CSSLP Practice Question: Secure Software Deployment Operations And Management
To ensure secure deployment of software artifacts, you must verify the integrity of the binaries. Which mechanism is most effective for ensuring that artifacts have not been tampered with since they were signed by the build system?
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
✓
Verify the digital signature using a trusted public key from your organization's key store.
Cryptographic signing (such as GPG or Cosign for containers) creates a verifiable link between the source code and the binary.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Check the file timestamp using the operating system's file system metadata.
Why it's wrong here
Timestamps are easily manipulated by attackers.
- ✗
Upload the artifact to a public VirusTotal scan before deploying.
Why it's wrong here
VirusTotal checks for known malware, not the integrity of your specific build artifacts.
- ✗
Compare the file size of the artifact with the size listed in the manifest file.
Why it's wrong here
File size is trivial to spoof.
- ✓
Verify the digital signature using a trusted public key from your organization's key store.
Why this is correct
Digital signatures provide non-repudiation and integrity verification.
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.