CCSP Cloud Platform and Infrastructure Security Practice Question
Which hypervisor technology is used to provide direct device access to a VM, improving performance and isolation for I/O operations?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing CPU or memory optimization features with I/O isolation — candidates must recognize IOMMU as the hardware mechanism specifically enabling safe direct device 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
✓
IOMMU
IOMMU (Input-Output Memory Management Unit) provides direct device access to a VM by translating device DMA addresses through the hypervisor's memory mapping, enabling safe passthrough of physical devices. This improves I/O performance and maintains isolation by preventing devices from accessing memory outside their assigned VM. It is the hardware feature that underpins secure device assignment.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
IOMMU
Why this is correct
IOMMU (Input-Output Memory Management Unit) maps device DMA requests to guest physical addresses, letting a VM access hardware directly while confining each device to its assigned memory region. This delivers near-native I/O performance and enforces isolation between guests, satisfying the stem's requirement for direct device access.
- ✗
CPU pinning
Why it's wrong here
CPU pinning binds vCPUs to physical cores to reduce scheduling jitter and cache contention; it grants no device access to the guest. It is tempting because it does improve performance deterministically, and would be correct where the workload needs predictable latency rather than direct I/O device passthrough.
- ✗
Virtual switches
Why it's wrong here
Virtual switches move frames between VMs and uplinks at layer 2; they do not hand a physical device to a guest, so no passthrough isolation is achieved. They are tempting because they are fundamental to VM networking, and would be correct where the requirement is VM-to-VM connectivity rather than direct device access.
- ✗
Memory ballooning
Why it's wrong here
Memory ballooning reclaims guest RAM under host pressure by inflating a driver-held balloon; it concerns memory overcommit, not device access. It is tempting because it improves host consolidation efficiency, and would be correct where the goal is memory reclamation across overcommitted hosts rather than I/O passthrough.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISC2 exam blueprint
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.