SSCP Systems and Application Security Practice Question
A cloud security team is using Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) to identify misconfigurations. Which of the following scenarios is MOST likely to be detected by CSPM?
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 cloud storage bucket is configured with public read access
CSPM tools scan cloud environments for misconfigurations like publicly accessible storage buckets, excessive permissions, etc. An open S3 bucket is a classic misconfiguration.
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 application running on a cloud VM has a memory leak causing performance degradation
Why it's wrong here
CSPM focuses on configuration, not application performance issues.
- ✓
A cloud storage bucket is configured with public read access
Why this is correct
Publicly accessible buckets are a common misconfiguration detected by CSPM.
- ✗
A cloud-based database is experiencing slow query response times
Why it's wrong here
Performance issues are not typically within CSPM scope.
- ✗
An employee's credentials were used from an unusual geographic location
Why it's wrong here
This is an anomaly detection typically handled by UEBA or SIEM, not CSPM.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This SSCP question is part of Courseiva's 920-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 by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SSCP practice question is part of Courseiva's free ISC2 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 SSCP exam.