The answer is Canon 1: Protect society, the common good, necessary public trust and confidence, and the infrastructure. This ethical principle is violated because sharing confidential customer data with an unauthorized third party directly undermines the trust that society places in information security professionals and the infrastructure that safeguards sensitive information. On the CISSP exam, this scenario tests your ability to map a specific breach of confidentiality to the highest-level ethical duty, which is protecting society’s welfare over organizational or individual interests. A common trap is confusing Canon 1 with Canon 4 (duty to the profession) or Canon 2 (act honorably), but remember that any action eroding public trust—like leaking data—falls squarely under Canon 1. A useful memory tip: think of Canon 1 as the “big picture” canon—if the harm extends beyond the organization to society at large, it’s Canon 1.
CISSP Security and Risk Management Practice Question
This CISSP practice question tests your understanding of security and risk management. 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.
A security analyst discovers that an employee shared confidential customer data with an unauthorized third party. The analyst reports this to the CISO, who decides to terminate the employee. Which ethical principle from the (ISC)² Code of Ethics is most directly violated by the employee?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Protect society, the common good, necessary public trust and confidence, and the infrastructure
The (ISC)² Code of Ethics Canon 1: Protect society, the common good, necessary public trust and confidence, and the infrastructure. Disclosing confidential data undermines trust and harms society.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Provide diligent and competent service to principals
Why it's wrong here
This relates to duty to employer, but the primary ethical breach is to society.
✓
Protect society, the common good, necessary public trust and confidence, and the infrastructure
Why this is correct
Sharing confidential data violates trust and public confidence.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Advance and protect the profession
Why it's wrong here
This canon relates to professional conduct, not directly to data protection.
✗
Act honorably, honestly, justly, responsibly, and legally
Why it's wrong here
While relevant, this is a broader duty; Canon 1 is more specific to protecting society.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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. NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated. 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.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related CISSP NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Security and Risk Management — This question tests Security and Risk Management — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Protect society, the common good, necessary public trust and confidence, and the infrastructure — The (ISC)² Code of Ethics Canon 1: Protect society, the common good, necessary public trust and confidence, and the infrastructure. Disclosing confidential data undermines trust and harms society.
What should I do if I get this CISSP question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related CISSP NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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