easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
SSCP Practice Question: A help desk technician receives multiple reports…
A help desk technician receives multiple reports that users cannot access a critical web application. The application's error log shows repeated '403 Forbidden' errors. Which of the following is the most likely cause?
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
✓
The web application firewall is blocking legitimate traffic.
A 403 Forbidden error indicates that the server understood the request but is refusing to authorize it. The most likely cause is the web application firewall (WAF) blocking legitimate traffic due to false positives or overly strict rules. Option B (expired SSL certificate) would cause SSL handshake errors, not 403. Option C (database connection pool exhausted) would result in 500-type errors. Option D (IP address change) would cause connection timeouts or DNS errors, not 403.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
The web application firewall is blocking legitimate traffic.
Why this is correct
WAFs often return 403 Forbidden when security rules trigger on legitimate traffic.
- ✗
The SSL certificate has expired.
Why it's wrong here
Expired certificates cause SSL errors, not HTTP status codes.
- ✗
The application's database connection pool is exhausted.
Why it's wrong here
Database exhaustion leads to 500 Internal Server errors, not 403.
- ✗
The web server's IP address has changed.
Why it's wrong here
An IP change would prevent connections altogether, not produce a 403 error.
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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.