct classification only if a physiological characteristic such as a fingerprint replaced one of these factors.
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Two-step verification using same factor
Why it's wrong here
Password plus authenticator-app passcode combines knowledge and possession factors, so it is multi-factor authentication, not two steps of one factor. The option tempts because "two-step verification" describes any two sequential challenges, and it would fit a scenario such as password followed by a second password or PIN.
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Multi-factor authentication
Why this is correct
Multi-factor authentication requires two or more distinct credential categories: something you know (the password) plus something you possess (the one-time passcode generated by the mobile authenticator app). Because the factors span separate categories rather than repeating one, the login satisfies the stem's definition of MFA.
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Single-factor authentication
Why it's wrong here
Password plus a one-time passcode from an authenticator app combines two different factor categories — knowledge and possession — so it is multi-factor authentication, not single-factor. Single-factor authentication would apply where only one credential type, such as a password alone, is presented.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Authentication and Authorization Methods
Key term
Authentication
Authentication is the process of verifying that someone or something is who or what it claims to be before granting access to a system or resource.
Key term
User
A user is any person, system, or device that interacts with an IT service, resource, or identity system, typically authenticated through credentials and authorized to perform specific actions.
About these practice questions
This CC question is part of Courseiva's 989-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 September 2026 · checked against the official ISC2 exam blueprint
This CC practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 CC exam.