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.
You are the security manager for a financial services firm that processes credit card transactions. The company is required to comply with PCI DSS. During a recent internal audit, you discover that the network segmentation between the cardholder data environment (CDE) and the corporate network is not properly implemented. Specifically, a firewall rule allows unrestricted traffic from the corporate network to the CDE. This exposes sensitive cardholder data to potential unauthorized access. The IT manager argues that this rule is necessary for business operations because several applications need to access the CDE for reporting purposes. You need to address this risk while minimizing business disruption. Which of the following is the BEST course of action?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Encrypt all cardholder data at rest so that even if accessed, it is protected.
Why wrong: Encryption does not prevent unauthorized access or meet segmentation requirements.
B
Accept the risk because the corporate network is already protected by other controls.
Why wrong: Accepting risk is not compliant with PCI DSS.
C
Remove the firewall rule immediately to ensure compliance, then work with IT to find alternative solutions.
Why wrong: Will disrupt business operations; alternative should be implemented first.
D
Implement a jump server that requires multi-factor authentication and logging for all access to the CDE, and restrict the rule to only allow traffic from the jump server.
Correct - This enforces segmentation while allowing necessary access.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Implement a jump server that requires multi-factor authentication and logging for all access to the CDE, and restrict the rule to only allow traffic from the jump server.
Option D is correct because it enforces the principle of least privilege and secure access to the CDE without disrupting business operations. By implementing a jump server with multi-factor authentication and logging, you create a controlled, auditable gateway that restricts all corporate-to-CDE traffic to a single, hardened host. This satisfies PCI DSS requirement 1.3 (network segmentation) by reducing the attack surface while still allowing necessary reporting access.
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.
✗
Encrypt all cardholder data at rest so that even if accessed, it is protected.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption does not prevent unauthorized access or meet segmentation requirements.
✗
Accept the risk because the corporate network is already protected by other controls.
Why it's wrong here
Accepting risk is not compliant with PCI DSS.
✗
Remove the firewall rule immediately to ensure compliance, then work with IT to find alternative solutions.
Why it's wrong here
Will disrupt business operations; alternative should be implemented first.
✓
Implement a jump server that requires multi-factor authentication and logging for all access to the CDE, and restrict the rule to only allow traffic from the jump server.
Why this is correct
Correct - This enforces segmentation while allowing necessary access.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose immediate removal (Option C) thinking compliance requires zero tolerance, but CISSP emphasizes balancing security with business continuity and implementing compensating controls before removing critical access.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
A jump server (or bastion host) acts as a single, hardened entry point that terminates all incoming sessions and then initiates a separate connection to the CDE, ensuring no direct network path exists between the corporate network and the CDE. Multi-factor authentication (e.g., TOTP via RFC 6238) and centralized logging (e.g., syslog or SIEM) provide non-repudiation and audit trails required by PCI DSS 10.2. In practice, the firewall rule should be scoped to allow only the jump server's IP address and only on necessary ports (e.g., 3389 for RDP or 22 for SSH), with strict source/destination ACLs.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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.
Security and Risk Management — This question tests Security and Risk Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Implement a jump server that requires multi-factor authentication and logging for all access to the CDE, and restrict the rule to only allow traffic from the jump server. — Option D is correct because it enforces the principle of least privilege and secure access to the CDE without disrupting business operations. By implementing a jump server with multi-factor authentication and logging, you create a controlled, auditable gateway that restricts all corporate-to-CDE traffic to a single, hardened host. This satisfies PCI DSS requirement 1.3 (network segmentation) by reducing the attack surface while still allowing necessary reporting access.
What should I do if I get this CISSP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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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