CCSP Cloud Application Security Practice Question
A team is adopting DevSecOps. Which practice best integrates security into the development lifecycle?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the misconception that manual or periodic security activities (like annual pen tests or pre-release code reviews) are sufficient for DevSecOps, when the core requirement is continuous, automated security integration within the CI/CD pipeline itself.
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
✓
Automated security testing in CI/CD pipeline
Automated security testing in the CI/CD pipeline (Option C) is the correct practice because it embeds security checks—such as static application security testing (SAST), dynamic application security testing (DAST), and software composition analysis (SCA)—directly into the build and deployment process. This ensures that vulnerabilities are detected and remediated early, aligning with the DevSecOps principle of 'shifting left' and enabling continuous security validation without slowing down development velocity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Security awareness training
Why it's wrong here
Awareness training changes human behaviour but does not embed automated security checks into pipelines, so vulnerabilities still reach production between releases. It tempts because training is a recognised security control and is genuinely valuable for reducing phishing and social-engineering risk, yet it operates outside the build, test and deploy workflow DevSecOps targets.
- ✗
Annual penetration testing
Why it's wrong here
Annual penetration testing is a point-in-time assessment, leaving code merged between engagements unscanned; DevSecOps requires continuous automated testing within the pipeline. It tempts because penetration testing is a mature assurance activity and remains correct for periodic independent validation of production environments, compliance evidence and adversarial simulation.
- ✓
Automated security testing in CI/CD pipeline
Why this is correct
Embedding automated security testing into the CI/CD pipeline shifts detection left, so vulnerabilities and misconfigurations are caught at build time rather than after deployment. This continuous, tool-driven gate is what actually integrates security into the development lifecycle, satisfying the DevSecOps adoption requirement in the stem.
- ✗
Manual code review before release
Why it's wrong here
Manual review before release is a gate at the end of the lifecycle, not an integrated control, and cannot scale to every commit; automated static and dependency scanning in the pipeline is needed. It tempts because peer review genuinely catches defects, and it remains correct for design review and high-risk logic changes.
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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.