SSCP Access Controls Practice Question
A company implements a password policy requiring a minimum length of 12 characters, including uppercase, lowercase, digits, and special characters. Passwords must be changed every 90 days, and the last 10 passwords cannot be reused. After a brute-force attack, several accounts were compromised despite the policy. Which additional control would most effectively mitigate such attacks?
⚠ Common exam trap
SSCP often tests the misconception that stronger password complexity alone stops brute-force attacks — the real defense is limiting the number of attempts via lockout or rate limiting.
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
✓
Implement account lockout after 5 failed attempts
Account lockout after a small number of failed attempts directly defeats brute-force attacks by halting the attack after a threshold, regardless of password complexity. Even a 12-character complex password can eventually be brute-forced given unlimited attempts; lockout removes that unlimited-attempt advantage. This is the most effective additional control because it targets the attack mechanism itself rather than the password's guessability.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use a password blacklist
Why it's wrong here
A blacklist blocks known-weak and breached passwords, but the compromise came from brute-force guessing of policy-compliant strings, which a blacklist does not stop. It is tempting because blacklists counter credential stuffing and dictionary attacks, where they are the right control.
- ✗
Increase minimum password length to 16 characters
Why it's wrong here
Sixteen characters raises guessing cost, yet the attack succeeded through repeated online attempts, which length alone does not halt. It is tempting because longer passwords genuinely strengthen resistance to offline cracking, the scenario where this control belongs.
- ✓
Implement account lockout after 5 failed attempts
Why this is correct
Account lockout after five failed attempts halts repeated authentication guesses, so a brute-force attack cannot continue indefinitely against an account. Length and complexity rules alone do not stop sustained automated guessing, making lockout the control that directly mitigates this attack.
- ✗
Require password change every 30 days
Why it's wrong here
Shortening the rotation interval to 30 days does not stop brute-force guessing and pushes users toward predictable incremental passwords. It is tempting because frequent expiry is a familiar hygiene measure, but it targets credential lifetime, not repeated authentication attempts.
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About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every SSCP question from scratch — 971 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or 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 September 2026 · checked against the official ISC2 exam blueprint
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.