This CCSP practice question tests your understanding of cloud application security. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
During a code review, a developer identifies that an application uses input from an HTTP request to generate a SQL query string. What is the primary security concern?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Buffer overflow
Why wrong: Buffer overflow relates to memory corruption.
Insecure deserialization
Why wrong: Insecure deserialization affects object deserialization.
Cross-site scripting (XSS)
Why wrong: XSS involves executing scripts in the browser.
SQL injection
User input in SQL queries can lead to injection attacks.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
SQL injection
Option D is correct because directly concatenating user-supplied input from an HTTP request into a SQL query string allows an attacker to inject arbitrary SQL commands. This can lead to unauthorized data access, data manipulation, or even complete database compromise. The primary security concern is SQL injection, which violates the confidentiality and integrity of cloud-hosted databases.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Buffer overflow
Why it's wrong here
Buffer overflow relates to memory corruption.
Insecure deserialization
Why it's wrong here
Insecure deserialization affects object deserialization.
Cross-site scripting (XSS)
Why it's wrong here
XSS involves executing scripts in the browser.
SQL injection
Why this is correct
User input in SQL queries can lead to injection attacks.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
ISC2 often tests the distinction between input validation issues (like SQL injection) and output encoding issues (like XSS), so the trap here is confusing a server-side injection attack with a client-side script injection attack.
Detailed technical explanation
SQL injection works by breaking out of the intended SQL string context using quote characters (e.g., a single quote ') and then appending malicious SQL clauses such as OR '1'='1 or UNION SELECT. In cloud environments, a successful injection can bypass IAM controls if the database user has excessive privileges, potentially exposing multi-tenant data. Parameterized queries or prepared statements (e.g., using JDBC PreparedStatement or Python's parameterized queries) prevent this by separating SQL logic from data.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Cloud Application Security — This question tests Cloud Application Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: SQL injection — Option D is correct because directly concatenating user-supplied input from an HTTP request into a SQL query string allows an attacker to inject arbitrary SQL commands. This can lead to unauthorized data access, data manipulation, or even complete database compromise. The primary security concern is SQL injection, which violates the confidentiality and integrity of cloud-hosted databases.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
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.
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