Cisco CCST Cybersecurity 100-160 Practice Test

Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity is Cisco’s entry-level cybersecurity certification for candidates building foundational security and support skills before CyberOps Associate or CCNA Cybersecurity. It focuses on security principles, basic network and endpoint security, vulnerability and risk concepts, and incident handling.

This page includes 12 original sample questions for initial review. Full CCST Cybersecurity practice is not live in IT Mastery yet; use the preview to confirm whether this is your target exam and use Notify me if you want updates for this route.

CCST Cybersecurity snapshot

• Vendor: Cisco
• Certification: Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) Cybersecurity
• Exam code: 100-160
• Official exam time shown by Cisco: 50 minutes
• Route fit: entry-level cybersecurity support, junior security analyst, Tier 1 SOC, and CyberOps preparation
• Current IT Mastery status: Sample questions

What these questions test

• applying basic security principles such as confidentiality, integrity, availability, least privilege, and defense in depth
• recognizing network and endpoint security concepts at a support-technician level
• distinguishing vulnerabilities, threats, risks, controls, and common attack types
• selecting reasonable incident-handling steps without overreacting or destroying evidence
• knowing when to document, escalate, contain, or request more context

CCST Cybersecurity versus CCNA Cybersecurity

If you are new to cybersecurity, start with CCST Cybersecurity. If you already read logs, investigate alerts, and understand host and network evidence, open the CCNA Cybersecurity 200-201 page instead.

Sample Exam Questions

Try these 12 original sample questions for Cisco CCST Cybersecurity 100-160. They are designed for self-assessment and are not official Cisco exam questions.

Question 1

Topic: CIA triad

A ransomware infection prevents staff from opening business files. Which part of the CIA triad is most directly affected?

• A. Availability.
• B. Nonrepudiation.
• C. Formatting.
• D. Compression.

Best answer: A

Explanation: Availability means authorized users can access systems and data when needed. Ransomware often affects availability by encrypting files or disrupting systems.

What this tests: Applying basic security principles.

Question 2

Topic: phishing

A user receives an email that appears to come from IT support and asks for their password on a lookalike login page. What should the user do?

• A. Enter the password quickly before the link expires.
• B. Forward the message to other users.
• C. Report the message through the approved process and avoid entering credentials.
• D. Reply to the sender with a corrected password.

Best answer: C

Explanation: Suspected phishing should be reported and handled safely. Users should not enter credentials, forward the message broadly, or interact with the attacker.

What this tests: Recognizing and responding to phishing.

Question 3

Topic: least privilege

Why should a help desk account avoid having domain administrator privileges for routine password resets?

• A. Least privilege reduces the damage if the account is misused or compromised.
• B. Password resets require no identity controls.
• C. Administrators should share one powerful account.
• D. Audit logs are unnecessary for support work.

Best answer: A

Explanation: Least privilege gives users only the access needed for their duties. Routine support work should not require broad administrative rights that increase risk.

What this tests: Understanding access-control basics.

Question 4

Topic: endpoint security

An endpoint protection tool quarantines a file downloaded from an unknown site. What should a technician do next?

• A. Disable endpoint protection permanently.
• B. Restore the file because the user requested it.
• C. Follow the organization’s review or escalation process and preserve relevant alert details.
• D. Delete all logs to clear the warning.

Best answer: C

Explanation: Alerts should be reviewed according to procedure. The technician should preserve useful details, avoid bypassing controls, and escalate if the file or alert is suspicious.

What this tests: Responding to endpoint-security events.

Question 5

Topic: vulnerability versus threat

Which statement best distinguishes a vulnerability from a threat?

• A. A vulnerability is a weakness; a threat is something that could exploit a weakness.
• B. A vulnerability is always a person; a threat is always a patch.
• C. The terms mean the same thing.
• D. A threat exists only after data is encrypted.

Best answer: A

Explanation: A vulnerability is a weakness, while a threat is a potential cause of harm. Risk depends on how threats can exploit vulnerabilities and what impact would result.

What this tests: Using foundational risk vocabulary correctly.

Question 6

Topic: secure passwords

Which practice best supports secure authentication?

• A. Reusing one password across all services.
• B. Using strong unique passwords and multi-factor authentication where available.
• C. Sharing passwords in team chat.
• D. Storing passwords in a public document.

Best answer: B

Explanation: Unique passwords reduce credential-reuse risk, and MFA adds another control if a password is stolen. Shared or public passwords undermine accountability and security.

What this tests: Applying basic authentication safeguards.

Question 7

Topic: network security

A guest Wi-Fi network should allow internet access but not internal server access. Which design idea is most appropriate?

• A. Place guest devices on the same unrestricted network as servers.
• B. Disable firewall rules for convenience.
• C. Use segmentation and policy controls to separate guests from internal systems.
• D. Give guests employee VPN credentials.

Best answer: C

Explanation: Guest access should be isolated from internal resources. Segmentation and policy controls limit exposure while still allowing intended internet access.

What this tests: Recognizing basic network-security boundaries.

Question 8

Topic: incident handling

A technician suspects malware on a workstation. What should happen before wiping the device?

• A. Collect and preserve relevant details according to procedure, then escalate or contain as directed.
• B. Announce the user’s name publicly.
• C. Delete all evidence immediately.
• D. Connect the device to more networks for testing.

Best answer: A

Explanation: Incident handling requires evidence-aware workflow. Technicians should preserve useful details, avoid spreading the issue, and follow containment and escalation procedures.

What this tests: Choosing safe incident-handling steps.

Question 9

Topic: social engineering

A caller claims to be an executive and demands an urgent password reset without identity verification. What is the best response?

• A. Reset the password immediately because the caller sounds important.
• B. Follow the approved identity-verification and escalation process.
• C. Ask the caller to share the old password.
• D. Disable logging for the reset.

Best answer: B

Explanation: Urgency and authority are common social-engineering pressure tactics. Support staff should follow verification procedures even when the request seems important.

What this tests: Recognizing social-engineering pressure.

Question 10

Topic: security updates

Why are operating system and application patches important?

• A. They can fix known vulnerabilities and reduce exposure to attacks.
• B. They guarantee no future incident is possible.
• C. They replace the need for backups.
• D. They make passwords unnecessary.

Best answer: A

Explanation: Patches reduce risk from known vulnerabilities. They are important, but they do not remove the need for backups, authentication, monitoring, and other controls.

What this tests: Understanding vulnerability remediation.

Question 11

Topic: log review

A login log shows repeated failed attempts from an unfamiliar location followed by a successful login. What should a technician do?

• A. Treat it as a possible account compromise indicator and escalate according to procedure.
• B. Ignore it because one login succeeded.
• C. Delete the log entry.
• D. Disable password requirements.

Best answer: A

Explanation: Repeated failures followed by success can indicate guessing, credential stuffing, or stolen credentials. The event should be reviewed with context and escalated if suspicious.

What this tests: Interpreting basic security logs.

Question 12

Topic: backups

Which backup practice best supports recovery after accidental deletion or ransomware?

• A. One untested local copy on the same workstation.
• B. No backups because cloud services always recover everything.
• C. Regular backups with tested restore procedures and appropriate protection from unauthorized changes.
• D. Screenshots of important folders.

Best answer: C

Explanation: Backups are useful only if they can be restored. Protection from unauthorized changes, retention, and restore testing help make recovery realistic.

What this tests: Connecting backup practice to incident resilience.

Related Cisco and cybersecurity routes

• Cisco CCNA Cybersecurity 200-201 for associate-level security operations practice.
• Cisco CCST Networking 100-150 if your entry-level goal starts with networking support.
• CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 if you want a vendor-neutral security route with live IT Mastery practice.
• ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity if you want another entry-level cybersecurity route.

Official source

For current exam topics, duration, language availability, registration details, and Cisco policy changes, verify Cisco’s official CCST Cybersecurity 100-160 exam page before scheduling.