Fundamentals of Security

Question 1

Information Security

Answer 1

Protecting data and information from unauthorized access, modification, disruption, disclosure, and destruction

Question 2

Information Systems Security

Answer 2

Protecting the systems (e.g., computers, servers, network devices) that hold and process critical data

Question 3

CIA Triad

Answer 3

Confidentiality
- Ensures information is accessible only to authorized personnel (e.g., encryption)

Integrity
- Ensures data remains accurate and unaltered (e.g., checksums)

Availability
- Ensures information and resources are accessible when needed (e.g., redundancy measures)

Question 4

CIANA Pentagon

Answer 4

An extension of the CIA triad with the addition of non-repudiation and authentication

Question 5

Triple A’s of Security

Answer 5

Authentication
- Verifying the identity of a user or system (e.g., password checks)

Authorization
- Determining actions or resources an authenticated user can access (e.g., permissions)

Accounting
- Tracking user activities and resource usage for audit or billing purposes

Question 6

Cybersecurity Framework

Answer 6

o Identify – Develop security policies and capabilities. Evaluate risks, threats and vulnerabilities and recommend security controls to mitigate them/
o Protect
o Detect
o Respond
o Recover

Question 7

Security Control Categories

Answer 7

 Technical
 Managerial
 Operational
 Physical

Question 8

Security Control Types

Answer 8

 Preventative
 Deterrent
 Detective
 Corrective
 Compensating
 Directive

Question 9

Zero Trust Model

Answer 9

 Operates on the principle that no one should be trusted by default

Question 10

To achieve zero trust, we use the ….

Answer 10

Control Plane
- Adaptive identity, threat scope reduction, policy-driven access control, and secured zones

Data Plane
- Subject/system, policy engine, policy administrator, and establishing policy enforcement points

Question 11

Threat

Answer 11

Anything that could cause harm, loss, damage, or compromise to our information technology systems.

Can come from the following:
1: Natural disasters
2: Cyber-attacks
3: Data integrity breaches
4: Disclosure of confidential information

Question 12

Vulnerabilities

Answer 12

Any weakness in the system design or implementation.

Come from internal factors like the following:
- Software bugs
- Misconfigured software
- Improperly protected network devices
- Missing security patches
- Lack of physical security

Question 13

Risk Management

Answer 13

Finding different ways to minimize the likelihood of an outcome and achieve the desired outcome

• Where threats and vulnerabilities intersect, that is where the risk to your enterprise systems and networks lies
• If you have a threat, but there is no matching vulnerability to it, then you have no risk
• The same holds true that if you have a vulnerability but there’s no threat against it, there would be no risk

Question 14

Confidentiality

Answer 14

Refers to the protection of information from unauthorized access and disclosure

Ensure that private or sensitive information is not available or disclosed to unauthorized individuals, entities, or processes

Question 15

Confidentiality is important for 3 main reasons

Answer 15

1: To protect personal privacy
2: To maintain a business advantage
3: To achieve regulatory compliance

Question 16

To ensure confidentiality, we use five basic methods

Answer 16

1: Encryption
- Process of converting data into a code to prevent unauthorized access

2: Access Controls
- By setting up strong user permissions, you ensure that only authorized personnel can access certain types of data

3: Data Masking
- Method that involves obscuring specific data within a database to make it inaccessible for unauthorized users while retaining the real data’s authenticity and use for authorized users

4: Physical Security Measures
- Ensure confidentiality for both physical types of data, such as paper records stored in a filing cabinet, and for digital information contained on servers and workstations

5: Training and Awareness
- Conduct regular training on the security awareness best practices that employees can use to protect their organization’s sensitive data

Question 17

Intrigity

Answer 17

Helps ensure that information and data remain accurate and unchanged from its original state unless intentionally modified by an authorized individual

• Verifies the accuracy and trustworthiness of data over the entire lifecycle

Question 18

Integrity is important for three main reasons

Answer 18

1: To ensure data accuracy
2: To maintain trust
3: To ensure system operability

Question 19

To help us maintain the integrity of our data, systems, and networks, we usually utilize five methods

Answer 19

1: Hashing
- Process of converting data into a fixed-size value

2: Digital Signatures
- Ensure both integrity and authenticity

3: Checksums
- Method to verify the integrity of data during transmission

4: Access Controls
- Ensure that only authorized individuals can modify data and this reduces the risk of unintentional or malicious alterations

5: Regular Audits
- Involve systematically reviewing logs and operations to ensure that only authorized changes have been made, and any discrepancies are immediately addressed

Question 20

Availability

Answer 20

Ensure that information, systems, and resources are accessible and operational when needed by authorized users

Question 21

As cybersecurity professionals, we value availability since it can help us with the following

Answer 21

1: Ensuring Business Continuity
2: Maintaining Customer Trust
3: Upholding an Organization’s Reputation

Question 22

To overcome the challenges associated with maintaining availability, the best strategy is to use redundancy in your systems and network designs. What is redundancy

Answer 22

Duplication of critical components or functions of a system with the intention of enhancing its reliability

Question 23

There are various types of redundancy you need to consider when designing your systems and networks

Answer 23

1: Server Redundancy
- Involves using multiple servers in a load balanced or failover configuration so that if one is overloaded or fails, the other servers can take over the load to continue supporting your end users

2: Data Redundancy
- Involves storing data in multiple places

3: Network Redundancy
- Ensures that if one network path fails, the data can travel through another route

4: Power Redundancy
- Involves using backup power sources, like generators and UPS systems

Question 24

Non-repudiation

Answer 24

Non-repudiation
- Focused on providing undeniable proof in the world of digital transactions

• Security measure that ensures individuals or entities involved in a communication or transaction cannot deny their participation or the authenticity of their actions

Digital Signatures
- Considered to be unique to each user who is operating within the digital domain

• Created by first hashing a particular message or communication that you want to digitally sign, and then it encrypts that hash digest with the user’s private key using asymmetric encryption

Question 25

Non-repudiation is important for three main reasons

Answer 25

1: To confirm the authenticity of digital transactions
2: To ensure the integrity of critical communications
3: To provide accountability in digital processes

Question 26

Authentication

Answer 26

Security measure that ensures individuals or entities are who they claim to be during a communication or transaction

Question 27

5 commonly used authentication methods

Answer 27

1: Something you know (Knowledge Factor)
- Relies on information that a user can recall

2: Something you have (Possession Factor)
- Relies on the user presenting a physical item to authenticate themselves

3: Something you are (Inherence Factor)
- Relies on the user providing a unique physical or behavioral characteristic of the person to validate that they are who they claim to be

4: Something you do (Action Factor)
- Relies on the user conducting a unique action to prove who they are

5: Somewhere you are (Location Factor)
- Relies on the user being in a certain geographic location before access is granted

Question 28

Multi-Factor Authentication System (MFA)

Answer 28

Security process that requires users to provide multiple methods of identification to verify their identity

Question 29

Authentication is critical to understand because of the following

Answer 29

1: To prevent unauthorized access
2: To protect user data and privacy
3: To ensure that resources are accessed by valid users only

Question 30

Authorisation

Answer 30

Pertains to the permissions and privileges granted to users or entities after they have been authenticated

Question 31

Authorization mechanisms are important to help us with the following

Answer 31

1: To protect sensitive data

2: To maintain the system integrity in our organizations

3: To create a more streamlined user experience

Question 32

Accounting

Answer 32

Security measure that ensures all user activities during a communication or transaction are properly tracked and recorded

Question 33

Your organization should use a robust accounting system so that you can create the following

Answer 33

1: Create an audit trail
- Provides a chronological record of all user activities that can be used to trace changes, unauthorized access, or anomalies back to a source or point in time

2: Maintain regulatory compliance
- Maintains a comprehensive record of all users’ activities

3: Conduct forensic analysis
- Uses detailed accounting and event logs that can help cybersecurity experts understand what happened, how it happened, and how to prevent similar incidents from occurring again

4: Perform resource optimization
- Organizations can optimize system performance and minimize costs by tracking resource utilization and allocation decisions

5: Achieve user accountability
- Thorough accounting system ensures users’ actions are monitored and logged, deterring potential misuse and promoting adherence to the organization’s policies

Question 34

To perform accounting, we usually use different technologies like the following

Answer 34

1: Syslog Servers
- Used to aggregate logs from various network devices and systems so that system administrators can analyze them to detect patterns or anomalies in the organization’s systems

2: Network Analysis Tools
- Used to capture and analyze network traffic so that network administrators can gain detailed insights into all the data moving within a network

3: Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) Systems
- Provides us with a real-time analysis of security alerts generated by various hardware and software infrastructure in an organization

Question 35

4 Broad Categories of Security Controls

Answer 35

1: Technical Controls
- Technologies, hardware, and software mechanisms that are implemented to manage and reduce risks

2: Managerial Controls
- Sometimes also referred to as administrative controls
- Involve the strategic planning and governance side of security

3: Operational Controls
- Procedures and measures that are designed to protect data on a day-to-day basis
- Are mainly governed by internal processes and human actions

4: Physical Controls
- Tangible, real-world measures taken to protect assets

Question 36

6 Basic Types of Security Controls

Answer 36

1: Preventive Controls
- Proactive measures implemented to thwart potential security threats or breaches

2: Deterrent Controls
- Discourage potential attackers by making the effort seem less appealing or more challenging

3: Detective Controls
- Monitor and alert organizations to malicious activities as they occur or shortly thereafter

4: Corrective Controls
- Mitigate any potential damage and restore our systems to their normal state

5: Compensating Controls
- Alternative measures that are implemented when primary security controls are not feasible or effective

6: Directive Controls
- Guide, inform, or mandate actions
- Often rooted in policy or documentation and set the standards for behavior within an organization

Question 37

Gap Analysis

Answer 37

• Process of evaluating the differences between an organization’s current performance and its desired performance
• Conducting a gap analysis can be a valuable tool for organizations looking to improve their operations, processes, performance, or overall security posture

Question 38

There are several steps involved in conducting a gap analysis

Answer 38

1: Define the scope of the analysis

2: Gather data on the current state of the organization

3: Analyze the data to identify any areas where the organization’s current performance falls short of its desired performance

4: Develop a plan to bridge the gap

Question 39

2 Basic Types of Gap Analysis

Answer 39

1: Technical Gap Analysis
- Involves evaluating an organization’s current technical infrastructure
- identifying any areas where it falls short of the technical capabilities required to fully utilize their security solutions

2: Business Gap Analysis
- Involves evaluating an organization’s current business processes
- Identifying any areas where they fall short of the capabilities required to fully utilize cloud-based solutions

Question 40

Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M)

Answer 40

 Outlines the specific measures to address each vulnerability

 Allocate resources

 Set up timelines for each remediation task that is needed

Question 41

Zero Trust

Answer 41

Zero Trust demands verification for every device, user, and transaction within the network, regardless of its origin

Question 42

To create a zero trust architecture, we need to use two different planes

Answer 42

1: Control Plane

2: Data Plane

Question 43

Control Plane

Answer 43

Refers to the overarching framework and set of components responsible for defining, managing, and enforcing the policies related to user and system access within an organization

2: Control Plane typically encompasses several key elements
 Adaptive Identity
 Relies on real-time validation that takes into account the user’s behavior, device, location, and more

Question 44

Data Plane

Answer 44

• Threat Scope Reduction
  o Limits the users’ access to only what they need for their work tasks because this reduces the network’s potential attack surface
  o Focused on minimizing the “blast radius” that could occur in the event of a breach
• Policy-Driven Access Control
  o Entails developing, managing, and enforcing user access policies based on their roles and responsibilities
• Secured Zones
  o Isolated environments within a network that are designed to house sensitive data
• Ensures the policies are properly executed

Question 45

Data plane consists of the following:

Answer 45

1: Subject/System
- Refers to the individual or entity attempting to gain access

2: Policy Engine
- Cross-references the access request with its predefined policies

3: Policy Administrator
- Used to establish and manage the access policies

4: Policy Enforcement Point
- Where the decision to grant or deny access is actually execute