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CCSP Practice Question: A development team is adopting a DevSecOps…
A development team is adopting a DevSecOps approach for a cloud-native application. Which practice best exemplifies the shift-left security principle?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the misconception that shift-left means any security activity performed early in the lifecycle, but the trap here is that candidates may confuse post-deployment controls (like WAF or pen testing) with true shift-left practices, which must occur before code is deployed or infrastructure is provisioned.
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
✓
Scanning Infrastructure as Code (IaC) templates with Checkov before deployment
Scanning Infrastructure as Code (IaC) templates with Checkov before deployment embodies the shift-left security principle by identifying and remediating misconfigurations early in the development lifecycle. This proactive approach prevents security issues from reaching production, reducing risk and cost compared to post-deployment fixes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reviewing logs for security incidents weekly
Why it's wrong here
This is a monitoring activity, not a proactive early security measure.
- ✓
Scanning Infrastructure as Code (IaC) templates with Checkov before deployment
Why this is correct
Correct. IaC scanning in the CI pipeline identifies misconfigurations early, aligning with shift-left.
- ✗
Configuring a cloud WAF after the application is live
Why it's wrong here
This is a perimeter defense applied after deployment, not early integration.
- ✗
Performing runtime penetration testing after deployment
Why it's wrong here
This is a late-stage security activity, not shift-left.
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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.