P/E 3 Flashcards
- Which of the following is not a valid means to improve the security offered by password authentication?
A. Enabling account lockout controls
B. Enforcing a password policy
C. Using password-verification tools and password-cracking tools against your password database file
D. Allowing users to reuse the same password
Answer: D
Preventing password reuse by tracking password history increases security but allowing users to reuse the same password does not increase security. You can also improve password security by enabling account lockout controls, enforcing a password policy, and using password verification tools to check the strength of existing passwords.
- What provides data for re-creating the history of an event, intrusion, or system failure?
A. Security policies
B. Log files
C. Audit reports
D. Business continuity planning
Answer: B
Log files provide an audit trail for re-creating the history of an event, intrusion, or system failure. An audit trail includes log files and can reconstruct an event, extract information about an incident, and prove or disprove culpability. Security policies are documents that define security requirements for an organization. An audit report includes details gleaned from log files. Business continuity planning occurs before an event, such as a disaster, in an attempt to reduce the impact of the event.
- What category of malicious software includes rogue antivirus software?
A. Logic bombs
B. Worms
C. Trojan horses
D. Spyware
Answer: C
Rogue antivirus software is an example of a Trojan horse. Users are tricked into installing it, and once installed, it steals sensitive information and/or prompts the user for payment.
- What is the most important aspect of a biometric device?
A. Accuracy
B. Acceptability
C. Enrollment time
D. Invasiveness
Answer: A
The most important aspect of a biometric factor is its accuracy. If a biometric factor is not accurate, it may allow unauthorized users into a system. Acceptability by users, the amount of time it takes to enroll, and the invasiveness of the biometric device are additional considerations but not as important as its accuracy.
- In areas where technical controls cannot be used to prevent virus infections, what should be used to prevent them?
A. Security baselines
B. Awareness training
C. Traffic filtering
D. Network design
Answer: B
Educating users is an important part of preventing virus infections and works with technical controls such as antivirus software. Security baselines provide a secure starting point for a system as a technical control. Traffic filtering is another technical control that can block viruses. Network design can be used to control the flow of traffic as a technical control.
- What standard governs the creation of digital certificates used in the public key infrastructure?
A. FIPS 180-2
B. S/MIME
C. X.509
D. 802.1x
Answer: C
X.509 defines a common format for digital certificates containing certification of a public encryption key.
- What is the final stage in the life cycle of backup media, occurring after or as a means of sanitization?
A. Degaussing
B. Destruction
C. Declassification
D. Defenestration
Answer: B
Destruction is the final stage in the life cycle of backup media. Destruction should occur after proper sanitization or as a means of sanitization.
- Security mechanisms, tools, and practices that deter and mitigate malicious activity and events are what type of control?
A. Preventive control
B. Directive control
C. Corrective control
D. Recovery control
Answer: A
Preventive controls are the actual mechanisms by which malicious acts and activities are reduced or prevented entirely.
- Beth is looking through web server logs and finds form input that looks like this:
13>SCRIPT>alert(‘Enter your password’)>/SCRIPT>
What type of attack has she likely discovered?
A. XSS
B. SQL injection
C. XSRF
D. TOCTTOU
Answer: A
The use of the tag is a telltale sign of a cross-site scripting (XSS) attack.
- What security flaw conveys information by writing data to a common storage area where another process can read it?
A. Covert timing channel
B. Buffer overflow
C. Covert storage channel
D. Maintenance hook
Answer: C
A covert storage channel conveys information by writing data to a common storage area where another process can read it. Storing data in such a way introduces a security flaw that allows unauthorized users to access the data.
- APTs are most closely related to what type of attack category?
A. Military attacks
B. Thrill attacks
C. Grudge attacks
D. Insider attacks
Answer: A
Advanced persistent threats (APTs) are often associated with government and military actors.
- What is a divestiture?
A. Asset or employee reduction
B. A distribution of profits to shareholders
C. A release of documentation to the public
D. A transmission of data to law enforcement during an investigation
Answer: A
A divestiture is an asset or employee reduction.
- There are generally three forms of governance within an enterprise organization, all of which have common goals, such as to ensure continued growth and expansion over time and to maintain resiliency to threats and the market. Which of the following is not one of these common forms of governance?
A. IT
B. Facility
C. Corporate
D. Security
Answer: B
The three common forms of governance are IT, corporate, and security. Facility is not usually considered a form of governance, or it is already contained within one of the other three.
- What form of attack is always possible when using a non-802.1x implementation of a wireless network?
A. Password guessing
B. Encryption cracking
C. IV interception
D. Packet replay attacks
Answer: A
Password guessing is always a potential attack if a wireless network is not otherwise using some other form of authentication, typically accessed via 802.1x.
- What is the preparation of storage media by overwriting with unclassified data for later reuse or redistribution?
A. Erasure
B. Clearing
C. Purging
D. Sanitization
Answer: B
Clearing is a method of sufficiently deleting data on media that will be reused in the same secured environment.
- What is a secret agreement between parties to commit a criminal act against an organization or third party?
A. Collision
B. Confusion
C. Collusion
D. Contusion
Answer: C
Collusion is the act of two or more parties conspiring to commit a crime against another party or organization.
- What type of processing makes use of a multithreading technique at the operating system level?
A. Symmetric multiprocessing
B. Multitasking
C. Multiprogramming
D. Massively parallel processing
Answer: A
Symmetric multiprocessing systems implement multithreading techniques at the operating system level.
- Of the following, what best explains the motivation for using a preventive access control?
A. To discourage violation of security policies
B. To stop unwanted or unauthorized activity from occurring
C. To discover unwanted or unauthorized activity
D. To restore systems to normal after an unwanted or unauthorized activity has occurred
Answer: B
The essence of a preventive access is to prevent or stop unwanted or unauthorized activity from occurring. Option A defines a deterrent access control, option C defines a detective access control, and option D defines a corrective access control.
- The University of Outer Mongolia runs a web application that processes student tuition payments via credit card and is subject to PCI DSS. The university does not wish to perform web vulnerability scans on a regular basis because they consider them too time-consuming. What technology may they put in place that eliminates the PCI DSS requirement for recurring web vulnerability scans?
A. Web application firewall
B. Intrusion prevention system
C. Network vulnerability scanner
D. None. There is no exception to the recurring web vulnerability scan requirement.
Answer: A
PCI DSS allows organizations to choose between performing annual web vulnerability assessment tests or installing a web application firewall.
- In what type of software testing does the tester not have access to the code?
A. White box
B. Black box
C. Gray box
D. Static
Answer: B
Black-box testing examines the program from a user perspective by providing a wide variety of input scenarios and inspecting the output. Black-box testers do not have access to the internal code.
- Which conceptual security model offers the best preventive protection against viral infection and outbreak?
A. ISO/OSI reference model
B. Concentric circle
C. Operations security triple
D. CIA Triad
Answer: B
A concentric circle security model represents the best practice known as defense in depth, a layered approach to protecting IT infrastructure.
- What is access?
A. Functions of an object
B. Information flow from objects to subjects
C. Unrestricted admittance of subjects on a system
D. Administration of ACLs
Answer: B
Access is the transfer of information from an object to a subject. An object is a passive resource that does not have functions. Access is not unrestricted. Access control includes more than administration of access control lists (ACLs).
- Which of the following increases vulnerabilities related to viruses?
A. Length of time the system is operating
B. The classification level of the primary user
C. Installation of software
D. Use of roaming profiles
Answer: C
As more software is installed, more vulnerabilities are added to the system, thus adding more avenues of attack for viruses. How long a system operates, the classification level of the user, or the use of roaming profiles does not increase vulnerabilities related to viruses.
- What is the act of searching for unauthorized modems known as?
A. Dumpster diving
B. Espionage
C. System auditing
D. War dialing
Answer: D
War dialing is the act of searching for unauthorized modems that will accept inbound calls on an otherwise secure network in an attempt to gain access. Dumpster diving is searching through trash for information. Espionage is the act of collecting information against a competitor or foreign government. System auditing is used to assess the effectiveness of security controls.