easyMultiple Choice
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
403 Forbidden responses indicate the server understood the request but refused authorisation, which is characteristic of a web application firewall or access rule blocking traffic. This satisfies the scenario's symptom of legitimate users being denied, rather than authentication or availability failures.
- ✗
The SSL certificate has expired.
Why it's wrong here
An expired certificate triggers browser TLS warnings or handshake failures, not an HTTP 403 generated by the application after a successful connection. Certificate expiry is the cause when clients report security warnings and the log shows handshake errors.
- ✗
The application's database connection pool is exhausted.
Why it's wrong here
An exhausted database pool produces 500-series errors or timeouts, since the application cannot obtain a connection, not 403 Forbidden. Pool exhaustion is the likely cause when logs show connection timeouts and slow queries under load.
- ✗
The web server's IP address has changed.
Why it's wrong here
An IP address change causes connection failures or DNS mismatch, producing timeouts rather than an application-level 403 response. Address changes are the cause when clients reach the old address and receive no response at all.
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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.