Security+ - Chapter 03 - 1. Security Implications of Different Architecture Models - Copy.csv

Question,Option A,Option B,Option C,Option D,Correct Answer,Explanation A financial institution is transitioning its legacy systems to a cloud-based infrastructure. They are concerned about clearly defining security responsibilities between their team and the cloud provider. What model should they a...

Question,Option A,Option B,Option C,Option D,Correct Answer,Explanation A financial institution is transitioning its legacy systems to a cloud-based infrastructure. They are concerned about clearly defining security responsibilities between their team and the cloud provider. What model should they adopt to address these concerns?,Single Responsibility Model,Shared Responsibility Model,Delegated Responsibility Model,Partitioned Responsibility Model,B,"The Shared Responsibility Model clearly delineates the security responsibilities between the cloud provider and the customer. The provider manages the security of the cloud (infrastructure, hardware, data centers), while the customer is responsible for security in the cloud (data, applications, access management). This model ensures both parties understand their roles, enhancing overall security. The other options do not specifically address the division of security duties between provider and client." A company is designing its network architecture and decides to implement VLANs to segment its internal network. What is the primary security benefit of this approach?,Increased network speed,Enhanced data encryption,Logical Segmentation,Simplified network topology,C,"Implementing VLANs provides Logical Segmentation, which divides the network into separate virtual segments. This ensures that if one segment is compromised, others remain unaffected, enhancing security. Increased network speed and simplified network topology are not primary security benefits, and VLANs do not inherently provide data encryption." An organization uses containerization to deploy its applications. They want to ensure that their containers remain secure against vulnerabilities. What practice should they implement to maintain container security?,Increase container size,Disable container networking,Regularly update and patch container images,Use multiple base images,C,"Regularly updating and patching container images is essential to address vulnerabilities and maintain security. This practice ensures that containers are running the latest, most secure versions of applications and dependencies. Increasing container size or disabling networking can introduce other issues, and using multiple base images does not directly address security maintenance." A startup adopts a serverless architecture to handle variable workloads without managing servers. What security consideration must they prioritize given the ephemeral nature of serverless functions?,Physical server security,Long-term data storage,Rewriting security policies to handle transient resources,Purchasing dedicated hardware,C,"In a serverless architecture, functions are transient and can scale rapidly. Therefore, security policies must be adapted to manage these ephemeral resources effectively, ensuring that each invocation is secure. Physical server security and purchasing dedicated hardware are not relevant in a serverless model, and long-term data storage is not directly related to the transient nature of serverless functions." A manufacturing company employs SCADA systems to manage its production lines. They are evaluating the security implications of their architecture. What is a critical security risk associated with SCADA systems?,High latency in data transmission,Vulnerability to real-world physical consequences from cyber breaches,Excessive resource consumption,Limited scalability options,B,"SCADA systems control physical infrastructure, such as power plants and manufacturing lines. A security breach can lead to real-world physical consequences, including operational disruptions and safety hazards. This makes SCADA systems critical targets for cybersecurity. High latency, resource consumption, and scalability are not primary security risks associated with SCADA systems." An organization relies heavily on IoT devices for its smart office setup. They are concerned about potential security vulnerabilities. What is a common security risk associated with IoT devices?,High computational power,Inherent device encryption,Weak authentication mechanisms,Advanced intrusion detection systems,C,"IoT devices often have weak or default authentication mechanisms, making them vulnerable to unauthorized access and exploitation. This is a common security risk that organizations must address. High computational power and advanced intrusion detection systems are not typical characteristics of IoT devices, and inherent device encryption is not commonly implemented across all IoT devices." A healthcare organization is implementing a hybrid cloud model to manage sensitive patient data alongside public-facing applications. What is a primary security challenge they must address in this setup?,Lack of scalability,Inconsistent security policies across environments,Increased physical security needs,Limited access to cloud resources,B,"In a hybrid cloud model, maintaining consistent security policies across both private and public cloud environments is challenging due to differing infrastructures and management tools. Ensuring uniform security measures is essential to protect sensitive data. Lack of scalability and limited access are not inherent challenges of hybrid clouds, and physical security needs are more relevant to on-premises components." A company utilizes Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to manage its cloud resources. They want to prevent security issues originating from their IaC scripts. What practice should they implement?,Manual code deployments,Code reviews and automated testing,Disabling version control for IaC scripts,Using only default configurations,B,"Implementing code reviews and automated testing helps identify and rectify security issues within IaC scripts before deployment. This ensures that infrastructure is provisioned securely and consistently. Manual deployments are more error-prone, disabling version control hinders tracking changes, and using only default configurations may not meet specific security requirements." A technology company is moving towards a microservices architecture to enhance scalability. What is a significant security implication of adopting microservices?,Reduced attack surface,Simplified authentication mechanisms,Multiple potential attack vectors requiring robust communication security,Elimination of dependency management,C,"Microservices architecture breaks applications into smaller, independent services, each of which can be an independent attack vector. This requires robust security measures for communication between services and strong authentication and authorization mechanisms. The attack surface is actually increased, authentication mechanisms are more complex, and dependency management remains a critical concern." An enterprise is considering adopting Software-defined Networking (SDN) to enhance network flexibility. What is a key security vulnerability associated with SDN?,Rigid network configurations,Lack of automation,Potential vulnerabilities in the SDN controller,Inability to integrate with cloud services,C,"The SDN controller is a central component that manages the network. If compromised, it can lead to widespread network vulnerabilities. Protecting the controller is crucial to ensure SDN security. SDN offers flexible, not rigid, network configurations, enhances automation, and can integrate with cloud services, so options A, B, and D are incorrect." A government agency uses air-gapped systems to protect classified data. What is a primary challenge associated with maintaining air-gapped systems?,Exposure to internet threats,Difficulty in performing updates and data transfers,High susceptibility to physical intrusions,Limited data storage capacity,B,"Air-gapped systems are isolated from unsecured networks, including the internet, to enhance security. However, this isolation makes updating systems and transferring data challenging, often requiring manual processes or physical media. Exposure to internet threats is minimized, and while physical intrusions are a concern, the primary challenge is maintaining updates and data transfers. Data storage capacity is not inherently limited by air-gapped status." A company has adopted virtualization to optimize its server usage. What is a critical security measure they must implement to protect their virtualized environment?,Increasing the number of virtual machines,Securing the hypervisor against breaches,Disabling network segmentation,Using outdated virtualization software,B,"The hypervisor manages virtual machines and is a critical component in a virtualized environment. Securing it against breaches is essential to prevent attackers from gaining control over all virtual machines. Increasing the number of virtual machines does not address security, disabling network segmentation weakens security, and using outdated software introduces vulnerabilities." A startup is leveraging serverless architecture to handle application scaling dynamically. They encounter issues with securing ephemeral functions. What approach should they take to enhance security in this environment?,Implementing long-lived server sessions,Focusing solely on network security,Adopting stateless security practices and ensuring proper function isolation,Relying on default security settings provided by the cloud provider,C,"In a serverless environment, functions are transient and stateless. Adopting stateless security practices and ensuring proper isolation between functions helps maintain security. Long-lived sessions are contrary to the serverless model, focusing only on network security is insufficient, and relying solely on default settings may not provide adequate protection." An organization uses a centralized system for managing its data but is worried about potential single points of failure. What is a security risk associated with centralized architectures?,Increased redundancy,Enhanced scalability,Single point of failure,Distributed control,C,"Centralized architectures consolidate control and data in one location or system. This creates a single point of failure, meaning if the central system is compromised or fails, the entire organization's operations could be affected. Increased redundancy and distributed control are characteristics of decentralized systems, not centralized ones." A company is evaluating high availability configurations to ensure their services remain operational 24/7. Which security consideration should they prioritize when implementing these configurations?,Reducing the number of redundant systems,Securing load balancers and clusters against attacks,Using single-instance servers,Minimizing network segmentation,B,"High availability often involves load balancers and clustered systems to ensure continuous operation. Securing these components is crucial to prevent them from becoming attack vectors that could disrupt services. Reducing redundant systems and using single-instance servers contradict high availability principles, and minimizing network segmentation can increase security risks." A business is using virtualization to run multiple virtual machines on a single physical server. They are concerned about one VM compromising others. What security measure can help prevent this scenario?,Using the same credentials for all VMs,Implementing network segmentation and proper access controls,Disabling firewalls on VMs,Sharing storage resources among all VMs,B,"Network segmentation and proper access controls can isolate virtual machines from each other, reducing the risk of one VM compromising others. Using the same credentials, disabling firewalls, and sharing storage resources increase the risk of cross-VM compromises and are not recommended security practices." A company employing a microservices architecture wants to ensure secure communication between services. Which security measure should they implement?,Using plain HTTP for faster communication,Implementing mutual TLS (mTLS) for service-to-service authentication,Allowing all services to communicate without restrictions,Relying on network firewalls alone,B,"Mutual TLS (mTLS) ensures that both parties in a communication are authenticated and that the data is encrypted, enhancing security in microservices architectures. Using plain HTTP does not provide encryption or authentication, allowing unrestricted communication increases security risks, and relying solely on network firewalls may not adequately secure inter-service communications." "An organization is using infrastructure as code (IaC) to manage its cloud resources. To prevent malicious code injections, what should they implement in their IaC workflow?",Allowing unrestricted code changes,Manual code deployment without reviews,Code reviews and automated security scanning,Disabling version control,C,"Implementing code reviews and automated security scanning in the IaC workflow helps detect and prevent malicious code injections, ensuring that infrastructure is deployed securely. Allowing unrestricted changes and disabling version control can introduce vulnerabilities, while manual deployment without reviews is error-prone and insecure." A company is planning to adopt containerization for its application deployment. Which practice is essential to minimize security vulnerabilities in their containerized environment?,Using containers with root privileges,Regularly updating and scanning container images for vulnerabilities,Allowing containers to communicate freely without restrictions,Storing sensitive data within containers,B,"Regularly updating and scanning container images helps identify and address security vulnerabilities, ensuring that containers remain secure. Running containers with root privileges increases security risks, unrestricted communication can lead to unauthorized access, and storing sensitive data within containers can expose critical information if compromised." A financial services company uses a decentralized system to enhance its resilience. What is a key security advantage of this approach?,Simplified management of system components,Elimination of all security risks,Reduced risk of a single point of failure,Uniform security policies across all nodes,C,"Decentralized systems distribute control across multiple points, reducing the risk associated with a single point of failure. This enhances resilience and security by ensuring that the compromise of one node does not affect the entire system. However, decentralized systems can complicate management and may not always have uniform security policies." An organization is deploying a highly available system using clustering. What security aspect should they consider to protect the cluster from unauthorized access?,Disabling authentication protocols,Ensuring secure communication between cluster nodes,Allowing open access to cluster management interfaces,Using default credentials for cluster nodes,B,"Securing the communication channels between cluster nodes is essential to prevent unauthorized access and potential breaches within the cluster. Disabling authentication, allowing open access, and using default credentials significantly increase security risks and should be avoided." A company operates both on-premises data centers and public cloud services. They aim to maintain consistent security policies across these environments. What architectural consideration should they prioritize?,Using different security frameworks for on-premises and cloud,Implementing centralized security management tools that support hybrid environments,Separating security teams for each environment,Minimizing security policies to simplify management,B,"Centralized security management tools that support hybrid environments enable consistent application of security policies across both on-premises and cloud services. Using different frameworks, separating security teams, or minimizing policies can lead to inconsistencies and security gaps." A healthcare provider uses an RTOS for its medical devices to ensure timely data processing. What is a critical security requirement for systems running RTOS?,High-level gaming capabilities,Flexible timing operations,Strict timing and reliability with robust security measures,Minimal encryption to enhance speed,C,"Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) used in medical devices require strict timing and reliability to ensure proper functionality. They must also incorporate robust security measures to protect against breaches, as failures can have serious real-world consequences. High-level gaming capabilities and minimal encryption are irrelevant or counterproductive, and flexible timing can compromise the real-time requirements." A company wants to ensure that its network remains secure even if one segment is compromised. Which network architecture strategy should they implement?,Single network segment with no separation,Logical Segmentation using VLANs or subnetting,Disabling all firewalls,Using a flat network topology,B,"Logical Segmentation using VLANs or subnetting divides the network into distinct segments, ensuring that a compromise in one segment does not affect others. A single network segment or flat topology increases vulnerability, and disabling firewalls removes critical security barriers." An organization relies on third-party vendors for certain cloud services. What is a crucial security step they should take when integrating third-party solutions?,Assuming third-party vendors have no security flaws,Ensuring third-party solutions adhere to robust security standards,Granting unrestricted access to third-party vendors,Avoiding the use of any third-party services,B,"Ensuring that third-party vendors adhere to robust security standards is essential to prevent introducing vulnerabilities into the organization's environment. Assuming vendors are secure without verification, granting unrestricted access, or avoiding third-party services altogether are not practical or secure approaches." A company wants to achieve high availability for its web services by using load balancing and clustering. What security measure should they implement to protect this setup?,Using unsecured communication protocols between load balancers and servers,Regularly updating and patching load balancer software,Allowing unrestricted traffic to load balancers,Disabling logging on load balancers,B,"Regularly updating and patching load balancer software is crucial to protect against vulnerabilities and ensure the high availability setup remains secure. Using unsecured protocols, allowing unrestricted traffic, and disabling logging can expose the system to attacks and hinder incident response." A software development team utilizes Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to automate their cloud deployments. They want to prevent configurations that could lead to security vulnerabilities. What should they integrate into their IaC pipeline?,Manual approval for every deployment,Automated security linting and compliance checks,Disabling version control to speed up deployments,Using only default configurations without customization,B,"Integrating automated security linting and compliance checks into the IaC pipeline helps identify and remediate security vulnerabilities in configurations before deployment. Manual approvals can be time-consuming, disabling version control reduces traceability, and using default configurations may not meet specific security requirements." An enterprise is designing its network with physical isolation in mind. They plan to implement air-gapped systems. What is a primary security advantage of air-gapped systems?,Enhanced internet connectivity,"Isolation from unsecured networks, including the internet",Simplified data sharing across departments,Reduced costs for network infrastructure,B,"Air-gapped systems are physically isolated from unsecured networks, including the internet, providing a high level of security against remote attacks. This isolation prevents unauthorized access and data breaches originating from online threats. However, it complicates data sharing and does not necessarily reduce costs." A company is implementing a blockchain-based decentralized system to enhance its security posture. What is a security benefit of using a decentralized system like blockchain?,Simplified transaction processes,Increased vulnerability to single points of failure,Enhanced robustness against tampering and single points of failure,Centralized control over data,C,"Decentralized systems like blockchain distribute data across multiple nodes, making it more robust against tampering and eliminating single points of failure. This enhances security by ensuring that no single node can compromise the entire system. Transaction processes may not necessarily be simplified, and decentralized systems do not have centralized control." "A company is conducting a security audit of its IoT devices. During the audit, they discover that some devices have default passwords. What is the most appropriate mitigation strategy?",Leaving the default passwords unchanged to maintain device functionality,"Changing default passwords to strong, unique passwords",Disabling the devices to prevent access,Ignoring the issue as it poses no significant risk,B,"Changing default passwords to strong, unique passwords is essential to secure IoT devices against unauthorized access. Leaving default passwords unchanged is a significant security risk, disabling devices can disrupt operations, and ignoring the issue leaves the devices vulnerable to attacks."