CompTIA CASP+ Practice Test

What is the engineer's greatest concern when observing sensitive data transmitted in an HTTP request?

1. Data integrity

2. Confidentiality of data

3. Authentication of the user

4. Server response time

The correct answer is: Confidentiality of data

The engineer's greatest concern when observing sensitive data transmitted in an HTTP request is the confidentiality of the data. This concern arises because HTTP by itself does not encrypt the data being transmitted. As a result, any sensitive data such as passwords, credit card numbers, or personal identification information can be exposed to anyone who can intercept the communication. Confidentiality ensures that unauthorized parties cannot access or understand the sensitive information contained in the data. Without measures like HTTPS, which use encryption protocols to secure the data during transmission, sensitive information can be easily captured by malicious actors through techniques such as packet sniffing or man-in-the-middle attacks. Therefore, the priority in this scenario is to protect the sensitive data from being disclosed to unauthorized entities while in transit, highlighting the critical importance of confidentiality. Data integrity, although important, pertains to ensuring that the data is not altered during transmission, which is not the primary concern when initially observing unencrypted sensitive data in transit. Authentication of the user is significant, but the focus here is specifically on the transmitted data itself rather than the identity of the sender. Server response time may impact performance, but it does not relate directly to the security of sensitive data being transmitted.