mediumMultiple SelectObjective-mapped
SSCP Practice Question: Which TWO of the following are effective controls…
Which TWO of the following are effective controls to prevent buffer overflow attacks? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the misconception that input validation alone is sufficient to prevent buffer overflows, or that stack canaries are a primary control rather than a detection mechanism, leading candidates to select them instead of the memory protection controls ASLR and NX bit.
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
✓
Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR)
Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) is a memory protection technique that randomizes the base addresses of executable modules, heap, and stack regions. This makes it significantly harder for an attacker to predict the memory addresses needed to inject and execute shellcode, thereby mitigating many buffer overflow exploits that rely on fixed address references.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Input validation to reject long inputs
Why it's wrong here
Input validation can help but is not sufficient; many overflows occur via other means.
- ✓
Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR)
Why this is correct
ASLR randomizes memory addresses, making it harder to predict target addresses.
- ✗
Code obfuscation
Why it's wrong here
Obfuscation does not prevent buffer overflows.
- ✓
Non-executable stack (NX bit)
Why this is correct
NX bit marks stack as non-executable, preventing code execution.
- ✗
Stack canaries
Why it's wrong here
Stack canaries detect overflow but do not prevent it.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 920 original SSCP practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.