ECCouncil 212-89 Exam Dumps & Practice Test Questions
Question 1:
How many key steps are outlined in NIST’s risk assessment methodology according to its guidance?
A. Twelve
B. Four
C. Six
D. Nine
Answer: C
Explanation:
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) outlines a risk assessment methodology that includes six key steps. These steps are part of a broader framework for managing risk in an organization, especially focusing on cybersecurity and information systems. The six steps in the methodology are:
Identify risks to assets, systems, and operations.
Assess the potential impact and likelihood of the identified risks.
Develop risk management strategies to mitigate or accept risks.
Implement the risk management strategies across the organization.
Monitor the effectiveness of the implemented strategies.
Review and update the risk management process regularly to ensure it remains effective.
These steps help organizations manage and mitigate potential risks to their information systems, ensuring that they are prepared to face both internal and external threats. By following this framework, organizations can better protect their critical infrastructure, identify vulnerabilities early, and proactively manage the risks associated with their operations.
While other risk management frameworks might involve different numbers of steps, the NIST framework specifically highlights six as the critical phases of a thorough risk assessment methodology.
Question 2:
What is the most effective method for identifying insider threats within an organization?
A. Analyzing recurring patterns of suspicious and harmful behavior
B. Implementing robust system controls
C. Requiring all employees to sign NDAs
D. Classifying data based on sensitivity and user access
Answer: A
Explanation:
The most effective method for identifying insider threats within an organization is analyzing recurring patterns of suspicious and harmful behavior. Insider threats refer to employees or individuals within the organization who intentionally or unintentionally misuse their access to sensitive information, systems, or resources. Detecting these threats early is crucial to minimizing their potential damage.
By analyzing recurring patterns of suspicious behavior, organizations can identify anomalies and trends that may indicate malicious activities. This could include monitoring employees' access patterns, data transfers, or unusual login times. Automated systems that flag deviations from normal behavior can help security teams investigate potential threats more quickly and efficiently. Identifying these patterns allows the organization to respond proactively, whether through additional monitoring, reassigning access privileges, or more stringent system controls.
While other methods like implementing robust system controls (Option B) and classifying data based on sensitivity (Option D) play an essential role in preventing or limiting the impact of insider threats, they are not as effective in detecting threats once an individual with malicious intent already has access. Requiring employees to sign NDAs (Option C) may reduce the likelihood of deliberate data breaches, but it does little to identify suspicious behavior or detect insider threats in real-time.
The combination of continuous monitoring and behavior analysis is ultimately the most efficient and dynamic approach to identifying insider threats, as it enables organizations to track and investigate suspicious activities as they happen. By focusing on behavior patterns, organizations can stay ahead of potential threats and intervene before significant harm occurs.
Question 3:
What is the primary objective of the reconstitution phase within an IT contingency plan?
A. Reestablish the original site, verify systems to avoid recurrence, and conclude operations
B. Outline alert procedures, assess damages, and initiate the plan
C. Provide the introduction and general framework for the contingency plan
D. Detail the series of steps for system recovery using recovery processes
Answer: A
Explanation:
The reconstitution phase within an IT contingency plan focuses on reestablishing the original site, verifying systems to avoid recurrence of issues, and ultimately concluding operations after the disaster recovery processes are complete. This phase typically follows the recovery stage, where systems and services are restored to their operational state. The goal of reconstitution is to return the organization to normal functioning and to ensure that all systems are operating as expected, with a focus on preventing any future failures or incidents.
During this phase, organizations may need to verify systems and perform tests to ensure that the recovery processes were successful. The plan may also include steps for reviewing lessons learned from the recovery effort and implementing additional safeguards to reduce the risk of recurrence. Reconstitution also typically includes conducting a post-mortem analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of the contingency plan and the recovery process, ultimately helping the organization to refine its strategies for future incidents.
While other options may relate to aspects of IT contingency planning, reestablishing the original site and verifying system functionality is the defining characteristic of the reconstitution phase. This ensures that the organization can fully return to normal operations without lingering risks from the disruption that triggered the need for the plan in the first place.
Question 4:
Based on the insider threat matrix, which scenario represents a high level of threat?
A. Low technical skills and high understanding of business operations result in low risk
B. High proficiency in both technical and business domains equates to low risk
C. High technical ability with limited business knowledge presents a high risk
D. High technical and business knowledge automatically leads to elevated risk
Answer: D
Explanation:
In the context of the insider threat matrix, individuals with high technical and business knowledge automatically pose an elevated level of risk. This is because these individuals have the capability to both access sensitive systems and understand the operational impact of their actions. With a deep understanding of both the technical infrastructure and the business operations, they can exploit vulnerabilities, bypass security measures, and cause significant harm to the organization without easily being detected.
While a person with low technical skills (Option A) or limited business knowledge (Option C) might still be able to pose a threat, their ability to execute a malicious act on a large scale is generally limited by their lack of expertise in one of these key areas. A person with high proficiency in both domains, however, can manipulate both the systems and the business processes in ways that are difficult to predict and prevent.
Moreover, even though high proficiency in both domains may seem like a positive trait in many contexts (Option B), when combined with malicious intent, it can lead to significant risks. Such individuals can blend into the environment and carry out damaging activities under the guise of normal operations.
Thus, individuals with both high technical and business knowledge are considered particularly dangerous, as they are likely to exploit their position and access in ways that are difficult to detect and mitigate. This makes D the correct answer, as it represents a high level of threat in the insider threat matrix.
Question 5:
Which policy focuses on securing and monitoring the organization's assets?
A. Access control policy
B. Administrative security policy
C. Acceptable use policy
D. Asset control policy
Answer: D
Explanation:
The primary policy that focuses on securing and monitoring the organization's assets is the Asset control policy. This policy ensures that all physical and intellectual assets are properly managed, secured, and monitored within the organization. Asset control involves identifying assets, assigning ownership, tracking usage, and ensuring that appropriate controls are in place to prevent unauthorized access or theft. This is particularly crucial for ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of organizational assets, both tangible (like hardware) and intangible (like data or intellectual property).
The other options do not focus primarily on asset management. The Access control policy (A) addresses who can access specific resources and under what conditions, focusing on limiting access to authorized users. The Administrative security policy (B) defines how an organization manages its administrative security measures, like roles and responsibilities for employees, but does not directly focus on asset management. The Acceptable use policy (C) sets guidelines for how employees should use company resources, such as internet access or email, but it does not specifically address the physical monitoring or securing of assets.
Question 6:
What is the correct order of steps in a typical incident response process?
A. Containment – Identification – Preparation – Recovery – Follow-up – Eradication
B. Preparation – Identification – Containment – Eradication – Recovery – Follow-up
C. Eradication – Containment – Identification – Preparation – Recovery – Follow-up
D. Identification – Preparation – Containment – Recovery – Follow-up – Eradication
Answer: B
Explanation:
The correct order of steps in a typical incident response process is: Preparation – Identification – Containment – Eradication – Recovery – Follow-up. This order follows a logical progression to ensure the organization is properly equipped to handle security incidents and recover from them. Let's break it down:
Preparation: This is the first and most crucial step. Organizations must have an established plan in place before any incident occurs. This includes preparing tools, systems, staff, and strategies for dealing with potential security breaches. It also involves training personnel and conducting awareness programs so that everyone is ready to respond effectively.
Identification: The second step involves detecting and confirming the occurrence of an incident. During this phase, the organization investigates the event, validates the threat, and assesses the extent of the damage or breach. Proper identification is key to understanding the nature of the incident and preparing for the subsequent actions.
Containment: Once an incident is confirmed, the next step is containment. The primary goal here is to limit the damage by stopping the incident from spreading. It involves taking immediate actions to isolate affected systems, prevent further exploitation, and minimize the risk to the rest of the organization’s infrastructure.
Eradication: After containment, the focus shifts to completely removing the root cause of the incident. This includes eliminating any malicious software, closing vulnerabilities, and ensuring that the threat is fully dealt with so that the incident doesn’t resurface.
Recovery: Following eradication, the organization can begin the process of recovery. This phase involves restoring systems, data, and operations to normal, ensuring that any affected systems are brought back online safely, and monitoring them for any signs of reinfection or recurring issues.
Follow-up: The final step involves reviewing the incident and response process to learn from the event. This includes identifying what worked well, what could be improved, and making any necessary adjustments to the incident response plan. Follow-up also involves strengthening security measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
This logical flow ensures that the incident is handled thoroughly, with each step building upon the previous one to minimize the impact and improve future responses.
Question 7:
Which document is specifically intended to preserve the integrity of evidence in case of legal proceedings following a cyber incident?
A. Network and system log files
B. Chain-of-Custody
C. Digital forensic report
D. Chain-of-Precedence
Answer: B
Explanation:
The Chain-of-Custody document is the most crucial for preserving the integrity of evidence in legal proceedings following a cyber incident. This document tracks the custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of evidence, ensuring that the evidence can be properly authenticated and verified during legal proceedings. The Chain-of-Custody provides a detailed record of who has handled the evidence, when it was transferred, and under what conditions it was kept. By maintaining an unbroken chain of custody, organizations can prevent any challenges to the authenticity or tampering of evidence in court.
The Network and system log files (A) are important for investigation and analysis of the cyber incident, but they don't focus on the preservation of evidence for legal purposes. They are typically used to track events that occurred during the incident but aren't structured to ensure the integrity of evidence in legal scenarios. The Digital forensic report (C) is an important document in the investigation, as it provides an analysis of the incident and the evidence, but it is not focused on maintaining the chain of custody of the evidence itself. The Chain-of-Precedence (D) refers to the order in which certain procedures or events occur but does not apply specifically to the preservation of evidence integrity in legal contexts.
Question 8:
What is the main responsibility of the Incident Coordinator within an Incident Response Team?
A. Applies technical tools to restore operations quickly
B. Acts as a liaison among legal, HR, management, and other business units
C. Deploys technology to eliminate the threat and recover systems
D. Oversees both technical and administrative elements of incident resolution
Answer: D
Explanation:
The main responsibility of the Incident Coordinator within an Incident Response Team is to oversee both technical and administrative elements of incident resolution. The Incident Coordinator plays a leadership and management role, ensuring that all aspects of the incident response are effectively coordinated. This includes organizing the response process, ensuring communication between different departments (technical, legal, HR, management), and ensuring that each part of the response plan is executed efficiently. The Incident Coordinator ensures that the team operates smoothly and that the necessary resources are allocated to resolve the incident.
While the Incident Coordinator does play an important role in communication, the responsibility of acting as a liaison among various departments such as legal, HR, management, and other business units falls under the broader role of the coordinator, but is not their only responsibility (as suggested by option B). The responsibility of applying technical tools to restore operations quickly (A) or deploying technology to eliminate the threat and recover systems (C) would typically fall to more specialized roles within the Incident Response Team, such as the technical leads or the operations team. These technical specialists focus on identifying, containing, and resolving the threat.
Thus, the Incident Coordinator's role is much broader and more integrative, focusing on both administrative and technical management aspects to ensure that the response is carried out in a structured and timely manner. This includes delegating tasks, ensuring that response strategies are followed, and providing necessary updates to stakeholders. The position requires leadership and coordination skills, but it is not directly involved in executing technical recovery actions or legal procedures, which are often handled by other experts on the team.
Question 9:
Which of the following best describes the principle of "least privilege" in access control?
A. Granting all users access to administrative functions during emergencies
B. Allowing users only the access necessary to perform their specific job roles
C. Providing temporary users with full access to avoid interruptions
D. Ensuring all employees have access to the same resources for collaboration
Answer: B
Explanation:
The principle of least privilege in access control dictates that users should be granted only the minimal level of access necessary to perform their specific job functions. This approach reduces the risk of unauthorized access, accidental data breaches, or malicious activities, by ensuring that users cannot access resources beyond what is essential for their tasks. By applying the least privilege principle, organizations minimize the exposure of sensitive data and systems to individuals who do not need access, which greatly enhances overall security.
The other options do not align with the concept of least privilege. Granting all users access to administrative functions during emergencies (A) would be counterproductive to the principle of least privilege, as it exposes critical systems to all users, even those who do not need such access under normal circumstances. Providing temporary users with full access to avoid interruptions (C) also violates the least privilege principle by giving unnecessary permissions to users who should have restricted access. Ensuring all employees have access to the same resources for collaboration (D) could be useful in a collaborative environment, but it conflicts with the concept of least privilege, as it grants broad access, potentially exposing sensitive information to people who do not need it for their specific roles.
Question 10:
What is the primary goal of a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) during continuity planning?
A. To estimate the cost of purchasing backup systems
B. To evaluate software compatibility across departments
C. To determine the impact of disruptions on critical business operations
D. To schedule regular maintenance for IT infrastructure
Answer: C
Explanation:
The primary goal of a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) during continuity planning is to determine the impact of disruptions on critical business operations. The BIA helps organizations identify which functions are essential to their operation, how long these functions can be disrupted without causing significant damage, and what resources are required to maintain or restore these functions. By understanding the potential impact of disruptions, businesses can prioritize their recovery strategies, allocate resources more effectively, and develop contingency plans to ensure continuity during emergencies.
The other options do not directly align with the core objective of a BIA. Estimating the cost of purchasing backup systems (A) is a part of the planning process but is not the primary goal of the BIA. The focus of the BIA is on identifying the critical business processes, not the acquisition of specific backup systems. Evaluating software compatibility across departments (B) is a technical consideration, but it is not the primary purpose of the BIA. The BIA focuses on understanding the business impacts of disruptions, not software compatibility. Finally, scheduling regular maintenance for IT infrastructure (D) is part of IT management but falls outside the scope of the BIA, which focuses on recovery from business disruptions rather than routine maintenance.
