ISC CSSLP Online Practice Questions and Exam Preparation

ISC CSSLP Online Questions & Answers

• Question 341:

  Which of the following strategies is used to minimize the effects of a disruptive event on a company, and is created to prevent interruptions to normal business activity?

  A. Continuity of Operations Plan
  B. Contingency Plan
  C. Disaster Recovery Plan
  D. Business Continuity Plan
  D. Business Continuity Plan

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  BCP is a strategy to minimize the consequence of the instability and to allow for the continuation of business processes. The goal of BCP is to minimize the effects of a disruptive event on a company, and is formed to avoid interruptions to normal business activity. Business Continuity Planning (BCP) is the creation and validation of a practiced logistical plan for how an organization will recover and restore partially or completely interrupted critical (urgent) functions within a predetermined time after a disaster or extended disruption. The logistical plan is called a business continuity plan. Answer: B is incorrect. A contingency plan is a plan devised for a specific situation when things could go wrong. Contingency plans are often devised by governments or businesses who want to be prepared for anything that could happen. Contingency plans include specific strategies and actions to deal with specific variances to assumptions resulting in a particular problem, emergency, or state of affairs. They also include a monitoring process and "triggers" for initiating planned actions. They are required to help governments, businesses, or individuals to recover from serious incidents in the minimum time with minimum cost and disruption. Answer: C is incorrect. Disaster recovery planning is a subset of a larger process known as business continuity planning and should include planning for resumption of applications, data, hardware, communications (such as networking), and other IT infrastructure. A business continuity plan (BCP) includes planning for non-IT related aspects such as key personnel, facilities, crisis communication, and reputation protection, and should refer to the disaster recovery plan (DRP) for IT-related infrastructure recovery/continuity. Answer: A is incorrect. The Continuity Of Operation Plan (COOP) refers to the preparations and institutions maintained by the United States government, providing survival of federal government operations in the case of catastrophic events. It provides procedures and capabilities to sustain an organization's essential. COOP is the procedure documented to ensure persistent critical operations throughout any period where normal operations are unattainable.

• Question 342:

  A service provider guarantees for end-to-end network traffic performance to a customer. Which of the following types of agreement is this?

  A. SLA
  B. VPN
  C. NDA
  D. LA
  A. SLA

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  This is a type of service-level agreement. A service-level agreement (SLA) is a negotiated agreement between two parties where one is the customer and the other is the service provider. It records a common understanding about services, priorities, responsibilities, guarantees, and warranties. Each area of service scope should have the 'level of service' defined. The SLA may specify the levels of availability, serviceability, performance, operation, or other attributes of the service, such as billing. Answer: C is incorrect. Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) are often used to protect the confidentiality of an invention as it is being evaluated by potential licensees. Answer: D is incorrect. License agreements (LA) describe the rights and responsibilities of a party related to the use and exploitation of intellectual property. Answer: B is incorrect. There is no such type of agreement as VPN.

• Question 343:

  The NIST Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board (ISPAB) paper "Perspectives on Cloud Computing and Standards" specifies potential advantages and disdvantages of virtualization. Which of the following disadvantages does it include? Each correct answer represents a complete solution. Choose all that apply.

  A. It increases capabilities for fault tolerant computing using rollback and snapshot features.
  B. It increases intrusion detection through introspection.
  C. It initiates the risk that malicious software is targeting the VM environment.
  D. It increases overall security risk shared resources.
  E. It creates the possibility that remote attestation may not work.
  F. It involves new protection mechanisms for preventing VM escape, VM detection, and VM- VM interference.
  G. It increases configuration effort because of complexity and composite system.
  C. It initiates the risk that malicious software is targeting the VM environment.
  D. It increases overall security risk shared resources.
  E. It creates the possibility that remote attestation may not work.
  F. It involves new protection mechanisms for preventing VM escape, VM detection, and VM- VM interference.
  G. It increases configuration effort because of complexity and composite system.

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  The potential security disadvantages of virtualization are as follows: It increases configuration effort because of complexity and composite system. It initiates the problem of how to prevent overlap while mapping VM storage onto host files. It introduces the problem of virtualizing the TPM. It creates the possibility that remote attestation may not work. It initiates the problem of detecting VM covert channels. It involves new protection mechanisms for preventing VM escape, VM detection, and VM-VM interference. It initiates the possibility of virtual networking configuration errors. It initiates the risk that malicious software is targeting the VM environment. It increases overall security risk shared resources, such as networks, clipboards, clocks, printers, desktop management, and folders. Answer: A and B are incorrect. These are not the disadvantages of virtualization, as described in the NIST Information Security and Privacy Advisory Board (ISPAB) paper "Perspectives on Cloud Computing and Standards".

• Question 344:

  Della work as a project manager for BlueWell Inc. A threat with a dollar value of $250,000 is expected to happen in her project and the frequency of threat occurrence per year is 0.01. What will be the annualized loss expectancy in her project?

  A. $2,000
  B. $2,500
  C. $3,510
  D. $3,500
  B. $2,500

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  The annualized loss expectancy in her project will be $2,500. Annualized loss expectancy (ALE) is the annually expected financial loss to an organization from a threat. The annualized loss expectancy (ALE) is the product of the annual rate of occurrence (ARO) and the single loss expectancy (SLE). It is mathematically expressed as follows: ALE = Single Loss Expectancy (SLE) * Annualized Rate of Occurrence (ARO) Here, it is as follows: ALE = SLE * ARO = 250,000 * 0.01 = 2,500 Answer: D, C, and A are incorrect. These are not valid answers.

• Question 345:

  Which of the following refers to a process that is used for implementing information security?

  A. Classic information security model
  B. Five Pillars model
  C. Certification and Accreditation (CandA)
  D. Information Assurance (IA)
  C. Certification and Accreditation (CandA)

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  Certification and Accreditation (CandA or CnA) is a process for implementing information security. It is a systematic procedure for evaluating, describing, testing, and authorizing systems prior to or after a system is in operation. The CandA process is used extensively in the U.S. Federal Government. Some CandA processes include FISMA, NIACAP, DIACAP, and DCID 6/3. Certification is a comprehensive assessment of the management, operational, and technical security controls in an information system, made in support of security accreditation, to determine the extent to which the controls are implemented correctly, operating as intended, and producing the desired outcome with respect to meeting the security requirements for the system. Accreditation is the official management decision given by a senior agency official to authorize operation of an information system and to explicitly accept the risk to agency operations (including mission, functions, image, or reputation), agency assets, or individuals, based on the implementation of an agreed-upon set of security controls. Answer: D is incorrect. Information Assurance (IA) is the practice of managing risks related to the use, processing, storage, and transmission of information or data and the systems and processes used for those purposes. While focused dominantly on information in digital form, the full range of IA encompasses not only digital but also analog or physical form. Information assurance as a field has grown from the practice of information security, which in turn grew out of practices and procedures of computersecurity. Answer: A is incorrect. The classic information security model is used in the practice of Information Assurance (IA) to define assurance requirements. The classic information security model, also called the CIA Triad, addresses three attributes of information and information systems, confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This C-I-A model is extremely useful for teaching introductory and basic concepts of information security and assurance; the initials are an easy mnemonic to remember, and when properly understood, can prompt systems designers and users to address the most pressing aspects of assurance. Answer: B is incorrect. The Five Pillars model is used in the practice of Information Assurance (IA) to define assurance requirements. It was promulgated by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) in a variety of publications, beginning with the National Information Assurance Glossary, Committee on National Security Systems Instruction CNSSI-4009. Here is the definition from that publication: "Measures that protect and defend information and information systems by ensuring their availability, integrity, authentication, confidentiality, and non-repudiation. These measures include providing for restoration of information systems by incorporating protection, detection, and reaction capabilities." The Five Pillars model is sometimes criticized because authentication and non-repudiation are not attributes of information or systems; rather, they are procedures or methods useful to assure the integrity and authenticity of information, and to protect the confidentiality of the same.

• Question 346:

  Which of the following access control models are used in the commercial sector? Each correct answer represents a complete solution. Choose two.

  A. Biba model
  B. Clark-Biba model
  C. Clark-Wilson model
  D. Bell-LaPadula model
  A. Biba model
  C. Clark-Wilson model

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  The Biba and Clark-Wilson access control models are used in the commercial sector. The Biba model is a formal state transition system of computer security policy that describes a set of access control rules designed to ensure data integrity. Data and subjects are grouped into ordered levels of integrity. The model is designed so that subjects may not corrupt data in a level ranked higher than the subject, or be corrupted by data from a lower level than the subject. The Clark-Wilson security model provides a foundation for specifying and analyzing an integrity policy for a computing system. Answer: D is incorrect. The Bell-LaPadula access control model is mainly used in military systems. Answer: B is incorrect. There is no such access control model as Clark-Biba.

• Question 347:

  Which of the following US Acts emphasized a "risk-based policy for cost-effective security" and makes mandatory for agency program officials, chief information officers, and inspectors general (IGs) to conduct annual reviews of the agency's information security program and report the results to Office of Management and Budget?

  A. Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA)
  B. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA)
  C. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA)
  D. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
  A. Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 (FISMA)

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  The Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002 ("FISMA", 44 U.S.C. 3541, et seq.) is a United States federal law enacted in 2002 as Title III of the E-Government Act of 2002 (Pub.L. 107-347, 116 Stat. 2899). The act recognized the importance of information security to the economic and national security interests of the United States. The act requires each federal agency to develop, document, and implement an agency-wide program to provide information security for the information and information systems that support the operations and assets of the agency, including those provided or managed by another agency, contractor, or other source. FISMA has brought attention within the federal government to cybersecurity and explicitly emphasized a "risk-based policy for cost-effective security". FISMA requires agency program officials, chief information officers, and inspectors general (IGs) to conduct annual reviews of the agency's information security program and report the results to Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB uses this data to assist in its oversight responsibilities and to prepare this annual report to Congress on agency compliance with the act. Answer: C is incorrect. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) is a United States law (codified at 15 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.), enacted in 1974, that makes it unlawful for any creditor to discriminate against any applicant, with respect to any aspect of a credit transaction, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, or age; to the fact that all or part of the applicant's income derives from a public assistance program; or to the fact that the applicant has in good faith exercised any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act. The law applies to any person who, in the ordinary course of business, regularly participates in a credit decision, including banks, retailers, bankcard companies, finance companies, and credit unions. Answer: B is incorrect. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 (ECPA Pub. L. 99-508, Oct. 21, 1986, 100 Stat. 1848, 18 U.S.C. 2510) was enacted by the United States Congress to extend government restrictions on wire taps from telephone calls to include transmissions of electronic data by computer. Specifically, ECPA was an amendment to Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (the Wiretap Statute), which was primarily designed to prevent unauthorized government access to private electronic communications. The ECPA also added new provisions prohibiting access to stored electronic communications, i.e., the Stored Communications Act,18 U.S.C. 2701-2712. Answer: D is incorrect. The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is an American federal law (codified at 15 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.) that regulates the collection, dissemination, and use of consumer information, including consumer credit information. Along with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), it forms the base of consumer credit rights in the United States. It was originally passed in 1970, and is enforced by the US Federal Trade Commission.

• Question 348:

  Which of the following is a chronological record of system activities to enable the reconstruction and examination of the sequence of events and/or changes in an event?

  A. Corrective controls
  B. Audit trail
  C. Security audit
  D. Detective controls
  B. Audit trail

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  Audit trail or audit log is a chronological sequence of audit records, each of which contains evidence directly pertaining to and resulting from the execution of a business process or system function. Audit records typically result from activities such as transactions or communications by individual people, systems, accounts, or other entities. The process that creates audit trail should always run in a privileged mode, so it could access and supervise all actions from all users, and normal user could not stop/change it. Furthermore, for the same reason, trail file or database table with a trail should not be accessible to normal users. Answer: C is incorrect. A computer security audit is a manual or systematic measurable technical assessment of a system or application. Manual assessments include interviewing staff, performing security vulnerability scans, reviewing application and operating system access controls, and analyzing physical access to the systems. Automated assessments, or CAAT's, include system generated audit reports or using software to monitor and report changes to files and settings on a system. Systems can include personal computers, servers, mainframes, network routers, and switches. Answer: D is incorrect. Detective controls are the audit controls that are not needed to be restricted. Any control that performs a monitoring activity can likely be defined as a Detective Control. For example, it is possible that mistakes, either intentional or unintentional, can be made. Therefore, an additional Protective control is that these companies must have their financial results audited by an independent Certified Public Accountant. The role of this accountant is to act as an auditor. In fact, any auditor acts as a Detective control. If the organization in question has not properly followed the rules, a diligent auditor should be able to detect the deficiency which indicates that some control somewhere has failed. Answer: A is incorrect. Reactive or corrective controls typically work in response to a detective control, responding in such a way as to alert or otherwise correct an unacceptable condition. Using the example of account rules, either the internal Audit Committee or the SEC itself, based on the report generated by the external auditor, will take some corrective action. In this way, they are acting as a Corrective or Reactive control.

• Question 349:

  You have a storage media with some data and you make efforts to remove this data. After performing this, you analyze that the data remains present on the media. Which of the following refers to the above mentioned condition?

  A. Object reuse
  B. Degaussing
  C. Residual
  D. Data remanence
  D. Data remanence

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  Data remanence refers to the data that remains even after the efforts have been made for removing or erasing the data. This event occurs because of data being left intact by an insignificant file deletion operation, by storage media reformatting, or through physical properties of the storage medium. Data remanence can make unintentional disclosure of sensitive information possible. So, it is required that the storage media is released into an uncontrolled environment. Answer: C and B are incorrect. These are the made-up disasters. Answer: A is incorrect. Object reuse refers to reassigning some other object of a storage media that has one or more objects.

• Question 350:

  Which of the following describes the acceptable amount of data loss measured in time?

  A. Recovery Point Objective (RPO)
  B. Recovery Time Objective (RTO)
  C. Recovery Consistency Objective (RCO)
  D. Recovery Time Actual (RTA)
  A. Recovery Point Objective (RPO)

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  The Recovery Point Objective (RPO) describes the acceptable amount of data loss measured in time. It is the point in time to which data must be recovered as defined by the organization. The RPO is generally a definition of what an organization determines is an "acceptable loss" in a disaster situation. If the RPO of a company is 2 hours and the time it takes to get the data back into production is 5 hours, the RPO is still 2 hours. Based on this RPO the data must be restored to within 2 hours of the disaster. Answer: B is incorrect. The Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the duration of time and a service level within which a business process must be restored after a disaster or disruption in order to avoid unacceptable consequences associated with a break in business continuity. It includes the time for trying to fix the problem without a recovery, the recovery itself, tests and the communication to the users. Decision time for user representative is not included. The business continuity timeline usually runs parallel with an incident management timeline and may start at the same, or different, points. In accepted business continuity planning methodology, the RTO is established during the Business Impact Analysis (BIA) by the owner of a process (usually in conjunction with the Business Continuity planner). The RTOs are then presented to senior management for acceptance. The RTO attaches to the business process and not the resources required to support the process. Answer: D is incorrect. The Recovery Time Actual (RTA) is established during an exercise, actual event, or predetermined based on recovery methodology the technology support team develops. This is the time frame the technology support takes to deliver the recovered infrastructure to the business. Answer: C is incorrect. The Recovery Consistency Objective (RCO) is used in Business Continuity Planning in addition to Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO). It applies data consistency objectives to Continuous Data Protection services.