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?
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 number of failed attempts prevents brute-force attacks by limiting the number of guesses an attacker can make.
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
Blacklist prevents common passwords but does not stop brute-force attempts.
- ✗
Increase minimum password length to 16 characters
Why it's wrong here
Length helps but does not prevent online brute-force attacks as effectively as lockout.
- ✓
Implement account lockout after 5 failed attempts
Why this is correct
Lockout thwarts brute-force by blocking further attempts.
- ✗
Require password change every 30 days
Why it's wrong here
Frequent changes may not stop a brute-force attack during the password's lifetime.
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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.