CCSP Cloud Application Security Practice Question
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?
⚠ Common exam trap
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.
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
✓
SQL injection
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.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Buffer overflow
Why it's wrong here
Buffer overflow arises from unchecked memory writes in languages like C, not from concatenating HTTP input into SQL. It is tempting because both are injection-class flaws, but buffer overflow would be the concern for unsafe memory handling, not query construction.
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Insecure deserialization
Why it's wrong here
Insecure deserialization concerns reconstructing objects from untrusted serialised data, not SQL string concatenation. It is tempting as another injection-adjacent flaw, but it applies when untrusted bytes are deserialised into objects, not when input builds a query.
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Cross-site scripting (XSS)
Why it's wrong here
XSS involves executing scripts in the browser.
- ✓
SQL injection
Why this is correct
Concatenating HTTP request input into a SQL query string lets attacker-supplied syntax alter the query's structure, so the database executes unintended statements. This is SQL injection, the direct consequence of mixing untrusted input with query code without parameterisation.
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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.