Skip to content
AvailabilitySign inBook a DemoStart free lab
Topic: Physical & Environmental SecuritySwitch
All CISSP topics

3.0 Security Architecture and Engineering

Physical & Environmental Security Practice Questions

CPTED and facility design, perimeter controls, fire suppression classes, power protection, and HVAC.

One solved question, so you can see how these are marked

A company is selecting a site for a new data center. Which action BEST applies Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) during the initial design?

Use lighting, clear sight lines, and public-to-private boundaries for natural surveillance and access control.

CPTED integrates natural surveillance, natural access control, and territorial reinforcement into the environment through visibility, circulation, and clearly defined boundaries. Landscaping that creates concealment, guards alone, and late-added technical controls do not address the design as comprehensively.

Every question in the set below is marked like this. The answers stay hidden until you pick one.

All 9 Physical & Environmental Security questions in this set

Answers and explanations appear when you work through the set above.

  1. Which perimeter control is MOST appropriate for detecting an attempted intrusion across a remote fence line before an intruder reaches the building?

    • An employee-entrance mantrap with interlocking doors and individual badge verification
    • A visitor sign-in book in the lobby
    • A fence-mounted intrusion sensor linked to alarm response
    • A badge reader on the server-room door

  2. A facility must prevent an unauthorized person from following an authorized employee through a secure door. Which control BEST addresses this risk?

    • A turnstile that permits entry after a badge read but allows free exit
    • An interlocked mantrap verifying one person before opening the second door
    • A proximity badge with a longer read range
    • A camera positioned only above the loading dock

  3. A security manager is replacing facility credentials. Which approach provides the BEST balance of accountability and rapid risk reduction when a credential is lost?

    • Use shared badges by department and change the department code monthly.
    • Use permanent mechanical keys for all areas so credentials cannot be disabled remotely.
    • Print each employee's access level on the front of the badge for visual verification.
    • Individual, least-privilege badges with prompt revocation through centralized administration

  4. A server room contains energized equipment and valuable paper records. Which fire-protection design is MOST appropriate for the room, subject to the authority having jurisdiction and a documented hazard assessment?

    • Clean-agent protection for equipment plus detection and a code-compliant building fire system
    • A water extinguisher as the sole automatic suppression method
    • Carbon dioxide discharge without alarms, evacuation controls, or agent concentration analysis
    • A Class D dry powder system because all data center fires are classified as combustible-metal fires

  5. A utility report shows that voltage stays below the equipment's normal operating range for hours at a time several times each week, but utility service does not completely stop. What condition is this, and which control directly mitigates it?

    • A blackout, addressed by a fuel-powered generator without voltage conditioning
    • A brownout, mitigated by a power-conditioning UPS or regulator
    • A fire alarm circuit fault, addressed by clean-agent suppression and detector replacement
    • An HVAC failure, mitigated by redundant chillers and temperature monitoring in each rack aisle

  6. A data center's business requirements call for continued operation during a prolonged utility outage. Which power architecture BEST meets that requirement?

    • A surge protector on each server
    • A single UPS sized for the average daily load, without a generator or provision for extended runtime
    • A UPS for ride-through, then a tested generator with fuel and critical-load capacity
    • A second utility bill from the same electrical feed

  7. Which facility change MOST improves data center environmental resilience against overheating caused by failure of a single cooling component?

    • Redundant cooling, temperature and humidity monitoring, and response thresholds.
    • Store spare paper supplies inside the server aisles.
    • Remove temperature sensors to reduce alert volume.
    • Extend HVAC technician badge validity and rely on routine maintenance instead of adding cooling capacity.

  8. A facility manager is reviewing a high-security door that must resist forced entry while still allowing occupants to exit safely during an emergency. What should be confirmed FIRST?

    • That the door uses the least expensive lock cylinder available
    • That the lock is fail-secure in every direction, regardless of life-safety requirements
    • Confirm that the badge reader authenticates employees, without checking the frame or emergency exit hardware
    • Assess the door, frame, hinges, lock, emergency egress hardware, and code requirements as a system

  9. During a facility risk assessment, which control is the BEST FIRST priority for protecting critical systems from water damage in a data center?

    • Avoid water paths; provide leak detection and shutoff.
    • Disable all fire suppression because water is a possible hazard.
    • Keep absorbent materials beside the racks and rely on cleanup after a leak reaches the equipment.
    • Allow plumbing and cooling contractors unrestricted access to the raised floor.