ISC Practice Question: Systems Security Implementation Verification And Validation
In an SCAP-compliant environment, you are validating a system against a DISA STIG. Which file extension is typically used for the definition of the security checks?
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
✓
.xml
XCCDF (Extensible Configuration Checklist Description Format) is the standard for defining SCAP security checklists.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
.txt
Why it's wrong here
Documentation might be text, but automated validation requires structured data like XML.
- ✗
.stig
Why it's wrong here
While STIGs are documents, the underlying machine-readable format is XML.
- ✗
.ovl
Why it's wrong here
OVAL files use .xml extension, not .ovl.
- ✓
.xml
Why this is correct
SCAP benchmarks, including XCCDF and OVAL files, are written in XML format.
About these practice questions
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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.