Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) ACTUAL
EXAM 150 QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS WITH DETIALED
RATIONALES 2025\2026 LATEST ALL NEEDED TO PASS THE CISSP EXAM
Overview:
The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) 2025–2026 study guide offers 150
expertly designed practice questions with accurate answers and detailed rationales to help learners
master the breadth of security domains covered in the CISSP Common Body of Knowledge. This latest
edition focuses on the most frequently tested concepts—ranging from security architecture and risk
management to network security, identity access management, and incident response—providing clear
explanations that strengthen understanding and support effective exam preparation. While no resource
can include or guarantee actual exam items, this comprehensive set is structured to equip candidates
with the knowledge, reasoning skills, and confidence needed to excel on the CISSP exam.
1. Which principle ensures that users have access only to the resources they need to perform their
jobs?
A. Separation of Duties
B. Least Privilege
C. Need-to-Know
D. Job Rotation
Answer: B
Rationale: Least Privilege restricts access to only what is necessary for the user’s role, reducing risk.
2. In risk management, the product of threat, vulnerability, and impact is known as:
A. Residual Risk
B. Annual Loss Expectancy (ALE)
C. Exposure Factor
D. Risk Answer: D
Rationale: Risk is calculated by considering threats, vulnerabilities, and potential impact.
3. Which type of firewall filters packets based on source and destination IP addresses?
A. Stateful Firewall
B. Packet-Filtering Firewall
C. Proxy Firewall
D. Application Firewall
Answer: B
Rationale: Packet-filtering firewalls operate at the network layer and evaluate packet headers.
4. What is the primary purpose of hashing?
,A. Encrypt data for confidentiality
B. Verify integrity of data
C. Authenticate a user
D. Compress data
Answer: B
Rationale: Hash functions produce a fixed-size output to verify that data has not been altered.
5. Which security model focuses on confidentiality by preventing information from flowing from
higher classification to lower classification?
A. Bell-LaPadula
B. Biba
C. Clark-Wilson
D. Brewer-Nash
Answer: A
Rationale: Bell-LaPadula enforces "no read up, no write down" to maintain confidentiality.
6. A vulnerability scan identifies:
A. Active attacks on a system
B. Weaknesses that could be exploited
C. Successful breaches
D. Phishing attempts
Answer: B
Rationale: Vulnerability scans detect potential weaknesses before they are exploited.
7. Which cryptographic method uses two separate keys for encryption and decryption?
A. Symmetric Encryption
B. Asymmetric Encryption
C. Hashing
D. Digital Signatures
Answer: B
Rationale: Asymmetric encryption uses a public key and private key pair.
8. Which type of access control is based on a user’s role within an organization?
A. Discretionary Access Control (DAC)
B. Mandatory Access Control (MAC)
C. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
D. Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)
, Answer: C
Rationale: RBAC assigns permissions based on roles, not individual identities.
9. What is the primary goal of disaster recovery planning?
A. Prevent all security incidents
B. Minimize downtime and restore operations quickly C. Eliminate threats
D. Secure physical access only
Answer: B
Rationale: DR plans focus on recovering operations and minimizing impact after an incident.
10. Which type of malware restricts access to a system and demands payment?
A. Virus
B. Worm
C. Ransomware D. Trojan Horse
Answer: C
Rationale: Ransomware encrypts or blocks access to data until a ransom is paid.
11. Multi-factor authentication requires:
A. Username and password only
B. Password and PIN only
C. Two or more forms of authentication from different categories
D. Single-factor authentication with complexity
Answer: C
Rationale: MFA combines knowledge, possession, or inherence factors for stronger security.
12. Which security principle ensures that changes are made only by authorized users and are properly
documented?
A. Accountability
B. Integrity
C. Availability
D. Authentication
Answer: A
Rationale: Accountability tracks and documents actions to prevent unauthorized changes.
13. What is the primary function of a demilitarized zone (DMZ) in network architecture?
A. Host internal confidential systems
, B. Provide a buffer zone between internal and external networks
C. Encrypt all traffic
D. Monitor employee activities
Answer: B
Rationale: A DMZ isolates public-facing services to reduce risk to internal networks.
14. Which principle states that security should be designed so that the system remains secure even if
attackers know its design?
A. Security Through Obscurity
B. Kerckhoffs’s Principle
C. Least Privilege
D. Defense in Depth
Answer: B
Rationale: Kerckhoffs’s principle advocates security that does not rely on secrecy of design.
15. Which attack exploits the trust between a user and a website by injecting malicious scripts?
A. Phishing
B. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
C. SQL Injection
D. Man-in-the-Middle
Answer: B
Rationale: XSS attacks inject scripts to execute in a user’s browser, exploiting trust.
16. In asymmetric cryptography, which key is used to digitally sign a message?
A. Public key
B. Private key
C. Session key
D. Symmetric key
Answer: B
Rationale: Private keys are used to sign messages to provide authenticity.
17. Which disaster recovery strategy provides near-instant recovery by maintaining a fully redundant
system?
A. Cold Site
B. Warm Site
C. Hot Site
D. Reciprocal Agreement
EXAM 150 QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS WITH DETIALED
RATIONALES 2025\2026 LATEST ALL NEEDED TO PASS THE CISSP EXAM
Overview:
The Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) 2025–2026 study guide offers 150
expertly designed practice questions with accurate answers and detailed rationales to help learners
master the breadth of security domains covered in the CISSP Common Body of Knowledge. This latest
edition focuses on the most frequently tested concepts—ranging from security architecture and risk
management to network security, identity access management, and incident response—providing clear
explanations that strengthen understanding and support effective exam preparation. While no resource
can include or guarantee actual exam items, this comprehensive set is structured to equip candidates
with the knowledge, reasoning skills, and confidence needed to excel on the CISSP exam.
1. Which principle ensures that users have access only to the resources they need to perform their
jobs?
A. Separation of Duties
B. Least Privilege
C. Need-to-Know
D. Job Rotation
Answer: B
Rationale: Least Privilege restricts access to only what is necessary for the user’s role, reducing risk.
2. In risk management, the product of threat, vulnerability, and impact is known as:
A. Residual Risk
B. Annual Loss Expectancy (ALE)
C. Exposure Factor
D. Risk Answer: D
Rationale: Risk is calculated by considering threats, vulnerabilities, and potential impact.
3. Which type of firewall filters packets based on source and destination IP addresses?
A. Stateful Firewall
B. Packet-Filtering Firewall
C. Proxy Firewall
D. Application Firewall
Answer: B
Rationale: Packet-filtering firewalls operate at the network layer and evaluate packet headers.
4. What is the primary purpose of hashing?
,A. Encrypt data for confidentiality
B. Verify integrity of data
C. Authenticate a user
D. Compress data
Answer: B
Rationale: Hash functions produce a fixed-size output to verify that data has not been altered.
5. Which security model focuses on confidentiality by preventing information from flowing from
higher classification to lower classification?
A. Bell-LaPadula
B. Biba
C. Clark-Wilson
D. Brewer-Nash
Answer: A
Rationale: Bell-LaPadula enforces "no read up, no write down" to maintain confidentiality.
6. A vulnerability scan identifies:
A. Active attacks on a system
B. Weaknesses that could be exploited
C. Successful breaches
D. Phishing attempts
Answer: B
Rationale: Vulnerability scans detect potential weaknesses before they are exploited.
7. Which cryptographic method uses two separate keys for encryption and decryption?
A. Symmetric Encryption
B. Asymmetric Encryption
C. Hashing
D. Digital Signatures
Answer: B
Rationale: Asymmetric encryption uses a public key and private key pair.
8. Which type of access control is based on a user’s role within an organization?
A. Discretionary Access Control (DAC)
B. Mandatory Access Control (MAC)
C. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
D. Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)
, Answer: C
Rationale: RBAC assigns permissions based on roles, not individual identities.
9. What is the primary goal of disaster recovery planning?
A. Prevent all security incidents
B. Minimize downtime and restore operations quickly C. Eliminate threats
D. Secure physical access only
Answer: B
Rationale: DR plans focus on recovering operations and minimizing impact after an incident.
10. Which type of malware restricts access to a system and demands payment?
A. Virus
B. Worm
C. Ransomware D. Trojan Horse
Answer: C
Rationale: Ransomware encrypts or blocks access to data until a ransom is paid.
11. Multi-factor authentication requires:
A. Username and password only
B. Password and PIN only
C. Two or more forms of authentication from different categories
D. Single-factor authentication with complexity
Answer: C
Rationale: MFA combines knowledge, possession, or inherence factors for stronger security.
12. Which security principle ensures that changes are made only by authorized users and are properly
documented?
A. Accountability
B. Integrity
C. Availability
D. Authentication
Answer: A
Rationale: Accountability tracks and documents actions to prevent unauthorized changes.
13. What is the primary function of a demilitarized zone (DMZ) in network architecture?
A. Host internal confidential systems
, B. Provide a buffer zone between internal and external networks
C. Encrypt all traffic
D. Monitor employee activities
Answer: B
Rationale: A DMZ isolates public-facing services to reduce risk to internal networks.
14. Which principle states that security should be designed so that the system remains secure even if
attackers know its design?
A. Security Through Obscurity
B. Kerckhoffs’s Principle
C. Least Privilege
D. Defense in Depth
Answer: B
Rationale: Kerckhoffs’s principle advocates security that does not rely on secrecy of design.
15. Which attack exploits the trust between a user and a website by injecting malicious scripts?
A. Phishing
B. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
C. SQL Injection
D. Man-in-the-Middle
Answer: B
Rationale: XSS attacks inject scripts to execute in a user’s browser, exploiting trust.
16. In asymmetric cryptography, which key is used to digitally sign a message?
A. Public key
B. Private key
C. Session key
D. Symmetric key
Answer: B
Rationale: Private keys are used to sign messages to provide authenticity.
17. Which disaster recovery strategy provides near-instant recovery by maintaining a fully redundant
system?
A. Cold Site
B. Warm Site
C. Hot Site
D. Reciprocal Agreement
