CSSLP Practice Question: Secure Software Deployment Operations And Management
During an incident response, you identify that a threat actor has gained unauthorized access to an application's environment variables. What is the immediate correct step to take regarding credential management?
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
✓
Change the password for the database user and update the application deployment manifest.
When secrets are compromised, they must be considered permanently tainted and rotated immediately to maintain the security posture.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Clear the application's cache to remove any temporary sensitive data.
Why it's wrong here
Cache clearing does not address the underlying credential compromise.
- ✗
Increase the logging level to 'DEBUG' to track the attacker's actions.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing logging might reveal even more sensitive data in logs.
- ✓
Change the password for the database user and update the application deployment manifest.
Why this is correct
Credential rotation is the primary remediation for compromised secrets.
- ✗
Re-deploy the application using the same configuration to ensure a clean state.
Why it's wrong here
Re-deploying with the same credentials does not stop the attacker who already possesses them.
About these practice questions
This CSSLP question is part of Courseiva's 198-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official (ISC)² exam blueprint
This CSSLP practice question is part of Courseiva's free (ISC)² 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 CSSLP exam.