CAS-005 CompTIA SecurityX Certification Exam Questions and Answers

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

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.

A.Creating a secondary, immutable storage array and updating it with live data on a continuous basis: An immutable storage array ensures that data, once written, cannot be altered or deleted. This greatly reduces the risk of backup compromise and provides resilience against ransomware attacks, as the ransomware cannot modify or delete the backup data. Maintaining multiple copies of production data with an immutable storage solution ensures data integrity and compliance with the requirement for multiple copies.

Other options:

B. Utilizing two connected storage arrays and ensuring the arrays constantly sync: While this ensures data redundancy, it does not provide protection against ransomware attacks, as both arrays could be compromised simultaneously.

C. Enabling remote journaling on the databases: This ensures real-time transaction mirroring but does not address the requirement for reducing the risk of backup compromise or resilience to ransomware.

D. Setting up anti-tampering on the databases: While this helps ensure data integrity, it does not provide a comprehensive backup solution that meets all the specified requirements.

Sinkholing, or DNS sinkholing, is a method used to redirect malicious traffic to a safe destination. This technique is often employed by security teams to prevent access to malicious domains by substituting a benign destination IP address.

In the given logs, users from the finance department are accessing www.bank.com and receiving HTTP status code 495. This status code is typically indicative of a client certificate error, which can occur if the DNS traffic is being manipulated or redirected incorrectly. The consistency in receiving the same HTTP status code across different users suggests a systematic issue rather than an isolated incident.

Recursive DNS resolution failure (A) would generally lead to inability to resolve DNS at all, not to a specific HTTP error.

DNS poisoning (B) could result in usersbeing directed to malicious sites, but again, would likely result in a different set of errors or unusual activity.

Incorrect DNS setup (D) would likely cause broader resolution issues rather than targeted errors like the one seen here.

By reviewing the provided data, it is evident that the DNS traffic for www.bank.com is being rerouted improperly, resulting in consistent HTTP 495 errors for the finance department users. Hence, the most likely cause is that the DNS traffic is being sinkholed.

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.

Reviewing data sovereignty laws in countries where the organization has no presence is likely due to concerns about regulatory enforcement. Data sovereignty laws dictate how data can be stored, processed, and transferred across borders. Understanding these laws is crucial for compliance, especially if the organization handles data that may be subject to foreign regulations.

A. The organization is performing due diligence of potential tax issues: This is less likely as tax issues are generally not directly related to data sovereignty laws.

B. The organization has been subject to legal proceedings in countries where it has a presence: While possible, this does not explain the focus on countries where the organization has no presence.

C. The organization is concerned with new regulatory enforcement in other countries: This is the most likely reason. New regulations could impact the organization’s operations, especially if they involve data transfers or processing data from these countries.

D. The organization has suffered brand reputation damage from incorrect media coverage: This is less relevant to the need for reviewing data sovereignty laws.

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.

The immediate action after discovering ransomware is toisolate the affected serversto prevent further spread of the malware to other systems in the network. Paying the ransom is not recommended as it does not guarantee data recovery and encourages criminal behavior. Notifying law enforcement is necessary, but containment must happen first to limit damage. Requesting server restoration should only occur after containment and a thorough investigation to ensure no remnants of ransomware remain.

Enabling dashboards for service status monitoring is the best action to support rapid incident response. The table shows various services with different risk, criticality, and alert severity ratings. To ensure timely and effective incident response, real-time visibility into the status of these services is crucial.

Why Dashboards for Service Status Monitoring?

Real-time Visibility: Dashboards provide an at-a-glance view of the current status of all critical services, enabling rapid detection of issues.

CentralizedMonitoring: A single platform to monitor the status of multiple services helps streamline incident response efforts.

Proactive Alerting: Dashboards can be configured to show alerts and anomalies immediately, ensuring that incidents are addressed as soon as they arise.

Improved Decision Making: Real-time data helps incident response teams make informed decisions quickly, reducing downtime and mitigating impact.

Other options, while useful, do not offer the same level of comprehensive, real-time visibility and proactive alerting:

A. Automate alerting to IT support for phone system outages: This addresses one service but does not provide a holistic view.

C. Send emails for failed log-in attempts on the public website: This is a specific alert for one type of issue and does not cover all services.

D. Configure automated isolation of human resources systems: This is a reactive measure for a specific service and does not provide real-time status monitoring.

Code-signing within theCI/CD pipelineensures that only verified and signed code is deployed, mitigating the risk of supply chain attacks. Updating Python withaptitudeand updating modules withpipensures vulnerabilities are patched. Deploying the solution to production after testing maintains application availability while securing the development lifecycle.

Branch protection (B)applies only to version-controlled environments, which is not the case here.

NFS network share (C)does not address the deprecated Python vulnerability.

Version designation (D)does not eliminate security risks from outdated dependencies.

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.

To create a collection of use cases for detecting known threats and include them in a centralized library for use across multiple companies withdifferent vendors, Sigma rules are the best option. Here’s why:

Vendor-Agnostic Format: Sigma rules are a generic and open standard for writing SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) rules. They can be translated to specific query languages of different SIEM systems, making them highly versatile and applicable across various platforms.

Centralized Rule Management: By using Sigma rules, the cybersecurity architect can create a centralized library of detection rules that can be easily shared and implemented across different detection and monitoring systems used by the acquired companies. This ensures consistency in threat detection capabilities.

Ease of Use and Flexibility: Sigma provides a structured and straightforward format for defining detection logic. It allows for the easy creation, modification, and sharing of rules, facilitating collaboration and standardization across the organization.

Step-by-Step Explanation:

Runtime Application Self-Protection (RASP) (A)monitors and protects applications in real time by detecting and blocking attacks as they occur. Unlike traditional security solutions, RASP is integrated into the application itself, meaning it works regardless of the programming language used. It effectively mitigates common vulnerabilities such as SQL injection, XSS, and buffer overflows.

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) (C) is a passive scanning approach that may not prevent attacks in real-time, while Network Intrusion PreventionSystems (NIPS) (D) focuses on network traffic, not application-layer security.

This scenario clearly describes asupply chain attack, where the compromise occurs at the vendor or manufacturing stage before the product reaches the customer. The attack impacts many downstream organizations and sectors. SDLC attacks are focused on software development life cycles, side-loading involves unauthorized app installations, and remote code signing focuses on authenticating remote software, none of which fully encapsulate the situation described.

The hijacked administrator account was used across multiple ASNs (indicating different network locations) in a short time, despite MFA and SSO. This suggests a stolen session or token misuse. Let’s analyze:

A. Token theft detection with lockouts:Useful for detecting stolen SSO tokens, but it’s reactive and may not prevent initial misuse across networks.

B. Context-based authentication:This adds real-time checks (e.g., geolocation, IP changes) to verify login attempts. Given the rapid ASN changes, this proactively mitigates the issue by challenging suspicious logins, aligning with CAS-005’s focus on adaptive security.

C. Decentralize accounts:This removes SSO, increasing complexity and weakening MFA enforcement, which isn’t practical or secure.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

The code snippet exposes a hardcoded access token in a public repository. According to SecurityX CAS-005 secure coding best practices, the immediate action must be to revoke the exposed secret to prevent unauthorized access.

Removing the code from public view without revoking the token leaves the secret still usable by any attacker who has already seen or copied it.

SAST scanning would detect the issue but not mitigate it immediately.

Security awareness training is a long-term prevention measure but does not fix the immediate exposure.Revoking the secret first stops ongoing exploitation, after which the code can be removed, and preventative measures can be implemented.

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.

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

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.

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.

For a disaster recovery (DR) plan requiring immediate data availability, the first step is understanding what needs to be protected and recovered. Identifying critical business processes and their associated software and hardware requirements establishes the foundation for the DR plan. This ensures that backups and recovery mechanisms align with business priorities, meeting the "moment's notice" requirement.

Option A:A change management plan is important for system consistency but doesn’t directly address immediate data availability in a DR context.

Option B:Hiring staff supports execution but doesn’t define what needs to be recovered or how. It’s a later step.

Option C:A warm site (a partially operational backup site) is a good DR solution, but designing it comes after identifying critical processes and resources.

Option D:This is the first step in any DR planning process—knowing what’s critical ensures the plan meets availability goals efficiently.

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.

Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs) in Operational Technology (OT) environments commonly useLadder Logic, a graphical programming language resembling electrical relay logic diagrams. It’s the most relevant for PLCs due to its widespread use in industrial automation.

Option A:Ladder Logic is the standard for PLC programming, making it the best choice.

Option B:Rust is modern and secure but not typically used for PLCs.

Option C:C is used in some embedded systems but less common for PLCs.

Option D:Python is versatile but not native to PLC programming.

Option E:Java is rare in PLC contexts.

The scenario involves replacing an on-premises VPN solution, which has a zero-day vulnerability, with cloud-hosted resources while ensuring trusted connectivity. Trusted connectivity in a cloud environment implies secure, scalable, and modern access control that goes beyond traditional VPNs. Let’s analyze the options:

A. Container orchestration: This refers to managing and automating containerized workloads (e.g., Kubernetes). While useful for application deployment, it doesn’t directly address secure connectivity to cloud resources.

B. Microsegmentation: This involves creating fine-grained security policies within a network to limit lateral movement. It’s valuable for internal security but isn’t a complete solution for trusted connectivity to cloud-hosted resources.

C. Conditional access: This ensures access based on conditions (e.g., user identity, device health). It’s relevant for identity management but lacks the broader networking and security scope needed here.

Attack surface reductionfocuses on minimizingunnecessary services, open ports, and vulnerabilities, reducing the exposure to potential adversaries. This aligns withzero trust and least privilege principles.

Secure Boot (A)helps ensure system integrity but does not minimize exposed services.

Disabling third-party integrations (C)may help, but broader attack surface reduction is the best first step.

Limiting access (D)is important but does not directly reduce exposed services.

Step by Step Explanation:

Understanding the Scenario: The question is about ensuring that an organization retains control over its encryption keys. It focuses on different key storage and management methods.

Analyzing the Answer Choices:

A. Encrypting using a key stored in an on-premises hardware security module (HSM): This is thebest option for maintaining complete control over encryption keys. An HSM is a dedicated, tamper-resistant hardware device specifically designed for secure key storage and cryptographic operations. Storing keys on-premises within an HSM ensures the organization has exclusive access.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

Code signing uses cryptographic digital signatures to prove that software or updates come from a trusted source and have not been altered. In the SecurityX CAS-005 objectives, this is covered under security engineering and cryptographic assurance mechanisms.

Envelope encryption protects confidentiality but does not authenticate the source.

File integrity monitoring detects file changes but does not confirm the origin of the update.

Application control manages which software can run but does not ensure authenticity of distributed files.Only code signing meets all three objectives: verifying the source, ensuring authorization, and proving integrity.

The SIEM already contains multiple events that, if correlated, would have indicated an active attack sequence on VM001—such as denied connections, IPS alerts, malware detection, and then an allowed connection. CAS-005 Security Operations objectives emphasize log correlation as a way to enhance detection by linking related events across different time stamps and data sources into a single, higher-confidence alert.

Option A (adding EDR logs) could add visibility but does not address the need to connect existing events for earlier detection.

Option C (improving parsing) ensures readability but does not create actionable alerts.

Option D (creating a new malware detection rule) is redundant since malware detection already appeared in logs; the issue was the lack of correlation to act on it in time.

By correlating IDS, IPS, firewall, and malware detection logs, the SIEM can raise a higher-priority alert before the attack is completed.

To reduce the risk of unauthorized BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) usage, the organization should implement Conditional Access and Network Access Control (NAC).

Why Conditional Access and NAC?

Conditional Access:

User-to-Device Binding: Conditional access policies can enforce that only registered and compliant devices are allowed to access corporate resources.

Context-Aware Security: Enforces access controls based on the context of the access attempt, such as user identity, device compliance, location, and more.

Network Access Control (NAC):

DeviceConfiguration Requirements: NAC ensures that only devices meeting specific security configurations are allowed to connect to the network.

Access Control: Provides granular control over network access, ensuring that BYOD devices comply with security policies before gaining access.

Other options, while useful, do not address the specific need to control and secure BYOD devices effectively:

A. Cloud IAM to enforce token-based MFA: Enhances authentication security but does not control device compliance.

D. PAM to enforce local password policies: Focuses on privileged account management, not BYOD control.

E. SD-WAN to enforce web content filtering: Enhances network performance and security but does not enforce BYOD device compliance.

F. DLP to enforce data protection capabilities: Protects data but does not control BYOD device access and compliance.

User and Entity Behavior Analytics (UEBA) is the best solution to help the company overcome challenges associated with suspicious activity that cannot be categorized by traditional detection tools. UEBA uses advanced analytics to establish baselines of normal behavior for users and entities within the network. It then identifies deviations from these baselines, which may indicate malicious activity. This approach is particularly effective for detecting unknown threats and sophisticated attacks that do not match known indicators of compromise (IoCs).

To secure the Operational Technology (OT) environment based on the given requirements, the best approach is to implement a bastion host inthe OT network. The bastion host serves as a secure entry point for remote access, allowing third-party vendors to connect while being monitored by security tools. Using a dedicated update server for workstations ensures that security updates are applied in a controlled manner without direct internet access.

A crisis management plan defines coordinated communication and response strategies for high-profile incidents that may harm an organization’s public reputation and shareholder confidence. CAS-005 GRC content includes crisis communication planning for regulatory compliance and public relations in the wake of breaches.

A Data Subject Access Request (A) addresses individual data rights, not overall crisis handling.

Business Impact Analysis (B) helps assess potential operational and financial impacts but does not manage public perception during an incident.

Supply chain management (C) is preventative for vendor risks, not responsive to current crises.

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.

Understanding the Security Event:

HOST002 is the only device authorized for internet traffic. However, theSIEM logs show that VM002 is making network connections to web.corp.local.

This indicatesunauthorized access, which could bea sign of lateral movement or network infection.

This is ared flagfor potential malware, unauthorized software, or a compromised host.

Why Option D is Correct:

Unusual network traffic patternsare often an indicator of acompromised system.

VM002 should not be communicating externally, but it is.

This suggests a possiblebreach or malware infectionattempting to communicate with a command-and-control (C2) server.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A (Misconfiguration):While a misconfiguration could explain the unauthorized connections, the pattern of activity suggests something more malicious.

B (Security incident on HOST002):The issue is not with HOST002. The suspicious activity isfrom VM002.

C (False positives):The repeated pattern of unauthorized connections makes false positivesunlikely.

The best way to automate reporting from disparate security appliances that do not currently communicate is to configure an API Integration to aggregate the different data sets. Here's why:

Interoperability: APIs allow different systems to communicate and share data, even if they were not originally designed to work together. This enables the integration of various security appliances into a unified reporting system.

Automation: API integrations can automate the process of data collection, aggregation, and reporting, reducing manual effort and increasing efficiency.

Scalability: APIs provide a scalable solution that can easily be extended to include additional security appliances or data sources as needed.

The sshd_config file is the main configuration file for the OpenSSH server. To disable weak CBC (Cipher Block Chaining) ciphers for SSH connections, the security engineer should modify the sshd_config file to update the list of allowed ciphers. This file typically contains settings for the SSH daemon, including which encryption algorithms are allowed.

By editing the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file and updating the Ciphers directive, weak ciphers can be removed, and only strong ciphers can be allowed. This change ensures that the SSH server does not use insecure encryption methods.

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.

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.

The question states that security scanning and quality assurance (QA) in the CI/CD pipeline have been completed with no issues, indicating that the code in the test branch is ready for production. According to the CompTIA SecurityX CAS-005 study guide (Domain 2: Security Operations, 2.3), in a secure CI/CD pipeline, once code passes automated security scans, QA, and other checks (e.g., unit testing, peer reviews), the next step is to merge the tested branch into the main branch for deployment to production.

Option B:Threat modeling is typically performed earlier, during design or development, not after passing CI/CD checks.

Option C:Unit testing is part of the CI/CD pipeline and should already be completed.

Option D:Peer reviews are conducted before or during the test phase, not after QAand security scans are clear.

Option A:Merging the test branch to the main branch is the logical next step to prepare for production deployment.

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 most likely explanation for the issues encountered with the captive portal is that the TLS ciphers supported by the captive portal are deprecated. Here’s why:

TLS Cipher Suites: Modern browsers are continuously updated to support the latest security standards and often drop support for deprecated and insecure cipher suites. If the captive portal uses outdated TLS ciphers, newer browsers may refuse to connect, causing security errors.

HSTS and Browser Security: Browsers with HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) enabled will not allow connections to sites with weak security configurations. Deprecated TLS ciphers would cause these browsers to block the connection.

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.

For SSDs,incinerationis considered the most secure method of physical destruction, ensuring no data remanence. SSDs store data differently compared to traditional spinning disks, making degaussing ineffective. Overwriting and formatting may not reliably erase all storage cells due to wear-leveling technologies. Shredding may work if the granularity is extremely fine, but incineration guarantees complete destruction beyond recovery.

Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST) is crucial for identifying and addressing security vulnerabilities during the software development life cycle (SDLC). Ensuring that DAST scans are routinely scheduled helps in maintaining a secure development process.

Why Routine DAST Scans?

Continuous Security Assessment: Regular DAST scans help in identifying vulnerabilities in real-time, ensuring they are addressed promptly.

Compliance: Routine scans ensure that the development process complies with security standards and regulations.

Proactive Threat Mitigation: Regular scans help in early detection and mitigation of potential security threats, reducing the risk of breaches.

Integration into SDLC: Ensures security is embedded within the development process, promoting a security-first approach.

Other options, while relevant, do not directly address the continuous assessment and proactive identification of threats:

A. If developers are unable to promote to production: This is more of an operational issue than a security assessment.

B. If DAST code is being stored to a single code repository: This concerns code management rather than security testing frequency.

D. If role-based training is deployed: While important, training alone does not ensure continuous security assessment.

Whencreating a threat model to identify vulnerabilities in an organization's infrastructure, prioritizing external-facing infrastructure with known exploited vulnerabilities is critical. Here’s why:

Exposure to Attack: External-facinginfrastructure is directly exposed to the internet, making it a primary target for attackers. Any vulnerabilities in this layer pose an immediate risk to the organization's security.

Known Exploited Vulnerabilities: Vulnerabilities that are already known and exploited in the wild are of higher concern because they are actively being used by attackers. Addressing these vulnerabilities reduces the risk of exploitation significantly.

Risk Mitigation: By prioritizing external-facing infrastructure with known exploited vulnerabilities, the organization can mitigate the most immediate and impactful threats, thereby improving overall security posture.

The requirements demand detailed asset tracking and inventory management. Let’s analyze:

A. SBoM (Software Bill of Materials):Tracks software components, not hardware or network topology.

B. CASB (Cloud Access Security Broker):Secures cloud apps but doesn’t map physical switches or OS counts.

C. GRC(Governance, Risk, and Compliance):Focuses on risk management, not detailed asset tracking.

Homomorphic encryptionallows computations to be performed directly on encrypted data without decrypting it first. This technology is particularly useful for securely transmitting confidential data to a cloud service provider (CSP) and allowing the CSP to process the data without having any visibility into its content. This maintains data confidentiality even during processing. It is not about securing data at rest and in transit or simply storing data across nodes.

A risk register is atool commonly used in risk management to document all identified risks, their assessment in terms of likelihood and impact, and the actions steps to manage them. By adding the newly identified risks to the risk register and assigning an owner and severity, the organization ensures that each risk is visible to stakeholders and has a designated individual responsible for its management. This aligns with the company's requirements for transparency and accountability in risk management.​

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.

Theregulated lab environment (Yes)shares the same VLAN (10.2.0.0/22) withusers, creatingzone traversalrisk from unregulated zones to sensitive datanetworks.

This allows pivoting and lateral movement from non-regulated user devices into regulated lab environments — a classiczone boundary violation.

Zone traversal should be mitigated with segmentation and firewall enforcement.

FromCAS-005, Domain 2: Risk Management and Mitigation Strategies:

“Zone traversal occurs when segmentation boundaries are misconfigured or merged, leading to regulatory and risk compliance failures.”

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.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

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.

The best action to address the requirement of accessing the historian server within a SCADA system is to isolate the historian server for connections only from the SCADAenvironment. Here’s why:

Security and Isolation: Isolating the historian server ensures that only authorized devices within the SCADA environment can connect to it. This minimizes the attack surface and protects sensitive data from unauthorized access.

Access Control: By restricting access to the historian server to only SCADA devices, the organization can better control and monitor interactions, ensuring that only legitimate queries and data retrievals occur.

Best Practices for Critical Infrastructure: Following the principle of least privilege, isolating critical components like the historian server is a standard practice in securing SCADA systems, reducing the risk of cyberattacks.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

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.

Forward secrecy (FS) ensures that past encrypted data remains secure even if encryption keys are compromised in the future. Itgenerates ephemeral session keys that are not reused.

Other options:

A (Tokenization) replaces sensitive data with tokens but does not prevent key compromise.

B (Key stretching) makes brute-force attacks harder but does not ensure secrecy after compromise.

D (Simultaneous Authentication of Equals – SAE) is used in WPA3 but is not related to past communication security.

Disabling unneeded servicesreduces the attack surface by closing open ports.Patchingensures that endpoint protection software and operating systems are up-to-date, reducing vulnerability exposure.Removing unused accountseliminates access paths for malicious users exploiting dormant accounts. Secure boot, BIOS passwords, and drive encryption are important, but they address different layers of security than the vulnerabilities listed.

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

Creating a separate network for users who need access tothe application is the best action to secure an internal application that is critical to the production area and cannot be updated.

Why Separate Network?

Network Segmentation: Isolates the critical application from the rest of the network, reducing the risk of compromise and limiting the potential impact of any security incidents.

Controlled Access: Ensures that only authorized users have access to the application, enhancing security and reducing the attack surface.

Minimized Risk: Segmentation helps in protecting the application from vulnerabilities that could be exploited from other parts of the network.

Other options, while beneficial, do not provide the same level of security for a critical application:

A. Disallow wireless access: Useful but does not provide comprehensive protection.

B. Deploy intrusion detection capabilities using a network tap: Enhances monitoring but does not provide the same level of isolation and control.

C. Create an acceptable use policy: Important for governance but does not provide technical security controls.

The logs indicate multiple failed login attempts for user10, who may have been part of the staff reduction 60 days prior. If user10's account was removed, and their home directory deleted, any applications or services relying on files or configurations within that directory would fail. This scenario is common when service accounts are not properly identified and preserved during staff reductions.

Ensuring that service accounts are documented and maintained separately from user accounts is essential to prevent unintended disruptions to applications and services.

Animmutable databasepreventsmodifications or deletions, ensuring resilience against ransomware while maintaining multiple copies of data.

Vendor lock-in occurs when a client is overly dependent on a vendor, limiting flexibility. Risks include:

Option B:Vendors changing offerings (e.g., features, pricing) can disrupt the client, a key lock-in risk.

Option D:Decreased quality of service may result from reliance on a single vendor without alternatives.

Option A:Seamless data movement is a benefit, not a risk.

Option C:Sufficient service is neutral or positive, not a risk.

Option E:Multicloud is hindered by lock-in, not a risk of it.

Option F:Increased interoperability contradicts lock-in’s limitations.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

Model poisoning occurs when an attacker manipulates the training data or the training process of an AI model so that its predictions are deliberately inaccurate or biased. In the SecurityX CAS-005 objectives, this is part of understanding emerging technology threats, specifically AI/ML vulnerabilities. This differs from:

Social engineering, which manipulates humans rather than AI models.

Output handling, which deals with how outputs are processed but doesn’t cause inaccuracy at the model level.

Prompt injections, which manipulate the model at query time, not during training.Because model poisoning directly corrupts the AI model itself, it is the clearest reason AI outputs could be inaccurate.

The user-agent string can providevaluable information to distinguish between legitimate and bot-related traffic. It contains details about the browser, device, and sometimes the operating system of the client making the request.

Why Use User-Agent String?

Identify Patterns: User-agent strings can help identify patterns that are typical of bots or legitimate users.

Block Malicious Bots: Many bots use known user-agent strings, and identifying these can help block malicious requests.

Anomalies Detection: Anomalous user-agent strings can indicate spoofing attempts or malicious activity.

Other options provide useful information but may not be as effective for initial determination of the nature of the request:

B. Byte length of the request: This can indicate anomalies but does not provide detailed information about the client.

C. Web application headers: While useful, they may not provide enough distinction between legitimate and bot traffic.

D. HTML encoding field: This is not typically used for identifying the nature of the request.

The log snippet indicates a DNS AXFR (zone transfer) request, which can be exploited by attackers to gather detailed information about an internal network's infrastructure. Disabling DNS zone transfers is the best solution to mitigate this risk. Zone transfers should generally be restricted to authorized secondary DNS servers and not be publicly accessible, as they can reveal sensitive network information that facilitates lateral movement during an attack.

When using AI to fully automate the process of deciding client loan rates, the primary concern from a privacy perspective is model explainability.

Why Model Explainability is Critical:

Transparency: It ensures that the decision-making process of the AI model can be understood and explained to stakeholders, including clients.

Accountability: Helps in identifying biases and errors in the model, ensuring that the AI is making fair and unbiased decisions.

Regulatory Compliance: Various regulations require that decisions, especially those affecting individuals' financial status, can be explained and justified.

Trust: Builds trust among users and stakeholders by demonstrating that the AI decisions are transparent and justifiable.

Other options, such ascredential theft, prompt injections, and social engineering, are significant concerns but do not directly address the privacy and fairness implications of automated decision-making.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation:

For bulk PKI enrollment:

MDM integration with directory services streamlines certificate request and deployment per device, leveraging existing authentication methods.

Simple Certificate Enrollment Protocol (SCEP) with one-time passwords allows automated, secure, large-scale certificate issuance without manual CSR handling.

clientAuth templates are used for device authentication, but selecting it alone is insufficient without automated enrollment mechanisms.

A single certificate for all devices violates PKI security principles and compromises individual device accountability.

The presence of an unauthorized server (29mail.mycrosoft.info) sending emails on behalf of the company indicates a potential spoofing or phishing attempt. To mitigate this:

Remove the unnecessary servers from the SPF record (Option C): The Sender Policy Framework (SPF) specifies which mail servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of a domain. Removing unauthorized or unnecessary servers from the SPF record helps prevent spoofed emails from passing SPF checks.

Change the SPF record to enforce the hard fail parameter (Option D): Setting the SPF policy to a hard fail (-all) ensures that emails from unauthorized servers are rejected, enhancing email security.

Implementing these changes strengthens the domain's email authentication mechanisms, reducing the risk of successful phishing or spoofing attacks.

The best location to test a newly released feature for an internal application, without affecting the production environment, is the staging environment. Here’s a detailed explanation:

Staging Environment: This environment closely mirrors the production environment in terms of hardware, software, configurations, and settings. It serves as a final testing ground before deploying changes to production. Testing in the staging environment ensures that the new feature will behave as expected in the actual production setup.

Isolation fromProduction: The staging environment is isolated from production, which means any issues arising from the new feature will not impact the live users or the integrity of the production data. This aligns with best practices in change management and risk mitigation.

Realistic Testing: Since the staging environment replicates the production environment, it provides realistic testing conditions. This helps in identifying potential issues that might not be apparent in a development or testing environment, which often have different configurations and workloads.