PCPP1 Best Practices And Coding Conventions Practice Question
A script processes data from untrusted sources. Which technique best mitigates 'pickle' deserialization vulnerabilities?
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
✓
Use an alternative format like JSON or XML for serialization.
The 'pickle' module is fundamentally insecure; using secure formats like JSON is the only way to avoid code injection during deserialization.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Only unpickle from files with a specific extension.
Why it's wrong here
Extensions provide no security against malicious file content.
- ✓
Use an alternative format like JSON or XML for serialization.
Why this is correct
These formats do not support object reconstruction via arbitrary code execution.
- ✗
Wrap the unpickling in a try-except block.
Why it's wrong here
Exception handling cannot prevent the arbitrary code execution that happens during unpickling.
- ✗
Use 'pickle.load()' with a restricted whitelist of modules.
Why it's wrong here
Maintaining a secure whitelist for pickle is extremely difficult and prone to errors.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official Python Institute exam blueprint
This PCPP1 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Python Institute 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 PCPP1 exam.