100+ Free Ruankao Information Security Engineer (Intermediate) Practice Questions

Prepare for the Computer Technology and Software Professional Qualification (Level) Examination — Intermediate Information Security Engineer (计算机技术与软件专业技术资格（水平）考试 — 中级信息安全工程师) exam with instant access — no signup required.

✓ No registration✓ No credit card✓ No hidden fees✓ Start practicing immediately

100+ Questions

100% Free

Loading practice questions...

Same family resources

Explore More China Computer Technology and Software Professional Qualification Examinations (软考)

Continue into nearby exams from the same family. Each card keeps practice questions, study guides, flashcards, videos, and articles in one place.

Ruankao Information System Management Engineer — Intermediate (软考中级信息系统管理工程师, China)

Practice Questions100 questions

Ruankao Information System Operations Administrator — Junior (软考初级信息系统运行管理员, China)

Practice Questions100 questions

2026 Statistics

Key Facts: Ruankao Information Security Engineer (Intermediate) Exam

45/75

Passing score required on each of the two subjects in the same sitting

National 软考 fixed passing standard (60% of 75)

240 minutes

Combined CBT time for 基础知识 then 应用技术

软考 computer-based sitting rules for intermediate qualifications

75 MCQs

Official 基础知识 single-choice item count before the case paper

Information Security Engineer subject-1 format

24–27 Oct 2026

Lower-half-year 2026 sitting window in provincial notices

Provincial 软考 examination notices

RMB 73/subject

Guangdong fee example under 粤发改价格函〔2024〕1073

Guangdong provincial price letter

No score rollover

Both subjects must be passed together; a single subject is not retained

软考 intermediate two-subject sitting rule

软考 Intermediate Information Security Engineer is a Chinese CBT qualification: 75 knowledge MCQs plus a case paper in one 240-minute sitting, 45/75 on each subject, no score rollover. The 2026 lower-half sitting is 24–27 October 2026. This 100-question English MCQ bank adapts 等保2.0, SM2/SM3/SM4, network defense, and engineering judgment; it is not an official paper.

Sample Ruankao Information Security Engineer (Intermediate) Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your Ruankao Information Security Engineer (Intermediate) exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1In 软考 network-information-security teaching, which CIA property is primarily provided by encrypting payroll files so unauthorized readers cannot recover the plaintext?

A.Integrity

B.Availability

C.Confidentiality

D.Non-repudiation (抗抵赖)

Explanation: Confidentiality (机密性) is the property that information is not disclosed to unauthorized subjects. Encryption is the classic technical control for confidentiality because ciphertext is unreadable without the key. Integrity is about unauthorized modification, availability is about timely usable access, and 抗抵赖 is about proving origin or receipt, typically with digital signatures.

2A backup operator publishes an SM3 digest of a firmware image so installers can detect unauthorized alteration. Which security property is the digest mainly enforcing?

A.Integrity

B.Availability

C.Controllability (可控性)

D.Confidentiality

Explanation: A cryptographic hash such as SM3 is a one-way digest. Comparing a freshly computed digest with the published value detects unauthorized modification, which is integrity (完整性). The digest is not a secret that hides the image, does not keep the download service online, and does not itself authorize who may install the image.

3A volumetric DDoS flood that saturates an e-commerce site's uplink so legitimate customers cannot complete checkout primarily violates which CIA property?

A.Availability

B.Authenticity

C.Confidentiality

D.Integrity

Explanation: Availability (可用性) is the property that authorized users can access information and services when needed. A volumetric DDoS consumes bandwidth or resources so the checkout service is unusable. The flood does not by itself disclose secrets or alter stored order records.

4Which 软考 security property is provided when a sender signs a contract hash with an SM2 private key so the sender cannot later deny having approved that exact document?

A.Traffic-flow confidentiality

B.Confidentiality

C.Availability

D.Non-repudiation (抗抵赖)

Explanation: Non-repudiation (抗抵赖) means a party cannot credibly deny origin or approval of a message. An SM2 digital signature is created with the sender's private key and verified with the corresponding public key, binding the signer to that document hash. Encryption hides content; availability keeps services reachable; traffic-flow confidentiality hides who talks to whom.

5Article 23 of the PRC Cybersecurity Law (网络安全法, as amended effective 1 January 2026; formerly Article 21) requires the state to implement which institutional system that 等保2.0 operationalizes for classified protection of networks?

A.The commercial cryptography assessment system only

B.The cybersecurity classified protection system (网络安全等级保护制度)

C.A voluntary ISO/IEC 27001 registration system with no police filing

D.A private-sector-only PCI DSS mandate

Explanation: Article 23 of the amended Cybersecurity Law — Article 21 in the 2016 text, renumbered when the 2025 amendment took effect on 1 January 2026 — states that the state implements the cybersecurity classified protection system (网络安全等级保护制度). 等保2.0 (notably GB/T 22239-2019) is the current technical/management standard set used to grade, file, construct, and evaluate systems. Commercial cryptography assessment (密评) is a related but distinct cryptography-law duty; ISO 27001 is voluntary internationally; PCI DSS is a card-brand standard, not the PRC legal classified-protection system.

6The PRC Data Security Law (数据安全法) organizes protection of data primarily through which mechanism that 软考 cases expect you to apply in engineering design?

A.Data classification and grading (数据分类分级) with protection matched to importance and harm

B.Encrypting only data that leaves China and leaving domestic copies in plaintext

C.Replacing all access control with annual ISO audits

D.Treating all data as a single unrestricted public resource

Explanation: The Data Security Law requires data to be classified and graded (数据分类分级) so protective measures match importance and the harm of leakage, tampering, or loss. Important data and core data carry heavier duties than ordinary data. Treating everything as public, encrypting only cross-border copies, or substituting audits for access control contradicts that graded-protection model.

7Under a typical 软考 attack-process outline, which step is performed FIRST?

A.Exploit a buffer overflow to obtain a root shell

B.Publish stolen data on a leak site

C.Clear logs and implant a persistent backdoor

D.Hide or spoof the attack source, then collect target information

Explanation: The usual 软考 sequence is: hide/spoof the source, collect target information, discover vulnerabilities, gain access, conceal activity, attack, open a backdoor, then clear traces. Reconnaissance after source hiding comes before exploitation, persistence, or data publication.

8Which attack sends a login field such as `' OR 1=1 --` so the database interprets attacker-controlled SQL instead of a literal username?

A.SYN flood

B.Cross-site scripting (XSS)

C.SQL injection

D.ARP spoofing

Explanation: SQL injection occurs when untrusted input is concatenated into a query so the database executes attacker SQL. `' OR 1=1 --` is a classic tautology that can bypass a poorly written login check. XSS injects script into pages, ARP spoofing poisons LAN address mapping, and a SYN flood is a TCP resource DoS.

9A network worm differs from a classic file-infecting virus primarily because the worm:

A.Cannot cause any availability impact

B.Propagates across networks with little or no user-opened host file

C.Always requires a macro in a Word document

D.Is identical to a logic bomb that waits for a date

Explanation: A worm is self-propagating malware that spreads over networks, often by exploiting a service, with little or no user-opened infected file. A classic virus attaches to a host file and waits for that file to run. Worms frequently cause availability damage (for example WannaCry). Macros and date-triggered logic bombs are other malware patterns, not the worm definition.

10Which social-engineering method sends a look-alike bank login page to harvest credentials?

A.Phishing (网络钓鱼)

B.SYN cookie exhaustion on the server

C.Static application security testing

D.SQL injection

Explanation: Phishing (网络钓鱼) lures users to a counterfeit site or message to steal credentials or install malware. SQL injection targets the database parser, SYN cookies are a TCP DoS mitigation/attack surface, and SAST is a defensive code-analysis technique.

About the Ruankao Information Security Engineer (Intermediate) Exam

The Ruankao Intermediate Information Security Engineer exam (软考中级信息安全工程师) is a national computer-technology qualification under MIIT and MOHRSS. The official 2026 lower-half-year sitting is scheduled 24–27 October 2026 by provincial notices. Delivery is computer-based in Chinese: two subjects in one sitting, 基础知识 then 应用技术, combined 240 minutes. Both papers must reach 45/75; scores do not roll. There is no education or experience restriction. Fees are set provincially. This OpenExamPrep bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation of syllabus knowledge and case judgment, not an official translation or a substitute for the written case paper.

Assessment

Computer-based combined sitting of 240 minutes. 基础知识: 75 single-choice items, maximum 120 minutes and minimum 90 minutes. Remaining time is 应用技术 case/short-answer. Candidates who will not sit 应用技术 may leave after 120 minutes; those continuing may leave 60 minutes before the end. Both subjects must reach 45/75 in the same sitting; scores do not roll.

Time Limit

240 minutes combined

Passing Score

45/75 each subject

Exam Fee

Provincially set (e.g. Guangdong RMB 73/subject per 粤发改价格函〔2024〕1073; Shanghai RMB 10 registration + RMB 60/subject) (MIIT & MOHRSS / ruankao.org.cn)

Ruankao Information Security Engineer (Intermediate) Exam Content Outline

12%

network-information-security-overview-and-attacks

CIA triad plus 抗抵赖 and 可控性, PRC Cybersecurity Law / Data Security Law / PIPL / Cryptography Law, attack process, scanning, injection, overflow, phishing, and denial of service

15%

cryptography

Symmetric and public-key systems, AES key sizes and rounds, RSA modular arithmetic, hash properties, digital signatures, PKI, and Chinese commercial algorithms SM2, SM3, and SM4

10%

architecture-physical-authentication-access-control

BLP/Biba and defense-in-depth models, physical and environment controls, passwords/Kerberos/PKI/MFA, and DAC/MAC/RBAC with least privilege

13%

firewall-vpn-ids-isolation-audit

Packet-filter and stateful firewalls, ACL first-match order, IPsec and SSL VPN, IDS versus IPS, 网闸 and air-gap isolation, and security audit logs

10%

vulnerability-malware-defense-risk-emergency

Vulnerability protection, malware classes, honeypots and active defense, asset-threat-vulnerability risk assessment, and PDCERF emergency response

evaluation-standards-and-mlps

等保2.0 (GB/T 22239-2019) five levels, one-center three-protections technical classes, three-admin separation, and evaluation cycles

os-database-network-device-security

Windows/Linux hardening, database privileges and parameterized queries, and network-device management (SSH, SNMPv3, AAA)

25%

security-engineering-application

Risk assessment and requirements, solution design, device deployment, system hardening, and website, cloud, ICS, mobile, and big-data security engineering case judgment

How to Pass the Ruankao Information Security Engineer (Intermediate) Exam

What You Need to Know

Passing score: 45/75 each subject
Assessment: Computer-based combined sitting of 240 minutes. 基础知识: 75 single-choice items, maximum 120 minutes and minimum 90 minutes. Remaining time is 应用技术 case/short-answer. Candidates who will not sit 应用技术 may leave after 120 minutes; those continuing may leave 60 minutes before the end. Both subjects must reach 45/75 in the same sitting; scores do not roll.
Time limit: 240 minutes combined
Exam fee: Provincially set (e.g. Guangdong RMB 73/subject per 粤发改价格函〔2024〕1073; Shanghai RMB 10 registration + RMB 60/subject)

Keys to Passing

Work through all 100 available questions
Review every answer and explanation
Track weak areas and revisit them
Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Ruankao Information Security Engineer (Intermediate) Study Tips from Top Performers

1Memorize 等保2.0 technical classes (安全物理环境, 安全通信网络, 安全区域边界, 安全计算环境, 安全管理中心) and the three-admin split (系统管理员, 安全管理员, 审计管理员).

2Drill SM2 (elliptic-curve public-key), SM3 (256-bit hash), and SM4 (128-bit block and key) against AES/RSA/SHA so you can pick the Chinese commercial algorithm in mixed lists.

3Practice small-number RSA: n = p × q, φ(n) = (p − 1)(q − 1), e × d ≡ 1 (mod φ(n)), and c ≡ m^e (mod n).

4On firewall items, evaluate ACL lines top-down; the first match wins, so a leading deny any any blocks later permits.

5For 应用技术-style cases, name the control, where it is placed (border, DMZ, compute environment, or management center), and the 等保2.0 class it satisfies.

6Sequence incidents with PDCERF: preparation, detection, containment, eradication, recovery, follow-up — isolate first, then eradicate, then restore from known-good backups.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Ruankao Intermediate Information Security Engineer qualification?

It is the Intermediate Information Security Engineer subject (中级信息安全工程师) in the Computer Technology and Software Professional Qualification (Level) Examination (软考). MIIT and MOHRSS administer the national scheme; the candidate portal is https://www.ruankao.org.cn/. Passing confers the corresponding intermediate professional qualification.

How is the official exam structured and scored?

Two subjects are taken in one computer-based sitting totaling 240 minutes. 基础知识 is 75 single-choice items (maximum 120 minutes, minimum 90 minutes). Remaining time is the 应用技术 case/short-answer paper. Each subject is scored out of 75; both must reach 45 in the same sitting. Scores do not roll to a later sitting.

Who may sit the exam, and what does it cost?

There is no education or experience restriction under the national 软考 rules. Fees are set by each province. Examples: Guangdong RMB 73 per subject under 粤发改价格函〔2024〕1073; Shanghai RMB 10 registration plus RMB 60 per subject. Confirm the current provincial notice before paying.

When is the 2026 sitting and how do I schedule?

The Information Security Engineer paper is offered in the lower-half-year window. Provincial notices place the 2026 sitting on 24–27 October 2026. Registration and scheduling run through https://www.ruankao.org.cn/ and the relevant provincial testing authority.

Why are these practice questions in English?

The official exam is in Chinese (officialLanguages: zh) and 应用技术 is a written case paper. This OpenExamPrep bank is an English-language MCQ study adaptation of syllabus knowledge and case judgment. It is not an official translation, not a CBT simulation, and not a substitute for practicing Chinese case write-ups.