CompTIA CAS-004 Practice Test - Questions Answers, Page 37

A virtual next-generation firewall (vNGFW) is a software version of a NGFW that can be deployed on cloud servers to provide advanced network security features. A vNGFW can help secure the cloud environment similarly to the infrastructure on premises by providing functions such as URL filtering, SSL/TLS inspection, deep packet inspection, antivirus, IPS, application control, and sandboxing. A web application firewall (WAF) is a device or software that filters and blocks malicious web traffic from reaching an application. A WAF can help secure the web servers in the cloud environment by protecting them from common attacks such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and cross-site

request forgery (CSRF). Microsegmentation is a technique that divides a network into smaller segments or zones based on criteria such as identity, role, or function. Microsegmentation can help secure the cloud environment by isolating different types of servers and applying granular security policies to each segment.

A content delivery network (CDN) is a distributed system of servers that delivers web content to users based on their geographic location, the origin of the content, and the performance of the network. A CDN can help improve the availability and performance of web applications by caching content closer to the users, reducing latency and bandwidth consumption. However, a CDN does not provide the same level of security as a vNGFW or a WAF. Software-defined WAN (SD-WAN) is a technology that uses software to manage the connectivity and routing of wide area network (WAN) traffic across multiple links or carriers. SD-WAN can help improve the reliability and efficiency of

WAN connections by dynamically selecting the best path for each application based on factors such as bandwidth, latency, cost, and quality of service (QoS). However, SD-WAN does not provide the same level of security as a vNGFW or a WAF. External vulnerability scans are assessments that identify and report on the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of an IT system from an external perspective. External vulnerability scans can help improve the security posture of an IT system by providing visibility into its exposure to potential threats. However, external vulnerability scans do not provide the same level of protection as a vNGFW or a WAF. Containers are units of software that package an application and its dependencies into a standardized format that can run on any platform or environment. Containers can help improve the portability and scalability of applications by allowing them to run independently from the underlying infrastructure. However, containers do not provide the same level of security as microsegmentation. Reference: [CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) Certification Exam Objectives], Domain 2: Enterprise Security Architecture,

Objective 2.3: Implement solutions for the secure use of cloud services

Based on the SIEM alerts, the security analyst should first disable the jdoe account, as it is likely compromised by an attacker. The alerts show that the jdoe account successfully logged on to the abcusa-fsl server, which is a file server, and then initiated SMB (445) traffic to the abc-web01 server, which is a web server. This indicates that the attacker may be trying to exfiltrate data from the file server to the web server. Disabling the jdoe account would help stop this unauthorized activity and prevent further damage.

Disabling Administrator on abc-usa-fsl, the local account is compromised, is not the first action to take, as it is not clear from the alerts if the local account is compromised or not. The alert shows that there was a successful logon event for Administrator on abc-usa-fsl, but it does not specify if it was a local or domain account, or if it was authorized or not. Moreover, disabling the local account would not stop the SMB traffic from jdoe to abc-web01.

Shutting down the abc-usa-fsl server, a plaintext credential is being used, is not the first action to take, as it is not clear from the alerts if a plaintext credential is being used or not. The alert shows

that there was RDP (3389) traffic from abc-admin1-logon to abc-usa-fsl, but it does not specify if the credential was encrypted or not. Moreover, shutting down the file server would disrupt its normal operations and affect other users.

Shutting down abc-usa-fw01; the remote access VPN vulnerability is exploited, is not the first action to take, as it is not clear from the alerts if the remote access VPN vulnerability is exploited or not. The alert shows that there was FTP (21) traffic from abc-usa-dcl to abc-web01, but it does not specify if it was related to the VPN or not. Moreover, shutting down the firewall would expose the network to other threats and affect other services. Reference: What is SIEM? | Microsoft Security, What is a SIEM Alert? | Cofense

To meet the contractual requirements of the web service provider, a security engineer should recommend the following actions:

Deploying a content delivery network (CDN): A CDN is a distributed system of servers that delivers web content to users based on their geographic location, the origin of the content, and the performance of the network. A CDN can help improve the uptime, load time, and response time of web services by caching content closer to the users, reducing latency and bandwidth consumption. A CDN can also help mitigate distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks by absorbing or filtering malicious traffic before it reaches the origin servers, reducing the impact on the web service availability12.

Implementing server clusters: A server cluster is a group of servers that work together to provide high availability, scalability, and load balancing for web services. A server cluster can help improve the uptime, load time, and response time of web services by distributing the workload across multiple servers, reducing the risk of single points of failure and performance bottlenecks. A server cluster can also help recover from failures by automatically switching to another server in case of a malfunction34.

Lowering storage input/output (I/O): Storage I/O is the amount of data that can be read from or written to a storage device in a given time. Storage I/O can affect the performance of web services by limiting the speed of data transfer between the servers and the storage devices. Lowering storage I/O can help improve the load time and response time of web services by reducing the latency and congestion of data access. Lowering storage I/O can be achieved by using faster storage devices, such as solid-state drives (SSDs), optimizing the storage layout and configuration, such as using RAID or striping, and caching frequently accessed data in memory5 .

Installing a firewall at corporate headquarters is not a recommended action to meet the contractual requirements, as it does not directly affect the uptime, load time, or response time of web services.

A firewall is a device or software that filters and blocks unwanted network traffic based on predefined rules. A firewall can help improve the security of web services by preventing unauthorized access and attacks, but it may also introduce additional latency and complexity to the network.

Employing bare-metal loading of applications is not a recommended action to meet the contractual requirements, as it does not directly affect the uptime, load time, or response time of web services.

Bare-metal loading is a technique that allows applications to run directly on hardware without an operating system or a hypervisor. Bare-metal loading can help improve the performance and efficiency of applications by eliminating the overhead and interference of other software layers, but it may also increase the difficulty and cost of deployment and maintenance.

Implementing RAID on the backup servers is not a recommended action to meet the contractual requirements, as it does not directly affect the uptime, load time, or response time of web services.

RAID (redundant array of independent disks) is a technique that combines multiple disks into a logical unit that provides improved performance, reliability, or both. RAID can help improve the availability and security of backup data by protecting it from disk failures or corruption, but it may also introduce additional complexity and overhead to the backup process.

Utilizing redundant power for all developer workstations is not a recommended action to meet the contractual requirements, as it does not directly affect the uptime, load time, or response time of web services. Redundant power is a technique that provides multiple sources of power for an IT system in case one fails. Redundant power can help improve the availability and reliability of developer workstations by preventing them from losing power due to outages or surges, but it may also increase the cost and energy consumption of the system.

Ensuring technological diversity on critical servers is not a recommended action to meet the contractual requirements, as it does not directly affect the uptime, load time, or response time of web services. Technological diversity is a technique that uses different types of hardware, software, or platforms in an IT environment. Technological diversity can help improve resilience by reducing single points of failure and increasing compatibility, but it may also introduce additional complexity and inconsistency to the environment.

Agent-based scanning is best suited for environments with multiple subnets, VLANs, and branch offices, as described. It allows for fast scanning with fewer false positives, and since the agents are installed on the servers, they tend to have a lower impact on performance. This type of scanning also facilitates signature-based scanning, which is one of the customer's requirements.

Restricting HTTP methods can mitigate the risk of network-based attacks against an online store by limiting the types of HTTP requests that the server will accept, thus reducing the attack surface. This is a common method to prevent web-based attacks such as Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and SQL Injection.

Steganography is the practice of hiding a secret message within another object, in such a way that others cannot discern the presence or contents of the hidden message. It is often used for watermarking to embed a covert sign of ownership in a proprietary document without adding any visible identifying attributes.

DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) adds a layer of security to the DNS lookup and response process which can prevent users from being redirected to fraudulent websites, a common goal of typosquatting. DNSSEC ensures that the DNS data has not been modified from its original state and is especially useful if the DNS system is returning proper results and there are no known Indicators of Compromise (IoCs). It uses digital signatures and public-key encryption to provide authentication for DNS data.

Change management is a systematic approach to dealing with the transition or transformation of an organization's goals, processes, or technologies. In the context of implementing a Data Loss Prevention (DLP) solution and ensuring that authorized modifications are well-planned and executed, change management is critical. It ensures that changes are introduced in a controlled and coordinated manner to minimize the impact on service quality and mitigate risks associated with the changes.

The MITRE ATT&CK framework for ICS (Industrial Control Systems) details various tactics and techniques that may be used by adversaries. In the scenario described, the presence of unexpected firmware versions with a checksum that does not match the official vendor firmware indicates that the firmware has been modified. In the MITRE ATT&CK framework for ICS, this falls under the 'Persistence' tactic, as it demonstrates an adversary's ability to maintain their foothold within the environment through unauthorized modification of device firmware.