ISC2 CC Access Controls Concepts Practice Question
An LDAP distinguished name (DN) is written as 'CN=John Smith,OU=Sales,DC=company,DC=com'. What does 'CN' represent?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse the abbreviations of LDAP DN components, especially CN with DC or OU, so candidates must memorize the standard abbreviations.
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
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Common Name
In an LDAP distinguished name (DN), 'CN' stands for Common Name. It is used to represent the name of an object, such as a user or a group. In the example 'CN=John Smith,OU=Sales,DC=company,DC=com', 'CN=John Smith' indicates the common name of the entry, which is typically the user's full name.
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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Common Name
Why this is correct
In an LDAP distinguished name, CN stands for Common Name, the leftmost relative distinguished name identifying the entry itself. Here it names the object "John Smith" within the Sales organisational unit, satisfying the stem's requirement to identify what the CN attribute represents in the DN hierarchy.
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Domain Component
Why it's wrong here
CN stands for Common Name, the attribute holding the object's name, here 'John Smith'. Domain Component is abbreviated DC, which appears later in the string to denote the directory's domain hierarchy, and would be the correct answer if the question asked what DC represents.
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Organizational Unit
Why it's wrong here
OU stands for Organizational Unit, the container 'Sales' in this DN. CN is the Common Name attribute identifying the object itself, so OU would be correct only if the question asked what the 'OU=Sales' portion represents within the distinguished name.
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Country Name
Why it's wrong here
Country Name is abbreviated C in LDAP naming, not CN. CN denotes Common Name, which carries the object's own name, 'John Smith', so Country Name would be correct only for a DN containing a 'C=' component specifying a nation.
Go deeper
Related to this question
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.
Key term
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is a standard protocol used to access and manage directory information over a network, such as user credentials and permissions.
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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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