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Free Practice Questions for Registered Information Security Specialist Examination

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Exam pass rate: 22.3% in 令和7 autumn (4,199 of 18,816). 19.0% in 令和7 spring; 15.1% in 令和6 autumn; 19.3% in 令和6 spring (IPA announcements).
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Key Facts: Registered Information Security Specialist Examination Exam

7,500 JPY

Exam fee (non-taxable)

IPA 令和8年度前期試験案内 / 試験要綱 Ver.5.6

60/100 each subject

Pass cutoff for A-1, A-2, and B

IPA 試験要綱 Ver.5.6

30 + 25 + 2 of 4

Official A-1, A-2, and Subject B answer counts

IPA 試験要綱 Ver.5.6

Level 4

IT Skill Standards (ITSS) ranking

IPA 情報処理安全確保支援士試験シラバス（レベル4）

22.3%

令和7 autumn official pass rate (4,199 of 18,816)

IPA 令和7年度秋期合格発表 (2025-12-25)

Japan's national ITSS Level 4 cybersecurity exam, run by IPA for METI. Fee 7,500 JPY (non-taxable); Japanese CBT with MCQ plus descriptive papers. This bank is independent English MCQ study, not an official translation.

Sample Registered Information Security Specialist Examination Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to review concepts for the Registered Information Security Specialist Examination exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Under ISO/IEC 27001 (JIS Q 27001), which of the following is classified as 'Risk Transfer' (also known as Risk Sharing) in information security risk treatment?
A.Deploying multi-factor authentication across all privileged remote access accounts
B.Deciding to completely shut down and decommission an insecure legacy database server
C.Acknowledging residual risk after evaluating that the cost of remediation exceeds the asset value
D.Purchasing cyber insurance to mitigate the financial impact of potential ransomware incidents
Explanation: Risk Transfer (or Risk Sharing) involves shifting a portion of the financial or operational risk to an external third party, most commonly through cyber insurance or outsourcing specific liability. Deploying MFA is risk mitigation (reduction), decommissioning an insecure service is risk avoidance, and acknowledging residual risk without further action is risk acceptance.
2Under Japan's Cybersecurity Basic Act (サイバーセキュリティ基本法), what is the statutory responsibility assigned to Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) operators regarding cybersecurity?
A.They must obtain prior written approval from the National Center of Incident Readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity (NISC) before applying system security patches
B.They are strictly required to employ only Japanese citizens as Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs)
C.They must strive to deepen their awareness of cybersecurity importance, secure their information systems, and cooperate with national cybersecurity policies
D.They are legally exempt from reporting security incidents to METI if they hold a valid ISO/IEC 27001 certification
Explanation: Article 6 of the Cybersecurity Basic Act (重要社会基盤事業者の責務) requires critical social infrastructure providers to deepen their interest in and understanding of cybersecurity, endeavor independently and actively to ensure cybersecurity, and endeavor to cooperate with national and local government cybersecurity measures so they can provide services stably and appropriately. This is an endeavor duty (努力義務), not a nationality restriction or a pre-approval regime for patches.
3Under Japan's Unauthorized Computer Access Act (不正アクセス禁止法), which of the following actions constitutes an offense of 'Facilitating Unauthorized Computer Access' (不正アクセス行為を助長する行為)?
A.Using an automated network scanner to map open ports on one's own private local subnet
B.Disclosing an authorized user's login ID and password to an unauthorized third party knowing it will be used for unauthorized access
C.Conducting an authorized vulnerability assessment on an enterprise web server with explicit written client consent
D.Forgetting to log off from a shared workplace terminal before taking a lunch break
Explanation: Article 5 of the Unauthorized Computer Access Act (不正アクセス行為を助長する行為の禁止) prohibits providing another person's identification codes to anyone other than the access administrator and the authorized user, except for legitimate business or other justifiable reasons. Providing those codes while knowing the recipient intends unauthorized access is the aggravated form penalized under Article 12, item 2. Authorized testing, mere failure to log off, and scanning hosts one owns are not facilitation offenses.
4Under Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI / 個人情報保護法), in which of the following data breach scenarios is a business operator statutorily obligated to report to the Personal Information Protection Commission (PPC) and notify affected data subjects?
A.A leakage or suspected leakage of personal data involving sensitive personal information (要配慮個人情報)
B.An internal loss of a single encrypted USB flash drive with robust AES-256 encryption and complex hardware key protection where decryption is impossible
C.A scheduled migration of non-sensitive customer mailing addresses between two internal servers within the same secure data center
D.A temporary network outage where no personal data was exfiltrated, accessed, or altered
Explanation: Under the revised APPI, mandatory reporting to the PPC and notification to individuals is triggered when a breach involves: (1) sensitive personal information (要配慮個人情報), (2) personal data that may cause property damage if misused (such as credit card numbers), (3) data breach caused by wrongful intent (e.g. ransomware, cyberattacks), or (4) breaches affecting more than 1,000 individuals. If advanced encryption prevents any possible leakage, reporting exemptions may apply.
5Under the Act on Facilitation of Information Processing (情報処理の促進に関する法律), which statutory duty is strictly imposed on a Registered Information Security Specialist (情報処理安全確保支援士)?
A.A mandatory requirement to file annual tax returns directly with METI rather than the National Tax Agency
B.An obligation to provide at least 100 hours of pro-bono cybersecurity consulting to local municipal offices each fiscal year
C.A prohibition against holding any employment outside of designated central government ministries
D.A strict duty of confidentiality (秘密保持義務) prohibiting the disclosure or misappropriation of operational secrets learned in the course of duty
Explanation: Article 22 of the Act on Facilitation of Information Processing (情促法) requires a Registered Information Security Specialist not to leak or misappropriate secrets learned in the course of duty without a justifiable reason. The duty continues after registration ends. IPA also lists two other statutory duties: prohibition of credit-damaging acts (Article 21) and mandatory cybersecurity training (Article 23).
6What statutory training must a Registered Information Security Specialist complete to keep an active IPA registration?
A.Publishing at least one academic research paper in an IPA-indexed journal every two years
B.Submitting a signed affidavit of continuous employment from an accredited cybersecurity vendor annually
C.Three IPA online common courses within each three-year registration period (one per year) and one practical course (実践講習 or an approved 特定講習) in that same period
D.Passing the complete RISS examination again every five years
Explanation: IPA's registration FAQ and the Act on Facilitation of Information Processing require specialists to complete statutory training: three online common courses within three years (one per year) and one practical training (IPA 実践講習 or an approved 特定講習) in the same period. Practical sessions may be remote group sessions; they are not a re-sit of the national exam.
7What is the primary purpose of Japan's Information system Security Management and Assessment Program (ISMAP)?
A.To physically monitor undersea fiber optic cables entering Japanese territorial waters
B.To evaluate and register cloud service providers that meet government security requirements to ensure smooth, secure public-sector cloud procurement
C.To provide mandatory criminal background checks on all software developers working in the private banking sector
D.To replace the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) committee with a centralized software licensing agency
Explanation: ISMAP is a Japanese government framework operated jointly by NISC, Digital Agency, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), and METI (with IPA as the executive secretariat) to assess and certify the security posture of cloud services for government procurement, maintaining a registered cloud services list.
8In the Common Vulnerability Scoring System version 3.1 (CVSS v3.1), which of the following metrics belongs to the 'Exploitability' sub-score rather than the 'Impact' sub-score?
A.Privileges Required (PR)
B.Confidentiality Impact (C)
C.Integrity Impact (I)
D.Availability Impact (A)
Explanation: In CVSS v3.1 Base Metrics, the Exploitability sub-score consists of Attack Vector (AV), Attack Complexity (AC), Privileges Required (PR), and User Interaction (UI). In contrast, Confidentiality (C), Integrity (I), and Availability (A) constitute the Impact sub-score.
9An enterprise database server has an asset value of JPY 60,000,000. A critical database vulnerability carries an Exposure Factor (EF) of 40%. Threat intelligence indicates an Annual Rate of Occurrence (ARO) of 0.25 (once every four years). If implementing a specialized Web Application Firewall and database activity monitoring solution costs JPY 2,500,000 per year and reduces the ARO to 0.05, what is the net annual cost-benefit (financial return) of this security control?
A.JPY 3,500,000
B.JPY 4,800,000
C.JPY 6,000,000
D.JPY 2,300,000
Explanation: First, calculate Single Loss Expectancy (SLE) = Asset Value × EF = JPY 60,000,000 × 0.40 = JPY 24,000,000. Prior Annual Loss Expectancy (ALE_prior) = SLE × ARO_prior = JPY 24,000,000 × 0.25 = JPY 6,000,000. Modified Annual Loss Expectancy (ALE_post) = SLE × ARO_post = JPY 24,000,000 × 0.05 = JPY 1,200,000. Annual gross risk reduction = JPY 6,000,000 - JPY 1,200,000 = JPY 4,800,000. Net annual cost-benefit = Gross Risk Reduction - Annual Cost of Control = JPY 4,800,000 - JPY 2,500,000 = JPY 2,300,000.
10Under the STRIDE threat modeling framework, which threat category directly corresponds to the violation of 'Non-Repudiation'?
A.Tampering
B.Elevation of Privilege
C.Repudiation
D.Spoofing
Explanation: STRIDE maps directly to foundational security properties: Spoofing violates Authenticity; Tampering violates Integrity; Repudiation violates Non-Repudiation; Information Disclosure violates Confidentiality; Denial of Service violates Availability; and Elevation of Privilege violates Authorization.

About the Registered Information Security Specialist Examination Exam

The Registered Information Security Specialist Examination (情報処理安全確保支援士試験, RISS / SC / 登録セキスペ) is Japan's national ITSS Level 4 cybersecurity examination. IPA administers it for METI under the Act on Facilitation of Information Processing. The 2026 fee is 7,500 JPY (non-taxable). Candidates sit Japanese CBT: 30 common-IT MCQs (Subject A-1), 25 security MCQs (Subject A-2), and two descriptive scenarios from four (Subject B). A pass certificate is issued by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry; the protected title requires a later IPA registration. OpenExamPrep publishes 100 independent English multiple-choice study questions on the published syllabus domains. This bank is not an official translation, not a 2026 CBT item clone (those items are unpublished), and not a substitute for Japanese descriptive practice.

Exam sponsor: 独立行政法人情報処理推進機構 (IPA / Innovation Platform Agency, Japan) under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The requirements and fees below concern the certification or admission exam, separate from our free practice resources.

Assessment

Japanese CBT under the Act on Facilitation of Information Processing, administered by IPA for METI. 2026 delivery uses 株式会社シー・ビー・ティ・ソリューションズ test centers. Subject A group (A-1 then A-2, optional break up to 10 minutes) and Subject B are reserved on separate days. Multi-stage scoring: if Subject A-1 or A-2 is below 60 points, Subject B is not scored. Paper sittings are a special measure only.

Time Limit

Subject A-1: 50 min; Subject A-2: 40 min; Subject B: 150 min, with Subject A and Subject B on separate 2026 CBT days.

Passing Score

60 of 100 points on each evaluated subject (A-1, A-2, and B). IPA may change the cutoff if difficulty requires it.

Exam / Certification Fees

7,500 JPY (non-taxable).

Exam sponsor website

Reported exam pass rate: 22.3% in 令和7 autumn (4,199 of 18,816). 19.0% in 令和7 spring; 15.1% in 令和6 autumn; 19.3% in 令和6 spring (IPA announcements).. This describes exam candidates, not OpenExamPrep users or results from using our resources. Exam sponsor website

Fees, eligibility, and exam policies can change. Confirm them with the exam sponsor before applying or paying.

Our practice resources: topics covered

We aim to reflect publicly available exam outlines and topic information in our study resources. Coverage, format, and difficulty may differ from the actual exam, and we cannot guarantee that every detail is accurate or current. Confirm exam requirements, fees, and policies with the official exam sponsor.

25% of this local practice set

Security Management, Law, and Governance (セキュリティマネジメント・法務)

ISMS, JIS Q 27001 risk treatment, CSIRT process, Japanese cybersecurity statutes, ISMAP, and supply-chain security. IPA does not publish percentage weights for SC domains.

25% of this local practice set

Cryptography and Authentication (暗号技術・認証・PKI)

Ciphers, CRYPTREC lists, PKI, TLS, federated identity, and Zero Trust from the Subject A-2 syllabus.

25% of this local practice set

Network and Infrastructure Security (ネットワークセキュリティ)

Firewalls, IDS/IPS, WAF, IPsec, DNSSEC, email authentication, and DDoS defense used in A-2 and Subject B scenarios.

25% of this local practice set

Application Security and Incident Analysis (セキュア開発・インシデント分析)

Web vulnerabilities, secure coding, memory-corruption defenses, malware analysis, and forensics from the Level 4 syllabus.

Preparing for the Registered Information Security Specialist Examination Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 60 of 100 points on each evaluated subject (A-1, A-2, and B). IPA may change the cutoff if difficulty requires it.
  • Assessment: Japanese CBT under the Act on Facilitation of Information Processing, administered by IPA for METI. 2026 delivery uses 株式会社シー・ビー・ティ・ソリューションズ test centers. Subject A group (A-1 then A-2, optional break up to 10 minutes) and Subject B are reserved on separate days. Multi-stage scoring: if Subject A-1 or A-2 is below 60 points, Subject B is not scored. Paper sittings are a special measure only.
  • Time limit: Subject A-1: 50 min; Subject A-2: 40 min; Subject B: 150 min, with Subject A and Subject B on separate 2026 CBT days.
  • Exam / certification fees: 7,500 JPY (non-taxable). Official sources

Using Our Practice Resources

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

Registered Information Security Specialist Examination: Suggested Study Strategy

1Treat this English bank as knowledge practice for Subject A-2 topics; the official papers are Japanese, and Subject B is descriptive case analysis that MCQs cannot replace.
2Study CRYPTREC list placement (recommended vs monitored), email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), and DNSSEC records, which recur in IPA security items.
3Learn the statutory duties of a registered specialist under the Act on Facilitation of Information Processing, especially confidentiality (Article 22) and the three-year training cycle.
4Work calculation items such as ALE/SLE risk figures and IPv4 subnet sizing; IPA common and security MCQs include quantitative reasoning.
5Use IPA's published syllabus and, for format familiarity, pre-CBT past papers. Do not expect 2026 CBT items to be republished.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the passing score for the RISS (SC) examination?

IPA 試験要綱 Ver.5.6 requires at least 60 of 100 points on each sat subject: A-1, A-2, and B. If A-1 or A-2 is below the cutoff, Subject B is not scored (multi-stage selection). IPA may adjust the cutoff when item difficulty requires it.

Who is eligible to take the Registered Information Security Specialist exam?

IPA places no academic, age, or nationality restriction on sitting. After a pass, using the 情報処理安全確保支援士 title requires a separate IPA registration and ongoing statutory training.

What is the 2026 structure of the examination?

Japanese CBT: Subject A-1 (30 four-option MCQs, 50 minutes), Subject A-2 (25 four-option MCQs, 40 minutes), and Subject B (150 minutes, answer 2 of 4 descriptive questions). Subject A and Subject B are scheduled on separate days. 2026 CBT questions are unpublished.

Are these OpenExamPrep practice questions official IPA exam questions?

No. The official examination is administered in Japanese by IPA. OpenExamPrep provides an independent English-language MCQ practice bank on published syllabus topics. It is not an official translation, endorsement, or substitute for Japanese past papers or 2026 CBT items.