easyMultiple Choice
SSCP Practice Question: Ensure that data transmitted between its two…
A company wants to ensure that data transmitted between its two branch offices remains confidential. Which cryptographic goal is primarily being addressed?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse confidentiality with integrity, mistakenly thinking that protecting data from modification also prevents it from being read, but encryption alone does not guarantee integrity unless combined with a MAC or authenticated encryption mode like GCM.
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
✓
Confidentiality
Confidentiality ensures that data is accessible only to authorized parties, typically achieved through encryption. In this scenario, the company wants to prevent unauthorized interception of data between branch offices, which is the core goal of confidentiality. Technologies such as IPsec VPNs or TLS are used to encrypt the data in transit, directly addressing this requirement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Availability
Why it's wrong here
Availability ensures timely and reliable access to data and systems; it does not conceal content in transit. Confidentiality is the goal addressed by encryption protocols such as IPsec or TLS between the branch offices. Availability would be the correct answer if the requirement were uptime, redundancy or resilience against denial-of-service rather than secrecy.
- ✗
Non-repudiation
Why it's wrong here
Non-repudiation proves a party performed an action, typically via digital signatures, and does nothing to conceal data contents. It is tempting because signatures also use cryptography, and would be correct where the requirement is proving origin or preventing denial of a transaction, not confidentiality.
- ✗
Integrity
Why it's wrong here
Integrity detects unauthorised modification through hashes or MACs, but leaves plaintext readable, so interception still exposes contents. It is tempting because both are cryptographic goals, and integrity would be correct where the requirement is detecting tampering rather than preventing disclosure.
- ✓
Confidentiality
Why this is correct
Confidentiality directly satisfies the stem's requirement that transmitted data remain secret between branch offices. Encryption ensures only intended recipients can read the data, preventing eavesdroppers on the link from interpreting it. This cryptographic goal maps precisely to protecting data in transit, unlike integrity, authentication or non-repudiation, which address different security objectives.
Quick reference
VPN Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Port | Encryption | Authentication | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEv2 / IPsec | UDP 500 / 4500 | AES-256 | Certificates / PSK | Site-to-site & remote access |
| SSL / TLS VPN | TCP 443 | TLS 1.3 | Certificates / MFA | Clientless remote access |
| L2TP / IPsec | UDP 1701 | AES (IPsec) | PSK / Certificates | Legacy remote access |
| WireGuard | UDP 51820 | ChaCha20 | Public keys | Modern high-performance VPN |
| PPTP | TCP 1723 | MPPE (weak) | MS-CHAPv2 | Legacy — avoid in production |
PPTP is considered insecure. IKEv2/IPsec and SSL VPN are the current recommended options.
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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.