Certmaster CE Security+ Domain 4.0 Security Operations

A tech department reviews the current model for incident response procedures in response to a serious incident at the company. What part of the process should they focus on for a review of data to determine the legitimacy of a genuine incident?

A. Analysis

A cybersecurity manager is preparing to begin working when a police officer comes through the door waving a warrant. The officer states that the company is under investigation for suspicious activities relating to recent overseas sales, and they are taking the servers with them. What gives police officers the right to take the servers?

A. Data acquisition (incorrect) B. Due process (incorrect)

A system admin is reviewing the company's environmental variables as there have been several new additions to workstations and servers. One of the primary environmental factors is the organization's IT infrastructure. What are two other environmental factors? (Select the two best options.)

A. External threat landscape B. Regulatory/compliance environment

A software engineer is reviewing the various capabilities of automation and scripting. What capability does the use of security groups allow for automation and scripting?

A. It assists in reducing the possibility of unauthorized access or excessive permissions.

A cyber architect explores various methods to assist in not having to manually pull data to support IT operations. What are the benefits associated with user provisioning? (Select the two best options.)

A. It can create, modify, or delete individual user accounts. B. It can create, modify, or delete individual users' access rights across IT systems.

A technician wants to implement automation within the team's workspace. How does complexity impact automation and orchestration?

A. It can impact multiple areas of the organization, causing widespread problems. (incorrect)

In a medium-sized company, the IT department manages access to various systems and resources for employees. The team wants to enhance the security posture by implementing better access controls. They use rule-based access controls and time-of-day restrictions to achieve this goal. What are the IT department's objectives in implementing rule-based access controls and time-of-day restrictions? (Select the two best options.)

A. To define specific access rules based on employees' roles and responsibilities B. To eliminate the need for user authentication and simplify access management (incorrect)

What type of log file is application-managed rather than through an operating system and may use Event Viewer or syslog to write event data in a standard format?

B. Application logs

An organization is creating a quick reference guide to assist team members when addressing common vulnerabilities and exposures across the enterprise. What does the Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams maintain that generates metrics of a score from 0 to 10?

B. CVSS

A cyber group is reviewing its web filtering capabilities after a recent breach. Which centralized web-filtering technique groups websites into categories such as social networking, gambling, and webmail?

B. Content categorization

A cyber technician is enhancing application security capabilities for corporate email accounts following a breach. Which of the following options leverages encryption features to enable email verification by allowing the sender to sign emails using a digital signature?

B. DKIM

Which of the following options is NOT a challenge typically encountered while implementing web filtering solutions in an enterprise?

B. Decrease in network latency

An organization needs to implement web filtering to bolster its security. The goal is to ensure consistent policy enforcement for both in-office and remote workers. Which of the following web filtering methods BEST meets this requirement?

B. Deploying agent-based web filtering

A cybersecurity responder surreptitiously monitors the activities of a hacker attempting infiltration. During this time, the cybersecurity responder prepared a containment and eradication plan. This is an example of what type of threat hunting technique?

B. Maneuvering

A cyber technician pulls logs on the new Apple iMacs to ensure the company's employees adhere to the policy. What log can provide the technician with the computer's attempted logins or denial when an employee attempts to access a file?

B. Operating system-specific security logs

An incident response analyst investigates a suspected network breach in the organization. With access to a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tool that aggregates and correlates data from multiple sources, which combination of data sources should the analyst primarily consider to trace the origin and pathway of the breach?

B. Trace the origin through logs of network-based vulnerability scanners, firewall logs, and OS-specific security logs

In a multinational corporation, employees across various departments regularly access many cloud-based applications to fulfill their tasks efficiently. The company's security team is grappling with managing user credentials securely and efficiently across these diverse platforms. They are actively looking to improve user authentication and streamline access to these applications while ensuring robust security measures are in place. In this scenario, what technology should the company implement to enable Single Sign-On (SSO) capabilities and ensure secure authentication across its diverse cloud-based applications?

B.SAML

The IT team at a medium-sized company is upgrading its wireless network security to protect sensitive data and ensure secure communication between devices. They have decided to implement Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3). What is the primary purpose of implementing WPA3 on the company's wireless network?

C .To enhance wireless network security with the latest encryption standards

A large multinational company uses a cloud-based document storage system. The system provides access to documents by considering a combination of factors: the user's department, geographic location, the document's sensitivity level, and the current date and time. For example, only the finance department of a specific region can access its financial reports, and they can do so only during business hours. Which access control model does the company MOST likely use to manage this complex access control

C. Attribute-based access control

An organization needs a solution for controlling and monitoring all inbound and outbound web content, analyzing web requests, blocking access based on various criteria, and offering detailed logging and reporting of web activity. Which of the following solutions is the MOST suitable in this situation?

C. Centralized web filtering

After a recent breach, an organization mandates increased monitoring of corporate email accounts. What can the organization use that mediates the copying of tagged data to restrict it to authorized media and services and monitors statistics for policy violations?

C. DLP

An IT auditor is responsible for ensuring compliance with best practice frameworks. The auditor conducts a compliance scan, using the security content automation protocol (SCAP), to measure system and configuration settings against a best practice framework. Which XML schema should the IT auditor use to develop and audit BEST practice configuration checklists and rules?

C. Extensible configuration checklist description format

A chief security officer (CSO) is overseeing the deployment of a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system in a large organization with a mix of computer systems and network appliances. The CSO has concerns about the system resources that the data collection process on the individual computer systems utilizes. Which method should the CSO consider to minimize the resource usage on these systems while ensuring effective data collection for the SIEM system?

C. Implementing an agentless collection method on the computer systems

A multinational company worries that its IT department is getting complacent regarding cybersecurity. The company begins working with an outside company to create an incident in a sandbox environment to gauge the IT department's response to a strong attack. This situation represents what type of testing scenario?

C. Simulation

In a small software development company, the development team has created a critical application that handles sensitive user data. The company's security policy mandates conducting a thorough application security assessment before deployment. To achieve this, the team employed a static code analysis tool, taking advantage of its primary feature. How can the development team utilize static code analysis in the critical application's software development process?

C. To identify potential security vulnerabilities in the application's source code

An organization wants to enhance its cybersecurity by implementing web filtering. The company needs a solution that provides granular control over web traffic, ensures policy enforcement even when employees are off the corporate network, and can log and analyze Internet usage patterns. Which of the following strategies BEST meets these requirements?

D. Agent-based filtering

A financial services company is decommissioning many servers that contain highly sensitive financial information. The company's data protection policy stipulates the need to use the most secure data destruction methods and comply with strict regulatory requirements. The company also has a significant environmental sustainability commitment and seeks to minimize waste wherever possible. What should the company's primary course of action be during this process?

D. Degaussing the servers, rendering the data irretrievable, followed by reselling or recycling the servers after certification

After experiencing a catastrophic server failure in the headquarters building, what can the company use to monitor notable events such as port failure, chassis overheating, power failure, or excessive CPU utilization?

D. SNMP trap

In a medium-sized tech company, employees have different roles and responsibilities requiring access to specific resources and data. The IT team is implementing security measures to control access effectively and reduce the risk of unauthorized activities. What security measure could the IT team implement in the tech company to control access effectively and minimize the risk of unauthorized activities?

D. The principle of least privilege to grant employees the minimum needed access based on job roles

A company plans to upgrade its wireless network infrastructure to improve connectivity and security. The IT team wants to ensure that the new network design provides adequate coverage, minimizes interference, and meets security standards. To achieve this, they conduct a site survey and create a heat map of the area. What is the primary purpose of conducting a site survey and creating a heat map for the company's wireless network upgrade?

D. To assess wireless signal coverage, identify dead zones, and optimize access point placement for the upgrade

Following an incident in which a company's incident response plan (IRP) failed, the response team made several updates and changes to the IRP. The CEO wants to test the IRP with a realistic incident that allows for hands-on demonstrations without engaging in a full-blown simulation and that doesn't require extensive investment and planning. Which IRP exercise is the BEST option for this company?

D. Walkthrough

A hacker successfully bypasses several protections and exfiltrates sensitive data. The company immediately begins recovery and takes steps to discover the initial problem that allowed the infiltration. This type of investigation is commonly referred to as what?

A. Lessons learned B. Analysis

The IT team of a medium-sized business is planning to enhance network security. They want to enforce minimum security controls and configurations across all network devices, including firewalls, routers, and switches. What should they establish to achieve this objective?

A. Network security baselines

Which web filtering feature is the MOST effective for organizations aiming to mitigate malware infections or violate the company's Internet usage policy?

A. Uniform Resource Locator scanning

A forensic analyst at an international law enforcement agency investigates a sophisticated cyber-espionage case. The analyst must uncover the timeline of document interactions, detect concealed or system-protected files, interpret categories of digital events, and trace digital breadcrumbs left behind during media uploads on social platforms. What combination of data sources would provide the MOST comprehensive information for this multifaceted investigation?

A. File metadata and event logs (incorrect)

A new system administrator has been working all morning typing in new vulnerability signatures to ensure the vulnerability scanner is current. The admin is utilizing common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVE) to obtain the information and the common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) to find the fix. What should the new system admin have done? (Select the three best options.)

A. Updated via vulnerability feed B. Updated via the security content automation protocol D. Updated via the threat feed

The network security manager of a large corporation is planning to improve the efficiency of the company's Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system. The SIEM system receives data from various sources, including Windows and Linux hosts, switches, routers, and firewalls. To make the data from different sources more consistent and searchable, which functionality should the manager focus on enhancing in the SIEM system?

A. Improve the SIEM system's vulnerability scanning capabilities (incorrect)

Upon receiving new storage media drives for the department, an organization asks a software engineer to dispose of the old drives. When considering the various methods, what processes does sanitization involve? (Select the two best options.)

A. It refers to the process of removing sensitive information from storage media to prevent unauthorized access or data breaches. B. Its process uses specialized techniques, such as data wiping, degaussing, or encryption.

In a medium-sized company, the IT security team implements Privileged Access Management (PAM) tools to enhance security measures. The team is considering using just-in-time (JIT) permissions to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to critical systems and sensitive data. JIT permissions allow users to obtain temporary access only when necessary, minimizing the exposure of privileged accounts. The team is aware that this approach can significantly improve security by limiting the window of oppor

A. JIT permissions reduce unauthorized access risk by granting temporary access only when necessary.

The IT department at a medium-sized company is exploring ways to enhance its authentication methods to improve security. They want to choose an authentication approach that balances security and user convenience. Which authentication method eliminates the need for passwords and provides a secure way of verifying a user's identity based on the device's hardware or software characteristics?

A. Biometric authentication (incorrect) B. Attestation (incorrect)

An IT admin has been testing a newly released software patch and discovered an exploitable vulnerability. The manager directs the IT admin to immediately report to Common Vulnerability Enumeration (CVE), utilizing the common vulnerability scoring system (CVSS) to base the score for the vulnerability. What could happen if there are delays in completing the report? (Select the two best options.)

A. Can lead to delays in remediation D. Increase window of opportunity for attackers

A security administrator reviews the configuration of a newly implemented Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system. The SIEM system collects and correlates data from various sources, such as network sensors, application logs, and host logs. The administrator notices that some network devices, like switches and routers, do not directly support the installed agents for data collection. What approach should the administrator consider to ensure the inclusion of these devices' logs in the SIEM system?

A. Configuring the devices to push log changes to the SIEM server using a listener/collector approach

The IT department of a medium-sized company is exploring various mobile solutions to improve productivity and enable employees to work efficiently on their mobile devices. They aim to choose a solution ensuring data security and seamless integration with the existing infrastructure. The team has narrowed the options to three potential mobile solutions: MDM, MAM, and COPE. Each solution offers different features and functionalities, and the IT team is assessing which one BEST meets the company's

A. MAM

A proprietary software remains mission-critical ten years after its in-house creation. The software requires an exception to the rules as it cannot use the latest in-use operating system (OS) version. How can the IT department protect this mission-critical software and reduce its exposure factor? (Select the two best options.)

A. Network segmentation C. Compensating controls

The chief information officer (CIO) wants to expand the company's ability to accurately identify vulnerabilities across the company. The CIO wants to be able to scan client PCs, mobile devices, servers, routers, and switches. What type of scanner are they looking to institute?

A. Network vulnerability scanner

The IT team of a large multinational corporation is working to improve the security of their remote access services. They plan to implement Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service (RADIUS) to enhance the authentication process for remote users. RADIUS provides a centralized authentication and authorization mechanism for users connecting from various locations. The IT team evaluated different authentication protocols alongside RADIUS to ensure a strong and secure remote access solution. Which choice of authentication protocols would be MOST appropriate to complement RADIUS for the company's remote access solution?

A. PEAP

As a company grows, so does its attack surface and the desirability for a malicious actor to compromise its systems. A company must monitor all software usage, secure applications, third-party software, libraries, and dependencies to keep systems secure. What are some ways to accomplish this? (Select the three best options.)

A. Package monitoring B. Software Bill of Materials C. Software composition analysis

During routine monitoring, an incident response analyst at a prominent corporation notices suspicious network activity on a server. The analyst can access various network data sources. Which data sources would provide the MOST relevant information for the analyst to investigate and identify the potential threat actor and tools used in this activity?

A. Packet captures

A healthcare organization is preparing to decommission several servers containing sensitive patient information. The organization wants to ensure that it securely disposes of the data on these servers and properly documents this process. What should the organization primarily focus on to ensure secure data disposal and regulation compliance?

A. Pass the servers to the IT team for random allocation among employees. (incorrect) B. Sell the servers as soon as possible to reclaim some of the initial investment. (incorrect)

The IT department at a small company is revamping its password policies to bolster security. The company wants to ensure employees follow best practices for creating and managing passwords. The department aims to promote a secure environment by implementing password expiration policies. Which method for password management is BEST to promote a secure environment by requiring users to change their passwords after a certain period?

A. Password expiration

A company has added several new assets and software to its system and is meeting to review its risk matrix. It wants to ensure risk management efforts focus on vulnerabilities most likely impacting its operations significantly. What is this commonly referred to as?

A. Prioritization

At a large company, the IT department manages user accounts and permissions for the organization's various systems. The IT team employs a well-structured provisioning and de-provisioning process to create, modify, and remove user accounts and assign permissions to minimize potential security risks. Which statements related to user account provisioning and permission assignments are correct? (Select the two best options.)

A. Provisioning and de-provisioning of user accounts involve creating, modifying, and removing user accounts to maintain appropriate access levels. B. The principle of least privilege guides the assignment of permissions, ensuring users have only the necessary access for their job roles.

A system administrator has seen repeated positive vulnerability messages only to discover that no vulnerability exists. The vulnerability messages repeat daily for several days, causing the system administrators to ignore them. What can the system administrator do to combat false positives? (Select the two best options.)

A. Review logs B. Use different scanners

An organization is increasing security on corporate email exchanges after being a target in a whaling campaign. Which of the following options is an email authentication method that helps detect and prevent sender address forgery?

A. SPF

In a medium-sized organization, the IT department manages a wide range of applications employees use. Recently, the IT security team identified a growing number of security incidents related to malware infections and unauthorized access to sensitive data. They suspect that certain applications may be the entry point for these attacks. To mitigate the risks, the team wants to implement a security measure that isolates applications from the rest of the system to prevent potential threats from spreading. They aim to achieve this without affecting the overall performance and usability of the applications. Which security measure should the IT security team consider implementing to isolate applications from the rest of the system, reduce the impact of potential security threats, and maintain optimal performance and usability?

A. Sandboxing

After a breach, an organization implements new multifactor authentication (MFA) protocols. What MFA philosophy incorporates using a smart card or key fob to support authentication?

A. Something you have

In a large corporate office, employees use various devices such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets that support both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. The office implements strict security measures to protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with industry regulations. However, the IT team noticed some security concerns. What security risks is the IT team primarily concerned about regarding the use of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi in the corporate office?

A. Unauthorized access and data interception

The network administrator of a small business needs to enhance the security of the business's wireless network. The primary goal is to implement Wi-Fi Protected Access 3 (WPA3) as the main security measure but recognize the need to adjust other wireless security settings to effectively complement WPA3 and create a robust network for all employees to access critical company resources securely. What considerations should the network administrator consider when implementing WPA3 and adjusting wireless security settings? (Select the two best options.)

B. Enabling media access control address filtering to restrict access to authorized devices C. Implementing 802.1X authentication for user devices

The IT security team at a corporation has concerns about potential security risks on the cloud platform. They noticed that some employees have been able to submit malformed data, leading to inconsistencies and potential data breaches. The team wants to enhance the platform's security without hindering productivity. In this case, what security measure should the IT security team implement to improve the security of the cloud platform at the corporation?

B. Implement robust input validation mechanisms to validate all incoming data

A security specialist is drafting a memorandum on secure data destruction for the organization after a recent breach. What benefit does the certification concept offer when evaluating appropriate disposal/decommissioning?

B. It refers to the documentation and verification of the data sanitization or destruction process.

A Security Operations Center (SOC) manager notices a significant increase in unclassified events on the incident handler's Security Event and Incident Management (SIEM) dashboard. At the same time, someone or something raises the number of incidents. The manager investigates these incidents further to ensure efficient and timely incident response. Which combination of data sources would provide the MOST comprehensive view to support the manager's investigation?

B. OS-specific security logs, log files generated by applications and services running on hosts, and automated reports from the SIEM tool

A cyber team is responding to regulatory requirements after the organization falls victim to a breach. What remediation practice involves the application of updates to systems to fix known vulnerabilities?

B. Patching

An organization reviews recent audit results of monitoring solutions used to protect the company's infrastructure and learns that detection tools are reporting a high volume of false positives. Which alert tuning techniques can reduce the volume of false positives? (Select the three best options.)

B. Refining detection rules and muting alert levels C. Redirecting sudden alert "floods" to a dedicated group D. Redirecting infrastructure-related alerts to a dedicated group

A healthcare organization is retiring an old database server that housed sensitive patient information. It aims to ensure that this information is completely irretrievable. What key process should the organization prioritize before disposing of this server?

B. Secure destruction of all data stored on the server

A global financial institution with a vast network of offices and data centers has faced increasing cybersecurity threats. The organization's IT team realizes that privileged accounts are a prime target for hackers, and manually managing them poses a significant risk. The company implemented a Privileged Access Management (PAM) solution to strengthen its security posture. As part of the implementation, the IT team focuses on password vaulting, a critical component of PAM. As part of the advanced

B. Securely store and manage privileged account credentials

A technology firm's network security specialist notices a sudden increase in unidentified activities on the firm's Security Event and Incident Management (SIEM) incident tracking system. An unknown entity or process also increases the number of reported incidents. The specialist decides to investigate these incidents. Which combination of data sources would provide a balanced perspective to support the investigation?

B. System-specific security logs, which track system-level operations; logs generated by applications running on hosts; and real-time reports from the SIEM solution, summarizing incidents.

The IT security team at a large company is implementing more robust authentication measures to safeguard sensitive data and systems. The team is exploring multifactor authentication (MFA) options to bolster security. The company deals with highly confidential information and requires a robust solution. The team has narrowed the choices and is evaluating which aligns BEST with their security needs. Which multi-factor authentication method utilizes unique physical characteristics of individuals to

C. Biometrics

A financial institution is preparing to decommission a number of its old servers. The servers contain sensitive customer data that needs proper handling to prevent unauthorized access or data breaches. Which strategy should the institution primarily employ to ensure the data on these servers stays irretrievable?

C. Carry out a sanitization process that includes multiple passes of overwriting and degaussing.

A company recently faced a security breach through its network switch. They learned that the attacker was able to access the switch using the default credentials. Which of the following steps should the company take to improve the security of the switch and avoid such breaches in the future?

C. Change the default credentials of the switch

After finding some of the company's confidential data on the internet, a software team is drafting a policy on vulnerability response and remediation. What remediation practice refers to measures put in place to mitigate the risk of a vulnerability when the team cannot directly eliminate it?

C. Compensating controls

An information security manager is fine-tuning a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system in a company that has recently reported a series of unauthorized account access attempts. The manager wants to ensure prompt detection of similar incidents for immediate investigation. Which approach should the manager consider to optimize the system's alerting capability?

C. Configuring the SIEM system to alert when multiple login failures for the same account occur within a specified time period

What action of the incident response process removes affected components from the larger environment?

C. Containment

A tech department evaluates the benefits of automation and scripting after recently acquiring new funding. What capability within automation and scripting allows developers to regularly merge their changes back to the main code branch and evaluate each merge automatically to help detect and fix integration problems?

C. Continuous integration and testing

A company merged with another company and is reviewing and combining both companies' procedures for incident response. What should the joined companies have at the end of this preparation phase?

C. Incident response plan

A newly hired system admin is reviewing remediation practices and notices the company's practices in one area need strengthening. The system admin knows the importance of this practice due to the protections it affords against the exploitation of vulnerabilities. What remediation practice is the system admin reviewing?

C. Patching

A company's network has experienced increased infiltration due to employees accessing dangerous websites from different content categories. The company has decided to enhance its security by implementing reputation-based filtering and content categorization in its web filtering system. Which of the following BEST compares these features?

C. Reputation-based filtering evaluates sites by past behavior; content categorization sorts by themes like adult content.

A tech company is in the process of decommissioning a fleet of old servers. It wants to ensure that sensitive data stored on these servers is fully eliminated and is not accessible in the event of unauthorized attempts. What primary process should the company implement before disposing or repurposing these servers?

C. Sanitizing the servers

An organization implemented a BYOD policy for employees to use their mobile devices for work-related tasks. The organization's IT department identified concerns about the security risks associated with BYOD. They determined that employees' mobile devices must meet the security requirements to protect sensitive company data. Considering the scenario, which of the following measures is the MOST effective way to enhance the security of employees' mobile devices under the BYOD policy?

C. Using MDM solutions to centrally control employees' mobile devices

A technician is deploying centralized web filtering techniques across the enterprise. What technique employs factors such as the website's URL, domain, IP address, content category, or even specific keywords within the web content?

D. Block rules

A technician is modifying controls to increase security on messaging services. Which of the following options check to define rules for handling messages, such as moving messages to quarantine or spam, rejecting them outright, or tagging the message?

D. DMARC

A security operations analyst at a financial institution analyzes an incident involving unauthorized transactions. The analyst suspects that a malware infection on one of the endpoints might have led to the unauthorized access. To identify the root cause and trace the activities of the suspected malware, which combination of data sources should the analyst primarily consider?

D. Endpoint logs, log files generated by the OS components of the affected host computer, and logs from the host-based intrusion detection system.

A senior security analyst is refining the incident response processes for a large organization that recently implemented a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system. During a simulation of a cybersecurity incident, the analyst observed that the SIEM system generated several alerts that were false positives, leading to unnecessary consumption of resources. On which step should the analyst focus to improve the efficiency of the alert response and remediation process?

D. Enhancing the validation and quarantine processes in the alert response

A global corporation has faced numerous cyber threats and is now prioritizing the security of its servers. The corporation's IT security expert recommends a strategy to improve server security. Which of the following options is likely to be the MOST effective?

D. Implement a secure baseline, consistently apply updates and patches, and adhere to hardening guidelines.

A digital forensics analyst at a healthcare company is investigating a case involving a potential internal data breach. The breach has led to unauthorized access and potential exposure of sensitive patient information. The company uses a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tool that aggregates and correlates data from multiple sources. The analyst's task is to identify potential insider threats that could be responsible for the breach. Given the nature of the breach, which combinati

D. Investigate log files generated by the OS components of client and server host computers, logs generated by applications, services running on hosts, and endpoint logs.

In a company, different departments actively access various cloud-based applications and services to perform their tasks efficiently. The company's security team has concerns about the growing complexity and risks of managing user credentials across multiple platforms. To address this concern proactively, the team implements a modern authentication solution that actively provides Single Sign-On (SSO) capabilities, ensuring enhanced user convenience and security. In this scenario, which technology should the organization proactively employ for federation and enabling SSO capabilities effectively across the diverse range of cloud-based applications?

D. OAuth

The cybersecurity expert at a technology firm recommends adding another layer of protection to employee accounts. The expert suggests a physical device that users can insert or tap on compatible systems to verify their identity alongside a password. The proposed solution should not rely on biometric data and should produce time-sensitive codes or be an app/software on personal devices. Which authentication method is the cybersecurity expert recommending for the employees?

D. Security keys