Question 1

REST

Accepted Answer

Cloud applications rely heavily (sometimes exclusively) upon application programming interfaces (APIs). REpresentation State Transfer (REST) relies on HTTP for transport and supports multiple data formats -- JSON and XML are the most widely used -- and it allows for caching to support better performance and scalability.

Question 2

SOAP

Accepted Answer

Cloud applications rely heavily (sometimes exclusively) upon application programming interfaces (APIs). Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) relies on HTTP for transport, supports only the XML data format, and does not allow for caching -- ergo, SOAP is often used only when REST is not vaiable.

Question 3

SDLC

Accepted Answer

Software Development LifeCycle or SDLC is a process framework that does not have a formal definition. (ISC)2 notes that all interpretations of SDLC include: Define: generate business requirements Design: translate the requirements to unambiguous logical and physical specifications Develop: code the logic and instantiate the physical components to meet the specification Test: prove / confirm that the specification has been met (ISC)2 notes that an 'extended' model of SDLC includes: Deploy: go-live with the solution Maintain: fix bugs, add features, patch the system, etc. Dispose: retire and decommission the system

Question 4

ISO/IEC 27034-1

Accepted Answer

Integration of best practices for the specification, selection, and implementation of security controls within the SDLC.

Question 5

ONF and ANF

Accepted Answer

The Organization Normative Framework (ONF) uses the following template to capture application security controls across the enterprise: Business context: security policies, standards, and best practices that have been approved for use within the firm Regulatory context: the laws and regulations that apply to the firm's applications Specification: the functional requirements and technology that meets them within the firm Roles: actors that 'own' the application and security controls within the firm Application Security Control (ASC) Library: all approved controls tagged by or aligned to the threats they address The Application Normative Framework (ANF) uses this same template but localizes it to a specific application. ANF is one to one. ONF is one to many.

Question 6

Software Development Methods ``` Waterfall Verification and Validation Prototype Iterate and Improve Spiral Agile ```

Accepted Answer

Per (ISC)2 materials: Waterfall: all elements of the project are planned prior to development -- a final and complete product is planned for then developed, tested, and delivered to production Verification and Validation: as above, with frequent milestones for testing and validation of progress Prototype: a minimally viable product is delivered for use and feedback, then a complete product is planned, developed, tested, and delivered Iterate and Improve: the whole is broken into units with the units delivered in sequence, as units go-live, they and the whole are evaluated with improvements flowing forward into the next deliverable unit Spiral: iterative with repeating phases -- e.g. plan, analyze, develop, evaluate... plan Agile: combines Iterate and Improve with Spiral

Question 7

STRIDE

Accepted Answer

A mnemonic for: Spoofing Identity: protections against an attacker assuming the identity of a legitimate user -- e.g. steals the username + password, hijacks the user session, etc. Tampering with Data: protections against injection and other methods of data alteration or destruction Repudiation: creates a chain of custody for transactions sufficient to prove / disprove an action claimed by a user Information Disclosure: protects against sharing data with unintended or unauthorized parties Denial of Service: protects against floods of input designed to degrade or down a system or service. Elevation of Privileges: protects against an attacker moving to a higher privilege account -- e.g. requires that Admins use 2FA to access the system, etc.

Question 8

Injection, OWASP

Accepted Answer

Attacker inputs commands and arbitrary data via input and data fields with the intent of having the application or system execute the code as part of its normal processing thereby exposing data to the attacker. e.g. : SQL query is input to field, executed by the db, and returns output to the attacker Solution: input validation and sanitization (like escaping high risk characters) by the application or system prior to processing by the data store.

Question 9

Broken Authentication, OWASP

Accepted Answer

Application functions related to authentication and session management are often implemented incorrectly, allowing attackers to compromise passwords, keys, or session tokens, or to exploit other implementation flaws to assume other users’ identities temporarily or permanently. e.g. credential stuffing, session timeouts overly permissive, etc. Solution: Multi-factor authentication, check for / do not allow weak passwords, limit failed login attempts, don't ship with default administrative credentials, harden registration, credential recovery, and API pathways, use server-side, secure, built-in session manager that generates new random session ID with high entropy after login.

Question 10

Broken Access Control, OWASP

Accepted Answer

Restrictions on what authenticated users are allowed to do are often not properly enforced. Attackers can exploit these flaws to access unauthorized functionality and/or data, such as access other users’ accounts, view sensitive files, modify other users’ data, change access rights, etc. e.g. horizontal permissions issue: attacker logs-on to a service then changes the primary key in a URL thereby gaining access to another authorized account; vertical permissions issue: page source code references a cgi-bin, attacker modifies URL to inject to that cgi-bin, and gets an output response Solution: enforce access controls with server-side code or server-less API where the attacker cannot modify the access control check or metadata.

Question 11

Security Misconfiguration, OWASP

Accepted Answer

Security misconfiguration is the most commonly seen issue. Causes include insecure default configurations, incomplete or ad hoc configurations, open cloud storage, misconfigured HTTP headers, and verbose error messages containing sensitive information. Not only must all operating systems, frameworks, libraries, and applications be securely configured, but they must be patched/upgraded in a timely fashion. e.g. default configuration is not secure or available security options are not utilized or are not properly set... a bit of a catch-all for standard good options not taken. Solution: utilize secure installation process to provide minimal platforms (least privilege) free from unnecessary features, provision and de-provision should support rapid roll out of new, secure / patched, environment, segmented architectures to limit contagion in event of an attack, and automated audit of state (configurations, settings, applications) to ensure effectiveness.

Question 12

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), OWASP

Accepted Answer

XSS flaws occur whenever an application includes untrusted data in a new web page without proper validation or escaping, or, updates an existing web page with user-supplied data using a browser API that can create HTML or JavaScript. XSS allows attackers to execute scripts in the victim’s browser which can hijack user sessions, deface web sites, or redirect the user to malicious sites. e.g. attacker comments on an article with a javascript, next user to access the page runs the javascript. Solution: separate untrusted data from active browser content -- escape untrusted inputs, application of the OWASP Cheat Sheet for XSS Prevention, etc.

Question 13

Insecure Deserialization, OWASP

Accepted Answer

Insecure deserialization often leads to remote code execution. Even if deserialization flaws do not result in remote code execution, they can be used to perform attacks, including replay attacks, injection attacks, and privilege escalation attacks. Serialization translates binary into a string to enable a larger number of transfer protocols; if an application or API deserializes without checking integrity or authorization it is susceptible to this attack. Solution: The only safe architectural pattern is not to accept serialized objects from untrusted sources or to use serialization mediums that only permit primitive data types.

Question 14

Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities, OWASP

Accepted Answer

Components, such as libraries, frameworks, and other software modules, run with the same privileges as the application. If a vulnerable component is exploited, such an attack can facilitate serious data loss or server takeover. Applications and APIs using components with known vulnerabilities may undermine application defenses and enable various attacks and impacts. Solution: Patch management, inventory and assessment of components to ensure that they are current (well maintained) and free from defects

Question 15

Insufficient Logging and Monitoring, OWASP

Accepted Answer

Exploitation of insufficient logging and monitoring is the bedrock of nearly every major incident. Insufficient logging and monitoring, coupled with missing or ineffective integration with incident response, allows attackers to further attack systems, maintain persistence, pivot to more systems, and tamper, extract, or destroy data. Most breach studies show time to detect a breach is over 200 days, typically detected by external parties rather than internal processes or monitoring. Solution: monitor core and critical events -- core: login, access control failures, server-side input validation failures should be logged as should any 'high value' transactions specific to the context of your business.

Question 16

Continuous Security Validation

Accepted Answer

In DevSecOps, continuous security validation is an approved continuous improvement / continuous delivery process that can be audited to ensure conformity with security standards; this includes, static code analysis, automated penetration testing, and infrastructure validation. Continuous security validation, as an artifact, illustrates the DevSecOps focus on automation of security functions.

Question 17

LAMP

Accepted Answer

Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP One of the three most common cloud application server-side stacks.

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CCSP Domain 4: Cloud Application Security Flashcards

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