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SSCP Practice Question: Which THREE characteristics are important for a…
Which THREE characteristics are important for a password hashing algorithm?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the misconception that fixed output length is a key requirement for password hashing, when in fact it is a generic property of all hash functions and not specific to password storage security.
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
✓
Salt usage
B is correct because salting ensures that each password hash is unique even if two users have the same password, preventing precomputed rainbow table attacks. A salt is a random value concatenated with the password before hashing, and it must be stored alongside the hash for verification.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Fixed output length
Why it's wrong here
Fixed output length is a property but not a security characteristic.
- ✓
Salt usage
Why this is correct
Salt prevents rainbow table attacks.
- ✗
Reversible
Why it's wrong here
Hashing should be one-way, not reversible.
- ✓
Slow computation
Why this is correct
Slowness increases the cost of brute-force attacks.
- ✓
Constant time comparison
Why this is correct
Constant time comparison prevents timing side-channel attacks.
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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.