SSCP Cryptography Practice Question
A security administrator is setting up a public key infrastructure (PKI) for internal use. Which two of the following components are essential for establishing a chain of trust from the root CA to end-entity certificates?
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
✓
An intermediate (subordinate) CA certificate signed by the root CA
The root CA must be self-signed (trust anchor), and intermediate CAs (subordinate) are used to issue end-entity certificates. CRLs and OCSP are revocation mechanisms, not trust chain components. CSR is for requesting certificates.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
An intermediate (subordinate) CA certificate signed by the root CA
Why this is correct
Intermediate CAs issue end-entity certificates and are signed by the root CA, forming the chain.
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A certificate signing request (CSR)
Why it's wrong here
CSRs are used to request certificates; they are not part of the issued certificate chain.
- ✓
A self-signed root CA certificate
Why this is correct
The root CA is the trust anchor; its certificate is self-signed and distributed to all clients.
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An online certificate status protocol (OCSP) responder
Why it's wrong here
OCSP provides real-time revocation status but is not a component of the chain of trust.
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A certificate revocation list (CRL)
Why it's wrong here
CRLs are used to revoke certificates but are not part of the trust chain itself.
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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.