WGU D430 Fundamentals of Information Security 2026 Practice Questions
& Verified Answers Complete OA Prep.
Section 1: The CIA Triad & Core Concepts (Questions 1-25)
Question 1
What does the CIA Triad stand for in information security?
A) Control, Integrity, Access
B) Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
C) Cyber, Information, Access
D) Control, Information, Authorization
Answer: B
Rationale: The CIA Triad is the foundational model of information security.
Confidentiality ensures data is accessible only to authorized users, Integrity
ensures data remains unaltered, and Availability ensures data is accessible when
needed .
Question 2
Which principle of the CIA Triad is primarily supported by encryption?
,A) Availability
B) Integrity
C) Confidentiality
D) Authentication
Answer: C
Rationale: Encryption protects data by making it unreadable to unauthorized
parties, directly supporting confidentiality. While encryption can also support
integrity in some contexts, its primary purpose is maintaining confidentiality .
Question 3
A hospital's patient records system goes down during a ransomware attack,
preventing doctors from accessing critical health information. Which CIA principle
has been violated?
A) Confidentiality
B) Integrity
C) Availability
D) Non-repudiation
,Answer: C
Rationale: Availability ensures that authorized users can access data when
needed. The ransomware attack prevents doctors from accessing patient records,
directly violating availability. The Parkerian Hexad adds possession/control to
address this scenario .
Question 4
Which CIA principle ensures that data has not been tampered with or altered by
unauthorized parties?
A) Confidentiality
B) Integrity
C) Availability
D) Authenticity
Answer: B
Rationale: Integrity is the ability to prevent unauthorized changes to data and to
reverse unwanted changes. It ensures data remains accurate and trustworthy
throughout its lifecycle .
Question 5
, What does the Parkerian Hexad add to the traditional CIA Triad?
A) Compliance, Governance, and Risk
B) Possession/Control, Authenticity, and Utility
C) Privacy, Safety, and Reliability
D) Encryption, Authentication, and Authorization
Answer: B
Rationale: The Parkerian Hexad expands the CIA Triad by adding three additional
principles: possession/control (physical disposition of data media), authenticity
(verifying data source), and utility (usefulness of data) .
Question 6
A security researcher discovers that a database containing customer information
has been copied to an unauthorized server. Which Parkerian Hexad principle has
been violated beyond the traditional CIA framework?
A) Utility
B) Authenticity
C) Possession/Control
& Verified Answers Complete OA Prep.
Section 1: The CIA Triad & Core Concepts (Questions 1-25)
Question 1
What does the CIA Triad stand for in information security?
A) Control, Integrity, Access
B) Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
C) Cyber, Information, Access
D) Control, Information, Authorization
Answer: B
Rationale: The CIA Triad is the foundational model of information security.
Confidentiality ensures data is accessible only to authorized users, Integrity
ensures data remains unaltered, and Availability ensures data is accessible when
needed .
Question 2
Which principle of the CIA Triad is primarily supported by encryption?
,A) Availability
B) Integrity
C) Confidentiality
D) Authentication
Answer: C
Rationale: Encryption protects data by making it unreadable to unauthorized
parties, directly supporting confidentiality. While encryption can also support
integrity in some contexts, its primary purpose is maintaining confidentiality .
Question 3
A hospital's patient records system goes down during a ransomware attack,
preventing doctors from accessing critical health information. Which CIA principle
has been violated?
A) Confidentiality
B) Integrity
C) Availability
D) Non-repudiation
,Answer: C
Rationale: Availability ensures that authorized users can access data when
needed. The ransomware attack prevents doctors from accessing patient records,
directly violating availability. The Parkerian Hexad adds possession/control to
address this scenario .
Question 4
Which CIA principle ensures that data has not been tampered with or altered by
unauthorized parties?
A) Confidentiality
B) Integrity
C) Availability
D) Authenticity
Answer: B
Rationale: Integrity is the ability to prevent unauthorized changes to data and to
reverse unwanted changes. It ensures data remains accurate and trustworthy
throughout its lifecycle .
Question 5
, What does the Parkerian Hexad add to the traditional CIA Triad?
A) Compliance, Governance, and Risk
B) Possession/Control, Authenticity, and Utility
C) Privacy, Safety, and Reliability
D) Encryption, Authentication, and Authorization
Answer: B
Rationale: The Parkerian Hexad expands the CIA Triad by adding three additional
principles: possession/control (physical disposition of data media), authenticity
(verifying data source), and utility (usefulness of data) .
Question 6
A security researcher discovers that a database containing customer information
has been copied to an unauthorized server. Which Parkerian Hexad principle has
been violated beyond the traditional CIA framework?
A) Utility
B) Authenticity
C) Possession/Control
