SSCP Risk Identification, Monitoring, and Analysis Practice Question
A company's security policy requires that all servers be hardened according to CIS Level 1 benchmarks. During an audit, it is discovered that a server has password complexity settings that exceed Level 1 requirements. Which of the following is the most appropriate action?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates mistakenly treat any deviation from a baseline as non-compliance, failing to recognize that exceeding the minimum requirements is acceptable and should be documented rather than reverted or escalated.
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
✓
Document the deviation and accept the stronger configuration
Exceeding CIS Level 1 password complexity requirements represents a stronger security posture, not a violation. CIS benchmarks define Level 1 as a minimum baseline of essential security controls, and deviations that improve security are acceptable as long as they are documented and formally accepted by management. The key principle is that compliance is measured against the minimum baseline, and stronger configurations are permitted with proper risk acceptance.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Report the non-compliance to management for remediation
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: It is not non-compliance; it exceeds the baseline.
- ✗
Implement Level 2 benchmarks to be consistent
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Level 2 is more restrictive but not required by policy.
- ✗
Immediately revert to Level 1 settings to ensure compliance
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Stronger settings are not a violation; reverting may reduce security.
- ✓
Document the deviation and accept the stronger configuration
Why this is correct
Correct: Stronger settings are acceptable but should be documented for audit purposes.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every SSCP question from scratch — 920 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 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.