CCSP Cloud Application Security Practice Question
An organization is developing a mobile app that communicates with a cloud API. To ensure secure authentication, which of the following should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the misconception that API keys or Basic auth are sufficient for mobile-to-cloud authentication, but the trap is that these methods lack the delegation, token lifecycle management, and identity verification that OAuth 2.0 with OpenID Connect provides, which is the industry standard (RFC 6749, RFC 7519) for securing mobile API access.
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
✓
OAuth 2.0 with OpenID Connect
OAuth 2.0 with OpenID Connect (OIDC) is the correct choice because it provides a delegated authorization framework (OAuth 2.0) combined with an identity layer (OIDC) that enables secure authentication and single sign-on (SSO) for mobile apps communicating with cloud APIs. This combination issues short-lived access tokens and ID tokens (typically JWTs) rather than exposing long-lived credentials, and supports token refresh, scoped permissions, and PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange) to prevent authorization code interception on mobile devices.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Session cookies for state management
Why it's wrong here
Session cookies rely on browser-managed state and same-origin behaviour, which native mobile HTTP clients do not maintain, so they cannot authenticate API calls. They are tempting for traditional web apps; OAuth 2.0 with OpenID Connect tokens is required for mobile clients.
- ✗
Basic authentication with username and password
Why it's wrong here
Basic authentication transmits reusable username and password credentials on every request, exposing them to interception and offering no token expiry or scoping. It is tempting for quick internal scripts; OAuth 2.0 with OpenID Connect is required for secure mobile app authentication.
- ✓
OAuth 2.0 with OpenID Connect
Why this is correct
OAuth 2.0 supplies delegated authorisation tokens, while OpenID Connect adds an identity layer with a signed ID token, letting the app verify the end user. This satisfies the secure authentication requirement that plain OAuth 2.0 alone cannot provide.
- ✗
API keys sent in HTTP headers
Why it's wrong here
Static API keys in headers are bearer secrets that cannot identify a user, expire, or be scoped per session, so they fail secure mobile authentication. They are tempting for simple server-to-server calls; OpenID Connect with OAuth 2.0 tokens is required for user authentication from a mobile app.
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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.