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SSCP Practice Question: Which THREE of the following are valid methods…
Which THREE of the following are valid methods for authenticating users in a web application? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the distinction between authentication and authorization or access control, leading candidates to mistakenly select IP whitelisting (a network-layer access control) as an authentication method, or LDAP (a directory protocol) as a direct authentication protocol rather than a backend service.
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
✓
SAML
SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) is a valid method for authenticating users in a web application because it is an XML-based open standard for exchanging authentication and authorization data between an identity provider (IdP) and a service provider (SP). It enables single sign-on (SSO) by allowing the SP to trust the IdP's assertion of the user's identity, making it a widely adopted federated authentication protocol.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
IP address whitelisting
Why it's wrong here
IP whitelisting is an access control, not authentication.
- ✓
SAML
Why this is correct
SAML enables single sign-on across domains.
- ✓
OAuth 2.0
Why this is correct
OAuth 2.0 provides delegated access via tokens.
- ✓
HTTP Basic Authentication
Why this is correct
Basic authentication sends username/password in header.
- ✗
LDAP
Why it's wrong here
LDAP is a protocol for accessing directory services, not an authentication method per se.
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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.