SSCP Cryptography Practice Question
Which of the following is a method to check the revocation status of a digital certificate in real-time without the client downloading a full list?
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
✓
Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP)
OCSP allows querying the CA's responder for the status of a specific certificate in real-time.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Certificate Revocation List (CRL)
Why it's wrong here
CRL is a list that must be downloaded and cached, not real-time per certificate.
- ✗
Self-signed certificate validation
Why it's wrong here
Self-signed certificates are not revoked via a CA.
- ✓
Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP)
Why this is correct
OCSP provides real-time revocation status for individual certificates.
- ✗
Certificate Transparency (CT)
Why it's wrong here
CT logs certificates but does not provide revocation status.
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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.