ISC2 CC Access Controls Concepts Practice Question
An organization uses Active Directory to manage user accounts. Which protocol does Active Directory primarily use to query and modify directory services?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing LDAP with Kerberos — candidates may know AD uses Kerberos for authentication and incorrectly select a different protocol for directory queries, but LDAP is specifically the query/modify protocol.
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
✓
LDAP
Active Directory primarily uses LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) to query and modify its directory services. LDAP defines the structure and operations for accessing directory information, and AD implements LDAP v3 as its core access protocol on port 389 (and 636 for LDAPS). Administrative tools and applications use LDAP queries to read and write user, group, and computer objects.
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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HTTP
Why it's wrong here
HTTP is the web transfer protocol and carries no directory query semantics; Active Directory uses LDAP for directory reads and writes. It is tempting because HTTP appears in many Microsoft management interfaces, but those interfaces call LDAP beneath, which is the actual directory protocol.
- ✗
FTP
Why it's wrong here
FTP transfers files between hosts and carries no directory-query semantics; it cannot read or modify AD objects. It is tempting because it is a long-standing TCP/IP protocol for moving data, and would be the right answer if the task were uploading files to a server rather than querying directory services.
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SNMP
Why it's wrong here
SNMP polls network devices for status and traps, operating on MIB objects rather than directory entries, so it cannot query or modify AD. It is tempting as a management protocol, and would be correct for monitoring router or switch health rather than directory services.
- ✓
LDAP
Why this is correct
LDAP is the directory access protocol Active Directory natively speaks, providing the query and modify operations the stem requires. Clients bind to the directory and issue search, add, modify, and delete requests over TCP port 389 or 636. Kerberos handles authentication, but LDAP performs the directory read and write operations.
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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.