ISC2 CC Access Controls Concepts Practice Question
According to modern password guidance from NIST SP 800-63, which of the following is the most important factor when setting password requirements?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is that candidates apply legacy password-policy intuition (complexity + rotation = secure) instead of the modern NIST guidance, which inverts those assumptions and elevates length as the primary control.
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
✓
Enforcing a minimum length of at least 8 characters
NIST SP 800-63B explicitly recommends enforcing a minimum password length of at least 8 characters (and encourages longer, up to 64) as the primary strength control, while deprecating composition rules and mandatory rotation. Length is the dominant factor in resisting brute-force and dictionary attacks because it exponentially increases the search space. The guidance prioritizes memorized secrets that are long and unique over complex-but-short passwords.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Requiring a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters
Why it's wrong here
Complexity is less important than length according to NIST.
- ✗
Using randomly generated passwords
Why it's wrong here
NIST SP 800-63 treats length and blocklist screening as the dominant strength factors, and randomly generated strings are not required for memorised secrets. It is tempting because random passwords resist guessing, but that guidance targets machine-generated secrets such as API keys, not user-chosen passphrases.
- ✗
Changing passwords every 30 days
Why it's wrong here
NIST SP 800-63 advises against forced periodic rotation, since it drives predictable incremental changes; rotation is reserved for evidence of compromise. It is tempting because scheduled expiry limits the window of a leaked credential, but that applies to service accounts and secrets, not memorised user passwords.
- ✓
Enforcing a minimum length of at least 8 characters
Why this is correct
NIST SP 800-63 prioritises length as the primary strength factor, since each added character multiplies guessing resistance far more than complexity rules. An 8-character minimum satisfies this by raising the search space, though verifiers should also screen against breached-password lists and rate-limit failed attempts.
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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
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.