CSSLP Practice Question: Secure Software Deployment Operations And Management
When managing infrastructure as code (IaC) using Terraform, which practice is the most critical for secure configuration management of state files?
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
✓
Use a remote backend like S3 with server-side encryption enabled and restricted IAM policies.
Terraform state files often contain sensitive information in plain text, making backend encryption and access control mandatory.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Rename the state file to 'secret.tfstate' to hide it from attackers.
Why it's wrong here
Security through obscurity is ineffective.
- ✗
Store state files in a version-controlled Git repository for change tracking.
Why it's wrong here
Storing secrets in Git is a major security risk.
- ✓
Use a remote backend like S3 with server-side encryption enabled and restricted IAM policies.
Why this is correct
Remote backends allow for central management, encryption at rest, and granular access control.
- ✗
Manually delete the state file after every Terraform apply command.
Why it's wrong here
Deleting the state file prevents subsequent infrastructure updates and is not a viable lifecycle practice.
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.