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SSCP Practice Question: Which TWO protocols are used to secure email…
Which TWO protocols are used to secure email communication at the message level?
⚠ Common exam trap
ISC2 often tests the distinction between transport-layer security (SSL/TLS) and message-level security (PGP/SMIME), so candidates mistakenly choose SSL/TLS because they associate it with email security (e.g., SMTPS), but it does not provide end-to-end message encryption.
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
✓
PGP
PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) and S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) are the two primary protocols that secure email at the message level. They encrypt the entire email body and attachments, ensuring end-to-end confidentiality and integrity regardless of the transport path. PGP uses a web of trust model, while S/MIME relies on a hierarchical public key infrastructure (PKI) with X.509 certificates.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
IPsec
Why it's wrong here
Secures IP packets, not email messages.
- ✓
PGP
Why this is correct
Provides encryption and signing for email.
- ✓
S/MIME
Why this is correct
Encrypts and signs email messages using PKI.
- ✗
SSL/TLS
Why it's wrong here
Secures the transport channel, not the message.
- ✗
SSH
Why it's wrong here
Used for secure remote access, not email.
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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.