M22 Practice Quiz

#Cybersecurity #vulnerabilities #apps #threat

Question 1

  1. A cybersecurity researcher discovered a critical vulnerability in a widely-used software application that, if exploited, could allow unauthorized access to sensitive user data. The researcher wants to ensure that the vulnerability is addressed promptly while minimizing the risk of malicious exploitation. What is the most appropriate course of action for the researcher to take?

    Options:

    • Ignore the vulnerability since it is the responsibility of the software vendor to find and fix such issues
    • Exploit the vulnerability and publicly post the details to raise awareness
    • Sell the details of the vulnerability to the highest bidder by conducting a bug bounty auction
    • Report the vulnerability to the software vendor through a responsible disclosure program

    Overall explanation:

    • Responsible disclosure programs provide a framework for ethical hackers and security researchers to report vulnerabilities they discover in a responsible and ethical manner. By reporting through such a program, the researcher ensures that the software vendor has an opportunity to address the vulnerability before it is publicly disclosed, thereby minimizing the risk of exploitation by malicious actors.

    Tags: Responsible Disclosure Programs

Question 2

  1. Paula, a cybersecurity analyst at Dion Training, is tasked with researching and documenting known vulnerabilities in the organization's software applications. The analyst needs to reference a standardized identifier for each vulnerability to facilitate communication and collaboration across different teams and tools. Which of the following would provide the analyst with a unique identifier for each publicly disclosed vulnerability?

    Options:

    • CVE
    • OSINT
    • SCAP
    • CVSS

    Overall explanation:

    • The Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system provides unique identifiers for publicly disclosed cybersecurity vulnerabilities. These identifiers, known as CVE IDs, facilitate communication and enable data exchange between security products and ensure that different tools and databases are referring to the same vulnerabilities in a standardized manner.

    Tags: Security Content Automation and Protocol (SCAP), CVE

Question 3

  1. An organization has legacy systems that are critical to its operations and cannot be easily updated or replaced. These systems have known vulnerabilities that cannot be remediated through traditional patching. What is the most appropriate strategy for the organization to mitigate the risk associated with these vulnerabilities while ensuring that the systems remain operational?

    Options:

    • Ignore the vulnerabilities
    • Utilize a compensating control
    • Immediately replace the system
    • Conduct full system patching

    Overall explanation:

    • Compensating controls refer to alternative security measures implemented to mitigate the risk when traditional controls, such as patching, are not feasible.
    • In cases where legacy systems cannot be easily updated or replaced, compensating controls such as network segmentation, additional monitoring, or restricted access can provide an effective means of managing the associated risks while ensuring that the systems remain operational.

    Tags: Vulnerability Response and Remediations

Question 4

  1. A cybersecurity analyst is tasked with gathering threat intelligence on potential sources of data leaks and unauthorized sales of proprietary company information. The analyst needs to search for mentions of the company's data in online marketplaces that are not accessible through traditional search engines and are known for hosting illegal activities. Which of the following should the analyst investigate to find such information?

    Options:

    • Social Media
    • Corporate Website
    • Public Forums
    • Dark Web

    Overall explanation:

    • The dark web refers to a part of the internet that is intentionally hidden and is not accessible through traditional search engines. It is known for hosting illegal activities, including the sale of stolen data and proprietary information.
    • A cybersecurity analyst would investigate the dark web to find mentions of the company's data in unauthorized marketplaces and forums.

    Tags: Threat Intelligence Feeds

Question 5

  1. A security engineer wants to proactively identify potential vulnerabilities in a software application's source code before it is compiled and deployed. The goal is to find issues such as insecure coding practices, buffer overflows, and input validation errors. Which of the following approaches would be most effective for achieving this objective?

    Options:

    • Static analysis
    • Dynamic analysis
    • Penetration testing
    • Vulnerability scanning

    Overall explanation:

    • Static analysis, also known as Static Application Security Testing (SAST), involves analyzing an application's source code or binary code before it is run or compiled. This approach allows security engineers to identify potential vulnerabilities, insecure coding practices, and other issues within the codebase without executing the program.
    • Static analysis is a proactive measure to ensure application security by catching vulnerabilities early in the development lifecycle.

    Tags: Application Security, SAST