The answer is that the technician is using shared secrets that are not effective for strong authentication. This is the most significant security issue because a mother’s maiden name and employee ID are static, widely known or easily discoverable pieces of information—often called “weak shared secrets”—that fail to provide the non-repudiation and resistance to social engineering required for proper identity verification. On the CISSP exam, this concept tests your understanding of authentication factors and the Domain 5 (Identity and Access Management) principle that something you know must be truly secret and not easily guessed or obtained. A common trap is to confuse uniqueness with secrecy; while a mother’s maiden name may be unique to a user, it is not secret, making it a poor authentication factor. Remember the mnemonic “S.U.S.” for strong authentication: Secret, Unique, and Stored securely—weak shared secrets violate the first and third pillars.
CISSP Identity and Access Management Practice Question
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of identity and access management. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
A user calls the help desk because they cannot log in. The help desk technician confirms the user's identity by asking for their employee ID and mother's maiden name. Which of the following is the MOST significant security issue with this practice?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The technician is using shared secrets that are not effective for strong authentication.
Option A is correct because relying on shared secrets like mother's maiden name is weak authentication. Option B is incorrect because the information may be unique but is not secret. Option C is incorrect, while MFA is better, the most significant issue is the use of weak shared secrets. Option D is incorrect; the information may still be stored.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
The user's mother's maiden name is not stored in the HR system.
Why it's wrong here
This may or may not be true, but it is not the most significant security issue.
✓
The technician is using shared secrets that are not effective for strong authentication.
Why this is correct
Mother's maiden name is a shared secret that can be easily obtained through social engineering.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The help desk should be using multi-factor authentication.
Why it's wrong here
While MFA is a good practice, the immediate issue is the weakness of the verification method.
✗
The user's identity is being verified using information that is not unique to the user.
Why it's wrong here
Mother's maiden name is usually unique to the individual but can be guessed or obtained.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CISSP question in full detail.
Identify which CISSP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Identity and Access Management — This question tests Identity and Access Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The technician is using shared secrets that are not effective for strong authentication. — Option A is correct because relying on shared secrets like mother's maiden name is weak authentication. Option B is incorrect because the information may be unique but is not secret. Option C is incorrect, while MFA is better, the most significant issue is the use of weak shared secrets. Option D is incorrect; the information may still be stored.
What should I do if I get this CISSP question wrong?
Identify which CISSP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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