CCSP Cloud Application Security Practice Question
Which THREE of the following are valid techniques to protect application programming interfaces (APIs) from abuse?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates think JWT without encryption is acceptable because JWTs are often signed (JWS), but the CCSP exam emphasizes that confidentiality is a separate requirement—signing alone does not protect sensitive data in the payload, and encryption (JWE) is mandatory when tokens contain private information.
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
✓
Use API gateways to enforce authentication and authorization policies.
API gateways act as a centralized policy enforcement point, intercepting all API traffic to validate authentication (e.g., OAuth 2.0, SAML) and authorization (e.g., RBAC, ABAC) before requests reach backend services. This prevents unauthorized access and ensures that only authenticated clients with proper permissions can invoke protected endpoints, directly mitigating abuse such as credential stuffing or privilege escalation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use API gateways to enforce authentication and authorization policies.
Why this is correct
Centralizes security controls.
- ✗
Use JSON Web Tokens (JWT) without encryption.
Why it's wrong here
JWTs should be signed and optionally encrypted; without encryption, payload is readable.
- ✗
Use only HTTP GET requests for all API calls.
Why it's wrong here
GET requests are still vulnerable to CSRF and other attacks.
- ✓
Implement rate limiting and throttling.
Why this is correct
Limits the number of requests, preventing DoS and brute force.
- ✓
Require API keys or OAuth tokens for every request.
Why this is correct
Validates the client identity.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
Related to this question
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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.