SSCP Cryptography Practice Question
A security professional is designing a key management system and needs to ensure that keys are generated using a truly random source. Which of the following is the most appropriate method for generating cryptographic keys?
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
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Hardware random number generator
Hardware random number generators (HRNGs) provide true randomness, while CSPRNGs are deterministic. For key generation, a hardware RNG is best.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Hardware random number generator
Why this is correct
Hardware RNG provides true randomness.
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Cryptographically secure PRNG seeded with a static password
Why it's wrong here
Static password is not random.
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Pseudorandom number generator (PRNG) seeded with current timestamp
Why it's wrong here
Timestamp is predictable.
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User-memorized passphrase
Why it's wrong here
Passphrases are not random enough.
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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.