SSCP Network and Communications Security Practice Question
A network administrator wants to block all inbound traffic except for web and email services. Which firewall rule configuration would achieve this?
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
✓
Default-deny with allow rules for HTTP, HTTPS, and SMTP
A default-deny rule blocks all traffic by default, and then explicit allow rules for specific services (HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP) permit desired inbound traffic.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Default-deny with allow rules for HTTP, HTTPS, and SMTP
Why this is correct
Default-deny blocks everything; allow rules enable only required services.
- ✗
Stateful inspection without default policy
Why it's wrong here
Stateful inspection still needs a default policy to be effective.
- ✗
Stateless packet filtering with a rule per service
Why it's wrong here
Stateless filtering lacks context, but the key is the default policy.
- ✗
Default-allow with deny rules for unwanted services
Why it's wrong here
Default-allow would permit all traffic except explicitly denied, which is less secure.
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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.