ISC Practice Question: Systems Security Implementation Verification And Validation
A security engineer is validating a server's hardening posture against CIS Benchmarks. Which TWO of the following configurations must be verified for the SSH service?
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
✓
Verifying that 'PermitEmptyPasswords' is set to 'no'.
Hardening SSH requires disabling insecure protocols and authentication methods.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configuring the service to use only the RSA algorithm.
Why it's wrong here
Modern benchmarks often favor more secure algorithms like Ed25519 over RSA.
- ✗
Enabling 'AllowTcpForwarding' for all users.
Why it's wrong here
This should typically be disabled unless required.
- ✗
Setting the default port to 8080.
Why it's wrong here
Changing ports is security through obscurity, not a CIS hardening requirement.
- ✓
Verifying that 'PermitEmptyPasswords' is set to 'no'.
Why this is correct
Empty passwords present a trivial security risk.
- ✓
Ensuring 'Protocol' is set to 2.
Why this is correct
Protocol 1 is insecure and must be disabled.
About these practice questions
This ISC question is part of Courseiva's 209-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 ISC 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 ISC exam.