CCSP Cloud Platform and Infrastructure Security Practice Question
A cloud security team is reviewing container security practices. Which of the following is the most effective way to minimize the attack surface of a container image?
⚠ Common exam trap
CCSP often tests the difference between preventive minimization (distroless, multi-stage builds) and detective scanning — candidates pick 'scan after deployment' because it sounds thorough, but it does not reduce attack surface.
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
✓
Using a minimal base image such as distroless
Using a minimal base image such as distroless is the most effective way to reduce a container image's attack surface because it strips the package manager, shell, and unnecessary OS utilities, leaving only the application and its runtime dependencies. Fewer installed packages means fewer libraries that can contain exploitable CVEs, and the absence of a shell makes post-exploitation pivoting much harder. Distroless images, maintained by Google, include only the runtime (e.g., a JRE or Python interpreter) and the app itself.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Using the latest version of a base image
Why it's wrong here
Pulling the latest base image tag introduces untested packages and expands the image's installed footprint, increasing rather than minimising the attack surface. It is tempting because patched images fix known CVEs, and would be correct when the goal is remediating a specific vulnerability rather than reducing the number of components present.
- ✓
Using a minimal base image such as distroless
Why this is correct
Distroless images omit package managers, shells and other OS utilities, leaving only the application and its runtime dependencies. Fewer installed components mean fewer exploitable binaries and a smaller vulnerability surface, directly satisfying the requirement to minimise the image's attack surface.
- ✗
Using the :latest tag to ensure freshness
Why it's wrong here
The :latest tag is mutable, so identical manifests can resolve to different images, defeating reproducible builds and pinning to a vetted digest. It is tempting because it appears to guarantee currency, and would be acceptable only in disposable development environments where traceability is not required.
- ✗
Scanning the image for CVEs after deployment
Why it's wrong here
Post-deployment scanning detects vulnerabilities already running in production, so it cannot shrink the image's attack surface before exposure. It is tempting because continuous scanning is a legitimate DevSecOps control, and would be the right answer for detecting newly disclosed CVEs in deployed workloads.
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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 CCSP 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 CCSP exam.