Cloud Security Alliance Cloud Security Alliance Certifications CCSK Questions & Answers

• Question 11:

  Which statement best describes the Data Security Lifecycle?

  A. The Data Security Lifecycle has six stages, is strictly linear, and never varies.

  B. The Data Security Lifecycle has six stages, can be non-linear, and varies in that some data may never pass through all stages.

  C. The Data Security Lifecycle has five stages, is circular, and varies in that some data may never pass through all stages.

  D. The Data Security Lifecycle has six stages, can be non-linear, and is distinct in that data must always pass through all phases.

  E. The Data Security Lifecycle has five stages, can be non-linear, and is distinct in that data must always pass through all phases.

  Correct Answer: B

  The statement that best describes the Data Security Lifecycle is:

  B. The Data Security Lifecycle has six stages, can be non-linear, and varies in that some data may never pass through all stages.

  The Data Security Lifecycle typically consists of six stages: Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, Recover, and Review. These stages represent different activities and processes involved in securing data throughout its lifecycle. However, the lifecycle is not strictly linear, and the progression through these stages can vary depending on the specific data and its context.

  Some data may not pass through all stages of the Data Security Lifecycle. For example, not all data may require the same level of protection or may not be subjected to the same detection and response mechanisms. The lifecycle is flexible and adaptable to different data types, risk levels, and security requirements.

• Question 12:

  Containers are highly portable code execution environments.

  A. False

  B. True

  Correct Answer: B

  Containers are indeed highly portable code execution environments. Containers provide a lightweight and isolated runtime environment that encapsulates an application and its dependencies. This allows the containerized application to run consistently and reliably across different computing environments, such as development machines, testing environments, and production servers.

  Containers achieve portability by bundling the application code, runtime dependencies, libraries, and configuration files into a single package. This package, known as a container image, can be easily distributed and deployed on various host systems that have a compatible container runtime, such as Docker or Kubernetes. Containers abstract away the underlying infrastructure and operating system differences, making it possible to run the same containerized application consistently across different environments.

• Question 13:

  CCM: A hypothetical start-up company called "ABC" provides a cloud based IT management solution. They are growing rapidly and therefore need to put controls in place in order to manage any changes in their production environment. Which of the following Change Control and configuration Management production environment specific control should they implement in this scenario?

  A. Policies and procedures shall be established for managing the risks associated with applying changes to business-critical or customer (tenant)-impacting (physical and virtual) applications and system-system interface (API) designs and configurations, infrastructure network and systems components.

  B. Policies and procedures shall be established, and supporting business processes and technical measures implemented, to restrict the installation of unauthorized software on organizationally-owned or managed user end-point devices

  (e.g. issued workstations, laptops, and mobile devices) and IT infrastructure network and systems components.

  C. All cloud-based services used by the company's mobile devices or BYOD shall be pre-approved for usage and the storage of company business data.

  D. None of the above

  Correct Answer: A

  A. Policies and procedures shall be established for managing the risks associated with applying changes to business-critical or customer (tenant)-impacting (physical and virtual) applications and system-system interface (API) designs and configurations, infrastructure network and systems components.

  As a growing start-up with a cloud-based IT management solution, it is crucial for "ABC" to have proper policies and procedures in place to manage changes in their production environment effectively. This control ensures that any changes made to business-critical applications, customer-impacting systems, API designs and configurations, and infrastructure network and system components are carefully managed and their associated risks are

• Question 14:

  CCM: The Architectural Relevance column in the CCM indicates the applicability of the cloud security control to which of the following elements?

  A. Service Provider or Tenant/Consumer

  B. Physical, Network, Compute, Storage, Application or Data

  C. SaaS, PaaS or IaaS

  Correct Answer: B

  From CCM: Architectural Relevance Phys Network Compute Storage App Data

• Question 15:

  For third-party audits or attestations, what is critical for providers to publish and customers to evaluate?

  A. Scope of the assessment and the exact included features and services for the assessment

  B. Provider infrastructure information including maintenance windows and contracts

  C. Network or architecture diagrams including all end point security devices in use

  D. Service-level agreements between all parties

  E. Full API access to all required services

  Correct Answer: A

  From Security Guidance v4. Section 3.1.2.5:

  It is critical for a provider to publish, and a customer to evaluate, the scope of the assessment, and which features and services are included in the assessment.

• Question 16:

  CCM: A company wants to use the IaaS offering of some CSP. Which of the following options for using CCM is NOT suitable for the company as a cloud customer?

  A. Submit the CCM on behalf of the CSP to CSA Security, Trust and Assurance Registry (STAR), a free, publicly accessible registry that documents the security controls provided by CSPs

  B. Use CCM to build a detailed list of requirements and controls that they want their CSP to implement

  C. Use CCM to help assess the risk associated with the CSP

  D. None of the above

  Correct Answer: A

• Question 17:

  How can key management be leveraged to prevent cloud providers from inappropriately accessing customer data?

  A. Use strong multi-factor authentication

  B. Secure backup processes for key management systems

  C. Segregate keys from the provider hosting data

  D. Stipulate encryption in contract language

  E. Select cloud providers within the same country as customer

  Correct Answer: C

  Segregate keys from the provider hosting data, can be leveraged to prevent cloud providers from inappropriately accessing customer data. According to Security-Guidance-v4.0, Pg126, "You may be able to store the keys externally from the provider and only pass them over on a per-request basis.”

• Question 18:

  Vulnerability assessments cannot be easily integrated into CI/CD pipelines because of provider restrictions.

  A. False

  B. True

  Correct Answer: A

  Vulnerability assessments can be integrated into CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) pipelines, and it is not accurate to say that they cannot be easily integrated due to provider restrictions.

  In fact, integrating vulnerability assessments into CI/CD pipelines is a recommended practice to ensure the security of software applications throughout the development lifecycle. By incorporating vulnerability scanning and testing tools into the CI/CD pipeline, organizations can automate the process of identifying and addressing security vulnerabilities early on.

  Cloud service providers typically offer APIs, SDKs, and tools that allow developers to integrate security testing and vulnerability assessments into their CI/CD pipelines. These tools can scan the application code, dependencies, and container images for known vulnerabilities, configuration weaknesses, and common security issues.

• Question 19:

  What type of information is contained in the Cloud Security Alliance's Cloud Control Matrix?

  A. Network traffic rules for cloud environments

  B. A number of requirements to be implemented, based upon numerous standards and regulatory requirements

  C. Federal legal business requirements for all cloud operators

  D. A list of cloud configurations including traffic logic and efficient routes

  E. The command and control management hierarchy of typical cloud company

  Correct Answer: B

  The Cloud Control Matrix (CCM) is a framework developed by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) that provides a catalog of security controls and best practices for cloud computing. It is designed to assist organizations in assessing the security risks associated with cloud computing and implementing appropriate security measures.

  The CCM includes a comprehensive set of controls and requirements that should be considered and implemented by cloud service providers and cloud customers. These controls cover various domains such as governance and risk management, compliance, data security, physical security, and incident response, among others. The requirements are derived from industry-accepted standards, frameworks, and regulatory requirements.

• Question 20:

  Which of the following is one of the five essential characteristics of cloud computing as defined by NIST?

  A. Multi-tenancy

  B. Nation-state boundaries

  C. Measured service

  D. Unlimited bandwidth

  E. Hybrid clouds

  Correct Answer: C

  C. Measured service.

  Measured service is one of the key characteristics of cloud computing, according to NIST's definition. It refers to the capability of cloud computing providers to measure and monitor resource usage by the consumers of cloud services. The resource usage can include computing power, storage, network bandwidth, or other relevant metrics.

  By implementing measured service, cloud providers can provide transparency and accountability to their customers by accurately measuring and reporting resource usage. This allows customers to be billed based on their actual usage and provides insights for optimization and cost management.