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ISC2 CC Practice Question: Implements a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy
An organization implements a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy. Which security control is most important to enforce in the BYOD policy?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the misconception that a single technical control (like encryption or passwords) is sufficient for BYOD security, when the real exam focus is on centralized management and the ability to enforce and revoke policies remotely via MDM.
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 mobile device management (MDM) for remote wipe and policy enforcement
Mobile device management (MDM) is the most important control for a BYOD policy because it provides centralized policy enforcement, remote wipe capabilities, and device compliance monitoring. Unlike isolated controls like passwords or encryption, MDM allows the organization to enforce security policies dynamically and revoke access or wipe corporate data if a device is lost, stolen, or non-compliant.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Require complex passwords
Why it's wrong here
Complex passwords only harden authentication; BYOD's central risk is organisational data on unmanaged personal devices, so the policy must enforce containerisation, conditional access or device compliance. Password complexity is tempting because it is a familiar baseline control, but it addresses credential guessing, not data separation.
- ✗
Install a firewall on each device
Why it's wrong here
A host firewall filters traffic on the device itself, but it cannot enforce separation of corporate data from personal apps or ensure device compliance before granting network access, which is the BYOD requirement. It is tempting because firewalls are a genuine endpoint control, and would be correct for a fixed corporate asset needing port-level filtering.
- ✗
Enable full disk encryption
Why it's wrong here
Full disk encryption protects data at rest if the laptop is stolen, but it does nothing to verify device health or isolate corporate data before the device joins the network, which is the BYOD requirement. It is tempting because encryption is a real endpoint control, and would be correct for a lost or stolen device holding sensitive data.
- ✓
Implement mobile device management (MDM) for remote wipe and policy enforcement
Why this is correct
Mobile device management enforces configuration baselines, encryption and passcode requirements on personally owned devices, and provides remote wipe of corporate data when a device is lost or an employee leaves. This directly satisfies the BYOD constraint of securing organisational data on hardware the organisation does not own or fully control.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Incident Response and Management
Key term
Compliance
Compliance is the process of ensuring that an organization follows laws, regulations, standards, and internal policies that apply to its operations and data handling.
Key term
Bring Your Own Device
A policy allowing employees to use their personal laptops, smartphones, or tablets for work tasks instead of using company-issued equipment.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.