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(ISC)2

SSCP · Question #190

What is the PRIMARY use of a password?

The correct answer is C. Authenticate the user.. The primary purpose of a password is to authenticate a user, verifying that they are who they claim to be, by proving knowledge of a secret.

Submitted by alyssa_d· Apr 18, 2026Access Controls

Question

What is the PRIMARY use of a password?

Options

  • AAllow access to files.
  • BIdentify the user.
  • CAuthenticate the user.
  • DSegregate various user's accesses.

How the community answered

(46 responses)
  • A
    7% (3)
  • B
    4% (2)
  • C
    87% (40)
  • D
    2% (1)

Why each option

The primary purpose of a password is to authenticate a user, verifying that they are who they claim to be, by proving knowledge of a secret.

AAllow access to files.

Allowing access to files is a consequence of successful authentication and authorization, not the primary use of the password itself.

BIdentify the user.

While a password contributes to identifying the user, its core function is the verification (authentication) of that identity, not merely the identification.

CAuthenticate the user.Correct

The primary use of a password is to authenticate the user. When a user provides a password, the system verifies that the provided secret matches the stored or expected value, thus confirming the user's claimed identity.

DSegregate various user's accesses.

Segregating user access (authorization) happens after successful authentication using the password.

Concept tested: Purpose of passwords; authentication

Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/identity-protection/hello-for-business/authentication-how-it-works

Topics

#Passwords#Authentication#Access Control#User Identity Management

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