What are the three basic physical security categories that describe technologies for personnel identification? (Choose three.)

Question

Options

• AWho you are
• BWhere you are
• CWhat you have
• DWho you know
• EWhat you know

• A
  74% (45)
• B
  15% (9)
• C
  5% (3)
• D
  2% (1)
• E
  5% (3)

Explanation

The three correct answers are A (Who you are), C (What you have), and E (What you know) - these are the three foundational authentication factors used in physical security. "Who you are" covers biometrics like fingerprints or retinal scans; "What you have" covers physical tokens like keycards or smart badges; "What you know" covers passwords or PINs. Together, these form the basis of multi-factor authentication (MFA) in physical access control systems.

B (Where you are) is incorrect because location is not one of the three classic identification categories - while geolocation can supplement security, it is not a primary personnel identification factor. D (Who you know) is a social concept (references, relationships) with no corresponding authentication technology, making it a distractor.

Memory tip: Use the acronym "Are, Have, Know" or the phrase "Be, Have, Know" - something you are, something you have, something you know. These map directly to biometrics, possession tokens, and knowledge-based credentials, which are the three pillars drilled into every security certification (CompTIA Security+, CISSP, etc.).

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