CAS-005 CompTIA SecurityX Certification Exam Question and Answers

Step-by-Step Explanation:

Both samples share similar function names, variable naming styles, and logic flow, indicating that they were likely written by the same developer. This is a keyobservation in malware attribution, as cyber threat analysts often look for unique coding styles to link malware to specific threat actors.

The presence of C2 (Command and Control) communication in both samples supports this theory, as attackers often reuse parts of their own malware code across different attacks.

Understanding the Security Event:

Administrator accounts are highly privilegedand require strict monitoring.

Server 4 shows failed login attempts for the administrator account.This could indicate abrute-force attack or unauthorized access attempt.

The fact thatnone of the admin login attempts were successfulsuggestssomeone was trying to guess the credentials.

Why Option D isCorrect:

Failed logins for administrator accounts are a critical security concern.

If an attacker gains access, they couldescalate privileges and compromise the network.

Investigatingunauthorized admin login attemptsshould be thetop priorityin a log audit.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A (Endpoint not submitting logs):While this is concerning, it does not indicate anactive attack.

B (Lateral movement):There's no evidence of a compromised account moving between servers yet.

C (Misconfigured syslog server):False negatives are a possibility, but thefailed admin loginsare real.

The key requirement is toinstantly eliminate data losson a lost device.

Cryptographic erasureworks by deleting encryption keys used for FDE (full disk encryption), rendering all data unrecoverable within seconds — satisfying the "mitigate within seconds" requirement.

Revoking certificates won’t wipe the data from a lost tablet.

Changing MFA credentials won’t help unless the device is secured, and app allow lists don’t apply post-loss.

FromCAS-005, Domain 3: Secure Systems Design and Deployment:

“Cryptographic erase (CE) renders data irrecoverable by deleting encryption keys used to protect data on the device.”

The SIEM report shows that some devices, such as VM003 (Critical server) and NET003 (IPS), are DOWN and therefore not reporting logs. In security monitoring, the absence of log data from critical systems creates dangerous blind spots. If logs are missing, attacks can proceed undetected, or investigations may lack the data needed for incident response.

The most effective action is to perform a non-reporting device assessment (C). This means identifying and correcting issues where devices fail to send logs, whether due to outages, misconfigurations, or integration gaps. Ensuring all critical devices, especially servers and intrusion prevention systems, consistently send logs to the SIEM strengthens overall visibility and monitoring posture.

Option A (time calibration) is important for correlation accuracy but does not address missing log feeds. Option B (centralized use case library) enhances detection but only works if the SIEM is receiving complete data. Option D (resiliency plan) helps protect log retention but is irrelevant if logs are never received in the first place.

Therefore, fixing non-reporting log sources is the highest priority to improve monitoring effectiveness.

The best approach is to use Terraform scripts while creating golden images (A). Terraform is an Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool that allows organizations to automate infrastructure deployment consistently across environments. A golden image is a pre-configured, patched, and hardened system image used as a standard baseline. By creating golden images via Terraform scripts, the company ensures that every microservice instance is deployed on an already-updated and secure OS. This eliminates the need for repeatedly patching the base OS before code deployment.

Option B (cron job with apt-update) applies patches but introduces delays (every 30 days) and lacks consistency across new deployments. Option C (snapshots) saves deployment states but risks replicating outdated or unpatched images. Option D (centralized update server) is useful but still requires updates post-deployment, which slows the rollout of microservices.

By automating golden image creation through Terraform, the company gains efficiency, repeatability, and security assurance, aligning with DevSecOps principles and CAS-005 cloud-native best practices.

The code indicates that a WordPress (CMS) plug-in has likely been exploited. The function get_hex_cache() combines obfuscated PHP code (hex2bin) with external file retrieval (inc.tmp). This is characteristic of malicious plug-in injections in content management systems such as WordPress, where attackers inject backdoors or malicious scripts through vulnerable plug-ins.

Option B (search engine bots blocked) and C (corrupted stylesheet) would not explain injected PHP logic. Option D (WAF in transparent mode) reduces security controls but does not create malicious functions inside the CMS code.

The presence of obfuscated data in inc.tmp strongly suggests tampering. Exploited CMS plug-ins are a common initial access vector, often used to hide persistent malware or web shells.

This aligns with CAS-005 objectives on secure coding, monitoring for tampering, and conducting regular code reviews of third-party dependencies.

Code Snippet 1

Vulnerability 1: SQL injection

SQL injection is a type of attack that exploits a vulnerability in the code that interacts with a database. An attacker can inject malicious SQL commands into the input fields, such as username or password, and execute them on the database server. This can result in data theft, data corruption, or unauthorized access.

Fix 1: Perform input sanitization of the userid field.

Input sanitization is a technique that prevents SQL injection byvalidating and filtering the user input values before passing them to the database. The input sanitization should remove any special characters, such as quotes, semicolons, or dashes, that can alter the intended SQL query. Alternatively, the input sanitization can use a whitelist of allowed values and reject any other values.

Code Snippet 2

Vulnerability 2: Cross-site request forgery

Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) is a type of attack that exploits a vulnerability in the code that handles web requests. An attacker can trick a user into sending a malicious web request to a server that performs an action on behalf of the user, such as changing their password, transferring funds, or deleting data. This can result in unauthorized actions, data loss, or account compromise.

Fix 2: Implement anti-forgery tokens.

Anti-forgery tokens are techniques that prevent CSRF by adding a unique and secret value to each web request that is generated by the server and verified by the server before performing the action. The anti-forgery token should be different for each user and each session, and should not be predictable or reusable by an attacker. This way, only legitimate web requests from the user’s browser can be accepted by the server.

After applying mitigations that reduce the likelihood of a risk’s impact, the next step is toassess the residual risk—the risk that remains after controls are implemented. This ensures the organization understands if the mitigation is sufficient or if further action is needed, aligning with risk management best practices.

Option A:Correct—residual risk assessment is the logical next step to evaluate the effectiveness of mitigations.

Option B:Updating the threat model might follow but isn’t immediate; residual risk comes first.

Option C:Moving to the next risk skips evaluating the current mitigation’s success.

Option D:Recalculating impact magnitude is part of residual risk assessment but isn’t the full process.

Advancements in quantum computing pose a significant threat to current encryption systems, especially those based on the difficulty of factoring large prime numbers, such as RSA. Quantum computers have the potential to solve these problems exponentially faster than classical computers, making current cryptographic systems vulnerable.

Why Large Prime Numbers are Vulnerable:

Shor's Algorithm: Quantum computers can use Shor's algorithm to factorize large integers efficiently, which undermines the security of RSA encryption.

Cryptographic Breakthrough: The ability to quickly factor large prime numbers means that encrypted data, which relies on the hardness of thismathematical problem, can be decrypted.

Other options, while relevant, do not capture the primary reason for the shift towards new encryption algorithms:

B. Zero Trust security architectures: While important, the shift to homomorphic encryption is not the main driver for new encryption algorithms.

C. Perfect forward secrecy: It enhances security but is not the main reason for new encryption algorithms.

D. Real-time IP traffic capture: Quantum computers pose a more significant threat to the underlying cryptographic algorithms than to the real-time capture of traffic.

Formal methods in software engineering use mathematically based specifications to ensure system correctness, safety, and compliance with requirements. SecurityX CAS-005 stresses the importance of traceability between code and both functional and non-functional requirements for high-assurance systems like avionics. A lack of traceability means it is impossible to verify that the implementation meets all required safety and performance standards—exactly what formal methods address.

A proxy-based Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) is chosen primarily for its ability to block unapproved applications and services. Here’s why:

Application and Service Control: Proxy-based CASBs can monitor and control the use of applications and services by inspecting traffic as it passes through the proxy. This allows the organization to enforce policies that block unapproved applications and services, ensuring compliance with security policies.

Visibility and Monitoring: By routing traffic through the proxy, the CASB can provide detailed visibility into user activities and data flows, enabling better monitoring and threat detection.

Real-Time Protection: Proxy-based CASBs can provide real-time protection against threats by analyzing and controlling traffic before it reaches the end user, thus preventing the use of risky applications and services.

The event timeline indicates a sequence where a file (hr-reporting.docx) was saved, scanned, executed, and eventually found to contain malware. The critical issue here is that the malware scan completed after the file was already executed. This suggests a Time-Of-Check to Time-Of-Use (TOCTOU) vulnerability, where the state of the file changed between the time it was checked and the time it was used.

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) involves analyzing source code or compiled code for security vulnerabilities without executing the program. This method is well-suited for identifying syntax errors, coding standards violations, and potential security issues early in the development lifecycle.

A. Static application security testing (SAST): SAST tools analyze the source code to detect syntax errors, vulnerabilities, and other issues before the code is run. This is the most relevant task for the DevSecOps team to identify syntax errors and improve code quality.

B. Software composition analysis: This focuses on identifying vulnerabilities in open-source components and libraries used in the application but does not address syntax errors directly.

C. Runtime application self-protection (RASP): RASP involves monitoring and protecting applications during runtime, which does not help in identifying syntax errors during the development phase.

D. Web application vulnerability scanning: This involves scanning the running application for vulnerabilities but does not address syntax errors in the code.

The attacker gained domain control by collecting the KRBTGT hash (used for Kerberos tickets). Let’s evaluate:

A. Deleting SQLSV:Irrelevant since pass-the-hash failed there.

B. Reimaging ADMIN01S:Addresses the compromised host but not domain control.

C. Rotating KRBTGT password:Invalidates stolen Kerberos tickets, mitigating domain control per CAS-005’s focus on identity security.

In a federated environment divided by region, if user identities are not synchronized across regions, authentication may be slow or fail when employees travel. CAS-005 IAM guidance states that identity synchronization ensures user attributes and credentials are consistently available in all regions, reducing latency and login issues.

Option A creates separate identities, which breaks single identity management.

Option C is unrelated to the login performance issue.

Option D may resolve SSO appliance sync but not cross-region identity data availability.

The vulnerability lies in line [10], where the function strcpy(transmit, input) is used. The strcpy function does not perform boundary checking when copying strings. Since input is defined with a size of 256 characters and transmit only has 20 characters allocated, the strcpy operation will cause a buffer overflow when the contents of input exceed the allocated size of transmit. This creates a significant security vulnerability, as attackers can overwrite adjacent memory, potentially injecting malicious code or altering program execution.

Lines [02], [04], [07], and [08] are not inherently vulnerable by themselves. Line [04] defines the oversized input, but the vulnerability only materializes when combined with the unsafe copy in line [10]. Secure coding practices recommend using safer alternatives like strncpy, which includes a length parameter, or implementing runtime checks to ensure the destination buffer size is not exceeded.

Thus, the vulnerable line that must be changed is line [10], where strcpy is used.

The best way to reduce liability and secure customer environments is to require that all employee-owned laptops have a corporate-licensed and managed Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solution installed. This ensures that devices accessing sensitive customer infrastructure are monitored for malware, unauthorized processes, and suspicious behaviors. EDR provides visibility into endpoint security posture and enforces corporate security baselines, which unmanaged personal devices typically lack.

Option A (MDM with attestation) works well for corporate-owned devices but is difficult to enforce reliably across personally owned laptops. Option C (VPN with certificate authentication) ensures encrypted access but does not validate whether the device is secure. Option D (host checking to jump boxes) reduces exposure but still allows unmanaged endpoints to connect indirectly.

CAS-005 emphasizes endpoint controls and assurance mechanisms for environments with third-party or bring-your-own-device (BYOD) risk. Deploying managed EDR ensures visibility, consistent policies, and rapid response across all devices, making this the most secure and practical option.

Adversary emulation simulates specific advanced persistent threat (APT) behaviors and techniques to test an organization’s security posture. In SecurityX CAS-005, this is part of red-teaming and purple-teaming strategies for realistic resilience testing.

Reliability factors (B) relate to operational uptime, not threat simulation.

Honeypots (C) attract attackers but do not directly emulate specific adversaries.

Internal reconnaissance (D) is one phase of an attack simulation, not the full emulation of advanced threat actors.

For a distributed workforce needing access to compliance-bound on-premises systems, VPN access ensures encrypted, authenticated connectivity while limiting exposure. SecurityX CAS-005 emphasizes using VPNs for secure remote access when direct migration to cloud is not possible.

Moving legacy systems to cloud (B) violates the compliance constraints.

SDN security controls (C) are beneficial but do not inherently provide secure remote connectivity.

Microsegmentation (D) is useful for internal lateral movement control but does not solve remote access needs.

To meet the requirements of having allendpoints establish telemetry with a SIEM, integrate into an XDR platform, and allow SOC services to monitor the XDR platform, the best approach is to implement Host Intrusion Prevention Systems (HIPS) and a host-based firewall. HIPS can provide detailed telemetry data to the SIEM and can be integrated into the XDR platform for comprehensive monitoring and response. The host-based firewall ensures that only authorized traffic is allowed, providing an additional layer of security.

Context-based authentication enhances traditional security methods by incorporating additional layers of information about the user's current environment and behavior. This can include factors such as the user's location, the time of access, the device used, and the behavior patterns. It is particularly useful in preventing unauthorized access even if an attacker has obtained a valid password.

Rule-based (A) focuses on predefined rules and is less flexible in adapting to dynamic threats.

Time-based (B) authentication considers the time factor but doesn't provide comprehensive protection against stolen credentials.

Role-based (C) is more about access control based on the user's role within the organization rather than authenticating the user based on current context.

By implementing context-based authentication, the company can ensure that even if a password is compromised, the additional contextual factors required for access (which an attacker is unlikely to possess) provide a robust defense mechanism.

Implementing the given commands in the Dockerfile ensures that the container runs with non-root user privileges. Running applications as a non-root user reduces the risk of privilege escalation attacks because even if anattacker compromises the application, they would have limited privileges and would not be able to perform actions that require root access.

A. Implementing the following commands in the Dockerfile: This directly addresses the privilege escalation attack surface by ensuring the application does not run with elevated privileges.

B. Installing an EDR on the container's host: While useful for detecting threats, this does not reduce the privilege escalation attack surface within the containerized application.

C.Designing a multi-container solution: While beneficial for modularity and remediation, it does not specifically address privilege escalation.

D. Running the container in an isolated network: This improves network security but does not directly reduce the privilege escalation attack surface.

The best solution is to provide a hash of all data made available (D). Hashing ensures the integrity of the threat intelligence data provided to customers. Clients can verify that the data received via API matches the published hash, ensuring no tampering occurred in transit or at rest. This supports customer trust and aligns with the objective of protecting data integrity while maintaining availability.

Option A (API secret keys) improves authentication and reduces attack surface but does not address integrity or compute efficiency. Option B (publishing IoCs publicly) increases attack surface and reduces control over distribution, which conflicts with security objectives. Option C (rate limiting) helps availability and cost control but does not guarantee data integrity.

By providing hashes, the company ensures customers can validate authenticity regardless of delivery method, reducing the risk of manipulated IoCs. This approach also minimizes compute spend since hashing is lightweight compared to continuous verification processes.

Therefore, the strongest alignment with all stated objectives—availability, reduced spend, reduced attack surface, and integrity—is achieved by providing hashes of all threat intelligence data.

To provide secure access tointernal and external cloud resources, eliminate split-tunnel traffic flows, and enable identity and access management capabilities, the most appropriate solutions are CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker) and SASE (Secure Access Service Edge).

Why CASB and SASE?

CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker):

Secure Access: CASB solutions provide secure access to cloud resources by enforcing security policies and monitoring user activities.

Identity and Access Management: CASBs integrate with identity and access management (IAM) systems to ensure that only authorized users can access cloud resources.

Visibility and Control: They offer visibility into cloud application usage and control over data sharing and access.

SASE (Secure Access Service Edge):

Eliminate Split-Tunnel Traffic: SASE integrates network security functions with WAN capabilities to ensure secure access without the need for split-tunnel configurations.

Comprehensive Security: SASE provides a holistic security approach, including secure web gateways, firewalls, and zero trust network access (ZTNA).

Identity-Based Access: SASE leverages IAM to enforce access controls based on user identity and context.

Other options, while useful, do not comprehensively address all the requirements:

A. Federation: Useful for identity management but does not eliminate split-tunnel traffic or provide comprehensive security.

B. Microsegmentation: Enhances security within the network but does not directly address secure access to cloud resources or split-tunnel traffic.

D. PAM (Privileged Access Management): Focuses on managing privileged accounts and does not provide comprehensive access control for internal and external resources.

E. SD-WAN: Enhances WAN performance but does not inherently provide the identity and access management capabilities or eliminate split-tunnel traffic.

WAP A: No issue found. The WAP A is configured correctly and meets therequirements.

PC A = Enable host-based firewall to block all traffic

This option will turn off the host-based firewall and allow all traffic to pass through. This will comply with the requirement and also improve the connectivity of PC A to other devices on the network. However, this option will also reduce the security of PC A and make it more vulnerable to attacks. Therefore, it is recommended to use other security measures, such as antivirus, encryption, and password complexity, to protect PC A from potential threats.

Laptop A: Patch management

This option will install the updates that are available for Laptop A and ensure that it has the most recent security patches and bug fixes. This will comply with the requirement and also improve the performance and stability of Laptop A. However, this option may also require a reboot of Laptop A and some downtime during the update process. Therefore, it is recommended to backup any important data and close any open applications before applying the updates.

Switch A: No issue found. The Switch A is configured correctly and meets the requirements.

Switch B: No issue found. The Switch B is configured correctly and meets the requirements.

Laptop B: Disable unneeded services

This option will stop and disable the telnet service that is using port 23 on Laptop B. Telnet is a cleartext service that transmits data in plain text over the network, which exposes it to eavesdropping, interception, and modification by attackers. By disabling the telnet service, you will comply with the requirement and also improve the security of Laptop B. However, this option may also affect the functionality of Laptop B if it needs to use telnet for remote administration or other purposes. Therefore,it is recommended to use a secure alternative to telnet, such as SSH or HTTPS, that encrypts the data in transit.

PC B: Enable disk encryption

This option will encrypt the HDD of PC B using a tool such as BitLocker or VeraCrypt. Disk encryption is a technique that protects data at rest by converting it into an unreadable format that can only be decrypted with a valid key or password. By enabling disk encryption, you will comply with the requirement and also improve the confidentiality and integrity of PC B’s data. However, this option may also affect the performance and usability of PC B, as it requires additional processing time and user authentication to access the encrypted data. Therefore, it is recommended to backup any important data and choose a strong key or password before encrypting the disk.

PC C: Disable unneeded services

This option will stop and disable the SSH daemon that is using port 22 on PC C. SSH is a secure service that allows remote access and command execution over an encrypted channel. However, port 22 is thedefault and well-known port for SSH, which makes it a common target for brute-force attacks and port scanning. By disabling the SSH daemon on port 22, you will comply with the requirement and also improve the security of PC C. However, this option may also affect the functionality of PC C if it needs to use SSH for remote administration or other purposes. Therefore, it is recommended to enable the SSH daemon on a different port, such as 4022, by editing the configuration file using the following command:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Server A. Need to select the following:

A black and white screen with white text Description automatically generated

Understanding Residual Risk:

Residual riskis the amount of risk remainingafter controls and mitigations have been applied.

Risk appetitedefines the level of risk an organization iswilling to acceptbefore taking additional actions.

Why Option D is Correct:

TheCIO must clarify the organization’s "Risk Appetite"to determinehow much residual risk is acceptable.

If risk exceeds the appetite,additional security measuresneed to be implemented.

This aligns withISO 31000andNIST Risk Management Framework (RMF).

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A (Mitigation):Mitigationrefers toreducing risk, but it doesn’t define the acceptable level of residual risk.

B (Impact):Impact assessment measurespotential damage, but it does not determine what is acceptable.

C (Likelihood):Likelihood is theprobability of risk occurring, but not what level isacceptable.

This scenario describes anenterprise VPN setup that requires machine authenticationbefore a user logs in. The best explanation for this requirement is that theVPN client selects the appropriate certificate automaticallybased on the key extension in the machine certificate.

Understanding the Key Extension Requirement:

PKI (Public Key Infrastructure)issues machine certificates that include specific key usages such asClient AuthenticationorIPSec IKE Intermediate.

Key usage extensionsdefine how a certificate can be used, ensuring that onlyvalid certificates are selected by the VPN client.

Why Option B is Correct:

The VPNautomaticallyselects the correct machine certificate with the appropriate key extension.

The process occurswithout user intervention, ensuring seamless VPN authentication before login.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A (MFA requirement):Certificates used in this scenario are for machine authentication, not user MFA. MFA typically involves user credentials plus a second factor (like OTPs or biometrics), which isnot applicable here.

C (Wi-Fi connectivity before login):This refers topre-logon networking, which is a separate concept where devices authenticate to a Wi-Fi network before login, usually via 802.1X EAP-TLS. However, this question specifically mentions VPN authentication, not Wi-Fi authentication.

D (SSL VPN with certificates):While SSL VPNs do use certificates,this scenario involves machine certificates issued by an internal PKI, which are commonly used inIPSec VPNs, not SSL VPNs.

Based on the provided authentication logs, we observe that User1's accountexperienced multiple failed login attempts within a very short time span (at 8:01:23 AM on 12/15). This pattern indicates a potential brute-force attack or an attempt to gain unauthorized access. Here’s a breakdown of why disabling User1's account is the appropriate first step:

Failed Login Attempts: The logs show that User1 had four consecutive failed login attempts:

VM01 at 8:01:23 AM

VM08 at 8:01:23 AM

VM01 at 8:01:23 AM

VM08 at 8:01:23 AM

Security Protocols and Best Practices: According to CompTIA Security+ guidelines, multiple failed login attempts within a short timeframe should trigger an immediate response to prevent further potential unauthorized access attempts. This typically involves temporarily disabling the account to stop ongoing brute-force attacks.

Account Lockout Policy: Implementing an account lockout policy is a standard practice to thwart brute-force attacks. Disabling User1's account will align with these best practices and prevent further failed attempts, which might lead to successful unauthorized access if not addressed.

Risk appetite is the amount of risk an organization is willing to accept to achieve its objectives. When operating with a constrained budget, understanding the organization's risk appetite is crucial because:

It helps prioritize security investments based on the level of risk the organization is willing to tolerate.

High-impact, low-likelihood events may be deemed acceptable if they fall within the organization's risk appetite, allowing for budget allocation to other critical areas.

Properly understanding and defining risk appetite ensures that limited resources are used effectively to manage risks that align with the organization's strategic goals.

The error message reveals sensitive details (hostnames, database names, table names), constitutinginformation disclosure. This aids attackers in reconnaissance. Mitigation involves modifying the application to display generic error messages (e.g., “An error occurred”) instead of specifics.

Option A:Unsecure references suggest coding flaws, but this is a configuration/output issue, not input sanitization.

Option B:Unsecure protocols and HttpOnly cookies relate to session security, not error handling.

Option C:Correct—information disclosure is the issue; generic errors mitigate it.

Option D:No evidence of SQL injection (e.g., manipulated input); upgrading the database doesn’t address disclosure.

Always-on VPN ensures that devices connect automatically to the corporate network whenever they are online, allowing seamless access to internal resources and enabling authentication against on-premises directory services (such as Active Directory). This supports centralized identity management, GPO enforcement, and compliance requirements.

Options B, C, and D involve local or peripheral resources, which are unaffected by VPN state.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

Understand the QuestionRequirements:The goal is to use a regular expression (regex) to match software versions 10.0 through 10.3, but exclude version 10.4.

Review Regex Syntax:

[ ] indicates a character set (matches any one character in the set).

[0-3] matches any digit between 0 and 3.

\. escapes the period (.) so it matches a literal period instead of acting as a wildcard.

( ) groups parts of the regex together.

Analyze Each Option:

Option A: Reader(*)[1][0].[0-4:

Incorrect. The use of (*) is not valid syntax in this context and [0-4 is incomplete or misformatted.

Option B: Reader[11[01X.f0-3'

Incorrect. This is an invalid regex syntax, mixing character sets and mismatched brackets.

Option C: Reader( )[1][0].[0-3:

Correct. This regex is valid and matches "Reader 10.0", "Reader 10.1", "Reader 10.2", and "Reader 10.3" while excluding "Reader 10.4".

Breakdown:

Reader: Matches the text "Reader".

[1][0]: Matches "10" as a combination of two characters.

\.: Matches the literal period.

[0-3]: Matches any single digit between 0 and 3.

Option D: Reader( )[1][0] X.[1-3:

Incorrect. The syntax X.[1-3 is invalid, and this does not match the required versions.

Conclusion:The regex in Option C correctly identifies all affected versions (10.0, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3) while excluding the unaffected version (10.4).

To meet the requirements of centrally managing configurations, pushing policies, remotely wiping devices, and maintaining an asset inventory, the best solution is to implement a Mobile Device Management (MDM) solution.

MDM Capabilities:

Central Management: MDM allows administrators to manage the configurations of all devices from a central console.

Policy Enforcement: MDM solutions enable the push of security policies and updates to ensure compliance across all managed devices.

Remote Wipe: In case a device is lost or stolen, MDM provides the capability to remotely wipe the device to protect sensitive data.

Asset Inventory: MDM maintains an up-to-date inventory of all managed devices, including their configurations and installed applications.

Other options do not provide the same comprehensive capabilities required for managing specialized endpoints.

The most appropriate solution for the systems engineer to deploy is SELinux (Security-Enhanced Linux). Here's why:

Mandatory Access Control (MAC): SELinux enforces MAC policies, ensuring that only authorized users and processes can access specific resources. This helps in preventing unauthorized reading and modification of data and programs.

Access Vector Cache: SELinux utilizes an access vector cache (AVC) to improve performance. The AVC caches access decisions, reducing the need for repetitive policy lookups and thus improving system efficiency.

Security Mechanisms: SELinux provides a robust framework to enforce security policies and prevent bypassing of application security mechanisms. It controls access based on defined policies, ensuring that security measures are consistently applied.

Privilege Escalation and Process Interference: SELinux limits the ability of processes to escalate privileges and interfere with each other by enforcing strict access controls. This containment helps in isolating processes and minimizing the risk of privilege escalation attacks.

To prevent unauthorized applications from running, the company needs a mechanism to explicitly define and enforce which applications are allowed to execute. "Permit listing" (often referred to as "whitelisting" in security contexts) is the most effective solution here. It involves creating a list of approved applications, and only those on the list are permitted to run, blocking all others by default. This directly addresses the root cause—users installing unapproved software—by restricting execution to only authorized programs.

Option A (Signing):Code signing ensures the authenticity and integrity of software by verifying it comes from a trusted source and hasn’t been tampered with. While useful, it doesn’t inherently prevent unauthorized applications from running unless combined with a policy like whitelisting.

Option B (Access control):Access control governs who can access systems or resources but doesn’t specifically restrict which applications can execute. It’s too broad for this scenario.

Option C (HIPS):A Host-based Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS) can detect and block malicious behavior, but it’s reactive and relies on signatures or heuristics, not a proactive allow-only approach.

Option D (Permit listing):This is the best fit, as it proactively enforces a policy where only explicitly authorized applications can run, preventing malware introduced by unauthorized software.

The data provided shows that all companies have SIEM systems, but they differ in their implementation of UEBA, DLP, ISAC membership, and TIP integration. The key metric to evaluate is the effectiveness in detecting and responding to attacks, as shown by the "Time to Detect" and "Time to Respond" columns. Company 1, which is an ISAC member, has the fastest detection (10 minutes) and response (20 minutes) times. Company 3, which is not an ISAC member, has slower detection (12 minutes) and response (24 minutes) times, despite having UEBA and TIP integration. Company 2, which lacks TIP integration but is an ISAC member, has the slowest times (20 minutes to detect, 40 minutes to respond). This suggests that ISAC membership correlates with faster detection and response, likely due to access to shared threat intelligence.

According to the CompTIA SecurityX CAS-005 objectives (Domain 2: Security Operations, 2.2), Information Sharing and Analysis Centers (ISACs) are critical for enabling organizations to share real-timethreat intelligence within their industry. ISACs provide access to actionable intelligence, best practices, and coordinated response strategies, which are essential for defending against sophisticated attacks targeting critical infrastructure like the energy sector. The lack of ISAC membership (Company 3) limits access to this intelligence, hindering proactive defense and response capabilities. While UEBA, DLP, and TIP integration are valuable, they are more focused on internal monitoring, data protection,and individual threat intelligence feeds, respectively, and do not provide the same industry-wide collaboration as an ISAC.

The table shows that the user "SALES1" is consistently blocked despite having met the MFA requirements. The common factor in these blocked attempts is the source IP address (8.11.4.16) being identified as from Germany while the user is assigned to France. This discrepancy suggests that the network geolocation is being misidentified by the authentication server, causing legitimate access attempts to be blocked.

Why Network Geolocation Misidentification?

Geolocation Accuracy: Authentication systems often use IP geolocation to verify the location of access attempts. Incorrect geolocation data can lead to legitimate requests being denied if they appear to come from unexpected locations.

Security Policies: Company security policies might block access attempts from certain locations to prevent unauthorized access. If the geolocation is wrong, legitimate users can be inadvertently blocked.

Consistent Pattern: The user "SALES1" from the IP address 8.11.4.16 is always blocked, indicating a consistent issue with geolocation.

Other options do not align with the pattern observed:

A. Bypass MFA requirements: MFA is satisfied, so bypassing MFA is not the issue.

C. Administrator access policy: This is about user access, not specific administrator access.

D. OTP codes: The user has satisfied MFA, so OTP code configuration is not the issue.

The scenario describes a sophisticated attack where the threat actor used steganography within LDAP to exfiltrate data. Given that thehardware and OS firmware were validated and found uncompromised, the attack vector likely exploited a network communication channel. To mitigate such risks, enforcing allow lists for authorized network ports and protocols is the most effective strategy.

Here’s why this option is optimal:

Port and Protocol Restrictions: By creating an allow list, the organization can restrict communications to only those ports and protocols that are necessary for legitimate business operations. This reduces the attack surface by preventing unauthorized or unusual traffic.

Network Segmentation: Enforcing such rules helps in segmenting the network and ensuring that only approved communications occur, which is critical in preventing data exfiltration methods like steganography.

Preventing Unauthorized Access: Allow lists ensure that only predefined, trusted connections are allowed, blocking potential paths that attackers could use to infiltrate or exfiltrate data.

Other options, while beneficial in different contexts, are not directly addressing the network communication threat:

B. Measuring and attesting to the entire boot chain: While this improves system integrity, it doesn’t directly mitigate the risk of data exfiltration through network channels.

C. Rolling thecryptographic keys used for hardware security modules: This is useful for securing data and communications but doesn’t directly address the specific method of exfiltration described.

D. Using code signing to verify the source of OS updates: Ensures updates are from legitimate sources, but it doesn’t mitigate the risk of network-based data exfiltration.

To prevent sensitive corporate information from being exposed if a laptop is stolen, the solution must ensure that data is not stored locally and access is tightly controlled. According to the CompTIA SecurityX CAS-005 study guide (Domain 4: Governance, Risk, and Compliance, 4.3), Desktop as a Service (DaaS) hosts data and applications in the cloud, reducing the risk of data exposure on physical devices. Combining DaaS with multifactor authentication (MFA) ensures that even if a laptop is stolen, unauthorized access to the cloud environment is prevented.

Option B:IP allow lists and SSO do not address data stored locally on the laptop, which could be accessed offline.

Option C:MDM and stronger passwords help but do not prevent data exposure if the device is compromised (e.g., via offline attacks).

Option D:Updating policies and monitoring breaches are reactive measures that do not directly protect data on a stolen laptop.

Option A:DaaS ensures no sensitive data resides on the device, and MFA secures access, making it the best solution.

The best solution is to use Self-Encrypting Drives (SEDs). SEDs automatically encrypt all data stored on the disk and can be rapidly sanitized or obfuscated by deleting or altering the encryption keys. This provides immediate and secure protection if customs agents demand device access, as the sensitive data inside containers becomes unreadable without the decryption key.

Option B (eFuse) and C (UEFI) are hardware mechanisms unrelated to dynamic data protection. Option D (vTPM) provides virtualized key storage but does not obfuscate data quickly under inspection conditions. Option E (MicroSD HSM) is useful for key storage but does not protect all data at scale.

CAS-005 highlights hardware-based encryption solutions like SEDs for protecting sensitive data during travel, ensuring both regulatory compliance and rapid response capabilities under hostile conditions.

The best solution is to implement authentication for API requests and apply appropriate rate limiting (C). Authentication ensures that only authorized customers or systems can access the API, while rate limiting helps prevent denial-of-service (DoS)-like conditions and cost inflation from excessive or malicious requests. This addresses both the security (unauthorized access) and cost issues (serverless billing based on execution).

Option A (digital certificates) is a strong control for authentication but may introduce unnecessary complexity and does not address rate abuse directly. Option B (rate limits with IP reputation checks) is useful but insufficient—malicious actors may rotate through new IPs not yet flagged. Option D (regional restrictions) might reduce some noise traffic but risks blocking legitimate global users and is not scalable for a modern cloud service.

CAS-005 highlights securing APIs with authentication, authorization, and throttling as best practices. Thus, the combined approach of API authentication plus rate limiting is the most comprehensive and effective solution.

When differentiating between valid and invalid findings from vulnerability scans, the systemsadministrator should verify that the scanning credentials are properly configured. Valid credentials ensure that the scanner can authenticate and access the systems being evaluated, providing accurate and comprehensive results. Without proper credentials, scans may miss vulnerabilities or generate false positives, making it difficult to prioritize and address the findings effectively.

The table shows detailed information about products, includinglocation, chassis manufacturer, OS, application developer, and vendor. This type of information is typically assessed in a supply chain assessment to evaluate the security and reliability of components and services from different suppliers.

Why Supply Chain Assessment?

Component Evaluation: Assessing the origin and security of each component used in the products, including hardware, software, and third-party services.

Vendor Reliability: Evaluating the security practices and reliability of vendors involved in providing components or services.

Risk Management: Identifying potential risks associated with the supply chain, such as vulnerabilities in third-party components or insecure development practices.

Other types of assessments do not align with the detailed supplier and component information provided:

A. System: Focuses on individual system security, not the broader supply chain.

C. Quantitative: Focuses on numerical risk assessments, not supplier information.

D. Organizational: Focuses on internal organizational practices, not external suppliers.

The malware uses TCP 4444 to move laterally between systems. A host-based firewall can block unauthorized communication ports (like TCP 4444) on each workstation, preventing malware from establishing connections and spreading. Configuring the CPU's NX bit and enabling ASLR primarily help in mitigating memory-based exploits, not in stopping lateral movement. Enabling UEFI ensures boot integrity but does not mitigate active lateral communication. An edge firewall would protect the network perimeter, not internal workstation-to-workstation communication.

Understanding the Security Event:

Unauthorized usersgained access from non-production to production.

IAM policies were weak, allowingbulk user creation.

Vulnerability assessments were disabled, andpatching was delayed.

Logs were unavailable, making incident response difficult.

Why Options A, D, and E areCorrect:

A (Disable bulk user creation by IAM team)→ Prevents unauthorized mass user account creation, which could beexploited by attackers.

D (Routine updates for endpoints & network devices)→ Patch management ensuresvulnerabilities are not left open for attackers.

E (Ensure all security/network devices send logs to SIEM)→ Helps withreal-time monitoring and detection of unauthorized activities.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

B (180-day log retention)→ While log retention is good,real-time monitoring is the priority.

C (Review application allow list daily)→ Reviewing itdaily is impractical. Regular audits are better.

F (Restrict production-to-non-production traffic)→ The issue isunauthorized access, not traffic routing.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

Option A: Deny list

Deny lists block specific applications or processes identified as malicious.

This approach is reactive and mayinadvertently block the non-standard applications that are currently in use without proper ownership.

Option B: Allow list

Allow lists permit only pre-approved applications to run.

While secure, this approach requires defining all non-standard applications, which may disrupt operations in an environment where ownership is unclear.

Option C: Audit mode

Correct Answer.

Audit mode allows monitoring and logging of applications without enforcing restrictions.

This is ideal in environments with non-standard applications and undefined ownership because it enables the engineer to observe the environment and gradually implement control without interruption.

Audit mode provides critical visibility into the software landscape, ensuring that necessary applications remain functional.

Option D: MAC list

Mandatory Access Control (MAC) lists restrict access based on classification and clearance levels.

This does not align with application control objectives in this context.

CompTIA CASP+ Study Guide - Chapters on Endpoint Security and Application Control.

CASP+ Objective 2.4: Implement appropriate security controls for enterprise endpoints.

Risk mitigation involves taking actions to reduce either the likelihood or impact of a threat. By implementing a firewall between the two environments, Company A is minimizing the risk of threats from Company B impacting its own systems. Accepting the risk would involve taking no action, avoiding it would mean terminating activities with Company B, and transferring would involve outsourcing the risk, none of which occurred here.

For operational technology (OT) and non-traditional devices, downtime must be avoided. CAS-005 recommends passive monitoring and proactive response for environments where active scanning or changes could disrupt operations. Observing the environment continuously and acting on malicious indicators allows security without interrupting critical manufacturing processes.

Honeypots (A) are good for research but don’t provide full facility monitoring.

Behavioral analysis (B) is reactive without proactive measures.

Patching (C) is important but could cause downtime and may be limited in OT environments.

OpenSSH vulnerabilityispublic facingand has acritical CVSS of 9.2.

Exploitable SSH services can lead to direct server compromise.

Although Apache has a higher score, it's internal.

FromCAS-005, Domain 3: Vulnerability Management:

“Prioritize external vulnerabilities with high CVSS and exposed attack surfaces.”

The best solution to address reported vulnerabilities in third-party libraries is integrating a Static Application Security Testing (SAST) tool as part of the development pipeline. Here’s why:

Early Detection: SAST tools analyze source code for vulnerabilities before the code is compiled. This allows developers to identify and fix security issues early in the development process.

Continuous Security: By integrating SAST tools into the CI/CD pipeline, the organization ensures continuous security assessment of the codebase, including third-party libraries, with each code commit and build.

Comprehensive Analysis: SAST tools provide a detailed analysis of the code, identifying potential vulnerabilities in both proprietary code and third-party dependencies, ensuring that known issues in libraries are addressed promptly.

When the cost to mitigate certain risks is higher than the asset values, the best approach is to purchase insurance. Thismethod allows the company to transfer the risk to an insurance provider, ensuring that financial losses are covered in the event of an incident. This approach is cost-effective and ensures that risks are prioritized appropriately without overspending on mitigation efforts.

Homomorphic encryption allows computations to be performed on encrypted data without decrypting it, providing strong privacy guarantees. However, the adoption of homomorphic encryption is challenging due to several factors:

A. Incomplete mathematical primitives: This is not the primary barrier as the theoretical foundations of homomorphic encryption are well-developed.

B. No use cases to drive adoption: There are several compelling use cases for homomorphic encryption, especially in privacy-sensitive fields like healthcare and finance.

C. Quantum computers not yet capable: Quantum computing is not directly related to the challenges of adopting homomorphic encryption.

D. Insufficient coprocessor support: The computational overhead of homomorphic encryption is significant, requiring substantial processing power. Current general-purpose processors are not optimized for the intensive computations required by homomorphic encryption, limiting its practical deployment. Specialized hardware or coprocessors designed to handle these computations more efficiently are not yet widely available.

The most secure way to prevent inadvertent data disclosure when encrypted SSDs are reused is to securely delete the encryption keys used by the SSD. Without the encryption keys, the data on the SSD remains encrypted and is effectively unreadable, rendering any residual data useless. This method is more reliable and efficient than overwriting data multiple times or using other physical destruction methods.

Implementing a Single Sign-On (SSO) solution and integrating it with applications is the best way to manage the situation and decrease risks. Here’s why:

Reduced Password Fatigue: SSO allows users tolog in once and gain access to multiple applications and systems without needing to remember and manage multiple passwords. This reduces the likelihood of users writing down passwords.

Improved Security: By reducing the number of passwords users need to manage, SSO decreases the attack surface and potential for password-related security breaches. It also allows for the implementation of stronger authentication methods.

User Convenience: SSO improves the user experience by simplifying the login process, which can lead to higher productivity and satisfaction.

A. Implementing allow lists: Allow lists (whitelisting) restrict network communication to only authorized devices and applications, significantly reducing the attack surface by ensuring that only pre-approved traffic is permitted.

F. Implementing a site-to-site IPSec VPN: A site-to-site VPN provides a secure, encrypted tunnel for data transmission between the OT systems and the vendor, protecting the data from interception and tampering during transit.

Other options:

B. Monitoring network behavior: While useful for detecting anomalies, it does not proactively reduce the risk of compromise or sabotage.

C. Encrypting data at rest: Important for protecting data stored on devices, but does not address network communication risks.

D. Performing boot integrity checks: Ensures the integrity of the system at startup but does not protect ongoing network communications.

E. Executing daily health checks: Useful for maintaining system health but does not directly reduce the risk of network-based compromise or sabotage.

Authenticated scans allow the scanner to verify installed patches and configurations, reducing false positives.

Other options:

A (CMDB updates) improve asset tracking but do not validate patch installations.

C (Advanced fingerprinting) improves accuracy but does not replace authentication.

D (Coordination with teams) is good practice but does not prevent false positives.

Qualitative risk assessment is used when quantitative data (monetary loss, exact downtime cost, RTO) is unavailable or unreliable. The SecurityX CAS-005 GRC objectives note that qualitative methods rely on expert judgment, likelihood scales, and impact ratings rather than financial calculations. In this case, insufficient metrics rule out quantitative analysis.

Option A (work experience) is irrelevant to the choice of assessment type.

Option C (risk register) supports tracking, not selecting the assessment method.

Option D describes a quantitative goal, which is not possible with the given lack of metrics.

The code function provided in the question seems tobe designed to parse JSON formatted logs to check for an alarm state. Option A is a JSON format that matches the structure likely expected by the code. The presence of the "error_log" and "InAlarmState" keys suggests that this is the correct input format.

The best way for a SOC to rapidly identify whether deployed applications contain specific libraries is through the use of a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM). An SBOM is a formal, machine-readable inventory of all components, including third-party and open-source libraries, used in a software product. When a new vulnerability is disclosed (such as Log4Shell in Log4j), organizations with a comprehensive SBOM can immediately search across their application landscape to determine which systems are impacted.

Other options are less effective. Maintaining SAST/DAST reports (A) only provides snapshots of vulnerabilities at the time of scanning, but does not dynamically track components across all software in production. Vendor attestations (B) improve supply chain governance but do not provide immediate visibility into internal or custom software. A GRC tool (D) helps track vendors and policies but does not show technical dependencies inside applications.

Requiring suppliers and internal developers to provide and maintain SBOMs ensures continuous visibility into dependencies. This allows the SOC to quickly query and respond to emerging vulnerabilities, reducing risk exposure and accelerating remediation timelines.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

Regression testing ensures that new changes do not break existing functionality. It would have identified the memory leak before deployment, preventing downtime.

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) supports change management by securing messages (e.g., approvals, updates).Non-repudiation, provided via digital signatures, ensures a sender cannot deny sending a message, critical for auditability in change processes.

Option A:Correct—PKI’s digital signatures ensure non-repudiation.

Option B:Confidentiality (via encryption) is a PKI feature but less tied to change management’s focus on accountability.

Option C:Delivery receipts are not aPKI function; they’re protocol-specific (e.g., SMTP).

Option D:Attestation relates to verifying attributes, not a direct PKI message capability.

Multicloud provider solutionsinvolve using services from more than one cloud provider to ensure resiliency and redundancy. In the event of a failure or SLA breach by one CSP, another provider can maintain service continuity. An on-premises backup could help, but does not address CSP-specific SLA concerns directly. Round-robin load balancing and active-active within the same tenant still depend on a single provider, thus posing risks if the CSP fails.

Based on the provided logs, the user has accessed various applications from different geographic locations within a very short timeframe. This pattern is indicative of the "impossible travel" security rule, a common feature in Single Sign-On (SSO) systems designed to detect and prevent fraudulent access attempts.

Analysis of Logs:

At 8:47 p.m., the user accessed a VPN from Toronto.

At 8:48 p.m., the user accessed email from Los Angeles.

At 8:48 p.m., the user accessed the human resources system from Los Angeles.

At 8:49 p.m., the user accessed email again from Los Angeles.

At 8:52 p.m., the user attempted to access the human resources system from Toronto, which was denied.

These rapid changes in location are physically impossible and typically trigger security measures to prevent unauthorized access. The SSO system detected these inconsistencies and likely flagged the activity as suspicious, resulting in access denial.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

Sigma (A) is a rule-based detection language that is vendor-agnostic, meaning it can be used across different SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) tools. Unlike YARA (B), which focuses on file-based detection, Sigma provides a standardized way to create rules that work across various security platforms.

The first immediate action in an active incident iscontainment.Blocking the IP address (40.90.23.154)at the network edge prevents further communication with the malicious external server. Disabling PowerShell or removing local admin privileges are valid hardening steps, but containment by network control is the highest priority during an active compromise to stop data exfiltration or further command and control activity.

SecurityX CAS-005 emphasizes automation with validation in security operations. Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) platforms can integrate with Threat Intelligence Platforms (TIPs) to verify threat indicators before triggering automated endpoint isolation through EDR APIs. This approach reduces the spread of malware while minimizing the chance of isolating clean systems due to false positives.

Isolating endpoints on any alert (B) is high-risk and can disrupt business operations.

Manual review (C) is too slow for fast-moving threats.

Suppressing alerts (D) risks missing critical events entirely.

The best way to address these requirements is to apply Role-Based Access Controls (RBAC) combined with geolocation policies. RBAC ensures that customers are authenticated and authorized to access only the data they are entitled to, thereby minimizing data exposure risks. At the same time, geolocation policies enforce restrictions on which regions customers can access data from, helping with compliance requirements such as GDPR or regional sovereignty laws.

Option B (replicating data in each customer environment) is inefficient, expensive, and introduces additional risks related to data sprawl. Option C (regional hosting with unique links) complicates access management and does not inherently prevent exposure or enforce strong authentication. Option D (restricting to a single region provider) removes flexibility and may conflict with customer needs for global access.

Therefore, implementing RBAC along with geolocation controls provides fine-grained access management, ensures compliance, prevents unnecessary data exposure, and is scalable for a global cloud environment.

Based on the security policy that any publicly available server must be patched within 12 hours after a patch is released, the securityanalyst should patch Host 1 first. Here’s why:

Public Availability: Host 1 is externally available, making it accessible from the internet. Publicly available servers are at higher risk of being targeted by attackers, especially when a zero-day vulnerability is known.

Exposure to Threats: Host 1 has IIS installed and is publicly accessible, increasing its exposure to potential exploitation. Patching this host first reduces the risk of a successful attack.

Prioritization of Critical Assets: According to best practices, assets that are exposed to higher risks should be prioritized for patching to mitigate potential threats promptly.

Anacceptable use policy (AUP)defines what is considered appropriate use of corporate email and prevents unnecessary emails to personal accounts. This helps in reducing false DLP alerts while maintaining compliance.

Quarantining emails (A)is unnecessary since the content was not flagged as sensitive.

Encryption (C)secures emails but does not address overuse.

Phishing awareness training (D)is unrelated to policy enforcement for outgoing emails.

Implementing digital signatures ensures the integrity and authenticity of software binaries. When a binary is digitally signed, any tampering with the file (e.g., replacing it with amalicious version) would invalidate the signature. This allows systems to verify the origin and integrity of binaries before execution, preventing the execution of unauthorized or compromised binaries.

A. Improving patching processes: While important, this does not directly address the issue of verifying the integrity of binaries.

B. Implementing digital signatures: This ensures that only valid, untampered binaries are executed, preventing attackers from substituting legitimate binaries with malicious ones.

C. Performing manual updates via USB ports: This is not practical and does not scale well, especially in large environments.

D. Allowing only files from internal sources: This reduces the risk but does not provide a mechanism to verify the integrity of binaries.

The best way is to perform a Software Assurance Maturity Model (SAMM) assessment. SAMM provides a structured framework to evaluate current software security maturity across people, process, and technology. The assessment highlights gaps and generates a roadmap tailored to the organization’s development environment.

Option B (threat modeling) only applies to specific applications, not the entire SDLC process. Option C risks misalignment with technical practices by relying only on CISO goals. Option D (OWASP secure coding manual) is useful but provides guidelines, not a maturity-based roadmap.

CAS-005 stresses leveraging maturity models for structured, measurable improvements. SAMM directly addresses this by producing a customized, actionable roadmap for secure coding practices.

10.1.45.65 SFTP ServerDisable 8080

10.1.45.66 Email Server Disable 415 and 443

10.1.45.67 Web Server Disable 21, 80

10.1.45.68 UTM Appliance Disable 21

Unauthorized code changesand lack ofindependent verificationare directly mitigated bycode signing, which ensures that code is from a trusted source and has not been altered.

While digital signatures are part of code signing, the broader practice of code signing encompasses signature management, version integrity, and trusted sources.

Lightweight cryptography is irrelevant in this context; it's more about efficiency in constrained devices.

Non-repudiation is a benefit of digital signatures but doesn't directly solve the verification/integrity concerns alone.

FromCAS-005 Guide, Domain 4: Security Architecture, Tools, and Technologies:

“Code signing ensures that the code has not been tampered with and originates from a trusted developer.”

To design resilience in an enterprise system that can survive environmental catastrophes, recover within 24 hours, and be resilient to active exploitation, the best strategy is to allocate fully redundant and geographically distributed standby sites. Here’s why:

Geographical Redundancy: Having geographically distributed standby sites ensures that if one site is affected by an environmental catastrophe, the other sites can take over, providing continuity of operations.

Full Redundancy: Fully redundant sites mean that all critical systems and data are replicated, enabling quick recovery in the event of a critical loss of availability.

Resilience to Exploitation: Distributing resources across multiple sites reduces the risk of a single point of failure and increases resilience against targeted attacks.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

Privacy regulations (C), such as GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act), require companies to provide data subject access request (DSAR) handling processes. A DSAR allows individuals to request details about their personal data stored by a company and request modifications or deletions.

Information security standards (A) focus on overall security controls, while e-discovery requirements (B) relate to legal investigations rather than ongoing compliance.

SecurityX CAS-005 endpoint security and network control objectives emphasize least privilege network access.

Creating a firewall rule to allow outbound traffic only via a proxy (A) ensures centralized inspection and control.

Configuring the proxy to allow only the required FQDNs for EDR management communication (C) limits exposure to necessary destinations.Options D and E allow broader access than necessary, and B would block required communications entirely. F relies on blocklists instead of allowlists, which is less secure for high-assurance environments.

Tokenizationreplaces sensitive data (e.g., PII) with non-sensitive placeholders while maintaining format consistency, ensuring compliancewithout disrupting testing. This method is commonly used forPCI-DSS and GDPR compliancewhile preserving data structure for functional tests.

Encryption (A)secures data but does not remove sensitivity or solve testing concerns.

Truncation (B)removes portions of data but may impact testing if format requirements are strict.

Synthetic data (C)can be useful but may not always match real-world scenarios perfectly for testing purposes.

The error message"NET::ERR_CERT_WEAK_SIGNATURE_ALGORITHM" indicates that the web browser is rejecting the certificate because it uses a weak signature algorithm. This commonly happens with self-signed certificates, which often use outdated or insecure algorithms.

Why Discontinue Self-Signed Certificates?

Security Compliance: Modern browsers enforce strict security standards and may reject certificates that do not comply with these standards.

Trusted Certificates: Using certificates from a trusted Certificate Authority (CA) ensures compliance with security standards and is less likely to be flagged as insecure.

Weak Signature Algorithm: Self-signed certificates might use weak algorithms like MD5 or SHA-1, which are considered insecure.

Other options do not address the specific cause of the certificate error:

A. Rewriting legacy web functions: Does not address the certificate issue.

B. Disabling deprecated ciphers: Useful for improving security but not related to the certificate error.

C. Blocking non-essential ports: This is unrelated to the issue of certificate validation.

SecurityX CAS-005 secure DevOps guidance recommends integrating security controls into the CI/CD pipeline. By validating container security baselines at security gates before deployment, noncompliant builds are stopped early, ensuring consistency across environments.

Option B is useful but does not ensure compliance if changes are made after image creation.

Option A detects drift but only after deployment.

Option D is reactive and does not prevent insecure deployments.

Software Composition Analysis (SCA) is the best method for identifying all components, dependencies, and open-source libraries used inan application. It ensures that organizations track and manage vulnerabilities in third-party code before deployment.

SCA tools generate a Software Bill of Materials (SBOM), which provides a full representation of the code and modules used in the application.

Other options:

Static Application Security Testing (SAST) (C) checks for vulnerabilities but does not map dependencies.

Interactive Application Security Testing (IAST) (D) works at runtime, not before deployment.

Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) (B) works while the application is running.

To enable code signing with an existing PKI, the first step is to configure the Certificate Authority (CA) to issue code signing certificates. Adding a new template with attributes specific to code signing (e.g., key usage for signing) allows the CA to support this requirement without disrupting existing operations.

Option A:Correct—templates define certificate types; this isthe foundational step.

Option B:Wildcard certificates are for domains, not code signing.

Option C:Recalculating root CA keys is unnecessary and risky unless compromised.

Option D:SAN (Subject Alternative Name) is for multi-domain certificates, irrelevant here.

SecurityX CAS-005 cloud architecture guidance emphasizes horizontal scaling for workloads that need to handle both predictable and fluctuating growth over time. Horizontal scaling allows the infrastructure to add nodes for both compute and storage dynamically, providing elasticity to meet fluctuating computational demands while accommodating exponential storage growth.

Vertical scaling (B) has hardware limits and is not as flexible for large, sustained growth.

CDN (A) is optimized for content distribution, not intensive compute workloads.

Load balancing (C) distributes workloads but does not address scaling for data growth.

In the context of improving incident response and reducing dwell time, the security analyst needs to focus on proactive measures that can quickly detect and alert on potential security breaches. Here’s a detailed analysis of the options provided:

A. Adjusting the SIEM to alert on attempts to visit phishing sites: While this is a useful measure to prevent phishing attacks, it primarily addresses external threats and doesn’t directly impact dwell time reduction, which focuses on the time a threat remains undetected within a network.

B. Allowing TRACE method traffic to enable better log correlation: The TRACE method in HTTP is used for debugging purposes, but enabling it can introduce security vulnerabilities. It’s not typically recommended for enhancing security monitoring or incident response.

C. Enabling alerting on all suspicious administrator behavior: This option directly targets the potential misuse of administrator accounts, which are often high-value targets for attackers. By monitoring and alerting on suspicious activities from admin accounts, the organization can quickly identify and respond to potential breaches, thereby reducing dwell time significantly. Suspicious behavior could include unusual login times, access to sensitive data not usually accessed by the admin, or any deviation from normal behavior patterns. This proactive monitoring is crucial for quick detection and response, aligning well with best practices in incident response.

D. Utilizing allow lists on the WAF for all users using GET methods: This measure is aimed at restricting access based on allowed lists, which can be effective in preventing unauthorized access but doesn’t specifically address the need for quick detection and response to internal threats.