CCSP Cloud Application Security Practice Question
A company is migrating a legacy application to the cloud. The application uses hardcoded database credentials. Which secure development practice should be implemented to address this?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the distinction between 'protecting data at rest' (encryption) and 'protecting access credentials' (secrets management), leading candidates to mistakenly choose encryption at rest when the real issue is credential exposure in code.
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
✓
Use a secrets management service
Hardcoded database credentials in application code create a severe security risk because they are exposed in version control, logs, and static analysis. Using a secrets management service (e.g., AWS Secrets Manager, HashiCorp Vault, Azure Key Vault) allows credentials to be stored securely, rotated automatically, and accessed at runtime via API calls, eliminating the need to embed secrets in code. This aligns with the principle of least privilege and secure credential management in cloud application security.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use code signing for all deployments
Why it's wrong here
Code signing ensures code integrity, not secret management.
- ✗
Implement input validation on all user inputs
Why it's wrong here
Input validation prevents injection attacks, not credential exposure.
- ✗
Enable encryption at rest for the database
Why it's wrong here
Encryption at rest protects data at rest, not credentials in code.
- ✓
Use a secrets management service
Why this is correct
Secrets management securely stores and rotates credentials, eliminating hardcoding.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.