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SSCP Practice Question: Which TWO of the following are essential…
Which TWO of the following are essential components of a secure configuration baseline for a new server deployment?
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
✓
Disable all unnecessary services and ports
Options A and B are correct. Disabling unnecessary services and ports reduces the attack surface, and applying the latest security patches closes known vulnerabilities. Option C is incorrect because audit logging is essential for monitoring and forensic analysis; enabling only error logging is insufficient. Option D is incorrect because using the same password for all local accounts violates the principle of least privilege and increases the impact of a credential compromise. Option E is incorrect because default passwords are well-known and insecure; they must be changed before deployment.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Disable all unnecessary services and ports
Why this is correct
Reduces attack surface.
- ✓
Apply the latest security patches to the operating system
Why this is correct
Patches fix known vulnerabilities.
- ✗
Enable only error logging, not audit logging
Why it's wrong here
Audit logging is important for security monitoring.
- ✗
Assign the same strong password to all local accounts
Why it's wrong here
Single password is not least privilege and increases risk.
- ✗
Use default passwords for all service accounts
Why it's wrong here
Default passwords are well-known and insecure.
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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.