CSSLP Practice Question: Secure Software Deployment Operations And Management
When setting up operational monitoring, what is the 'Golden Signal' that specifically indicates a potential Denial of Service (DoS) attack?
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
✓
A significant increase in the rate of 5xx errors and request latency.
A sudden spike in error rates or latency, combined with high request volume, is a primary indicator of a DoS attack.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
An increase in the number of developers logged into the system.
Why it's wrong here
Developer login activity is generally unrelated to external DoS attacks.
- ✗
A decrease in CPU utilization across all servers.
Why it's wrong here
Lower utilization is the opposite of a typical DoS impact.
- ✓
A significant increase in the rate of 5xx errors and request latency.
Why this is correct
High error rates and latency often result from resource exhaustion during a DoS attack.
- ✗
A reduction in database write operations.
Why it's wrong here
This could be an application logic issue, not necessarily a security event.
About these practice questions
One of 198 original CSSLP practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. 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.