ISC CISSP Practice Test 27
Question 260
A brokerage trading platform requires well-formed transactions and separation between initiating and certifying financial updates. A designer proposes: Allow arbitrary table edits by any authenticated trader without approved transaction procedures. What is the MOST significant security deficiency in this proposal?
- No-read-up confidentiality protects information from lower-clearance subjects.
- Authentication alone cannot ensure valid business state transitions or independent certification.
- Integrity rules do not by themselves prevent unauthorized disclosure of higher-classification content.
- Conflict-based access decisions depend on prior information exposure rather than transaction integrity alone.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Authentication alone cannot ensure valid business state transitions or independent certification.
Incorrect Answers
A:This is an advantage of another design (Use mandatory labels and clearance checks consistent with Bell-LaPadula confidentiality rules.), not the particular flaw of Allow arbitrary table edits by any authenticated trader without approved transaction procedures.
C:This is a limitation elsewhere: A military document system needs to stop users without sufficient classification clearance reading secret content. It does not explain the deficiency of the specified proposed approach.
D:This explains a later shift in requirements (The brokerage now needs to prevent analysts from viewing competitor confidential deal information.), not the failure of the current proposal.
Question 261
An architect chooses security controls from a catalog but cannot show which sensitive-data requirements each control addresses. What should the security manager recommend as the MOST appropriate response to the current requirement?
- Update control requirements and validation to cover the new compliance obligation.
- Define credible threat assumptions, trust boundaries and an evidence-based assurance plan.
- Map threats and business requirements to control objectives, design decisions and acceptance tests.
- Install an expensive control with no documented attack path or acceptance criterion.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Traceability demonstrates that each safeguard addresses a measurable organizational need. This directly addresses the stated situation.
Incorrect Answers
A:This is appropriate for a later condition (A new regulatory standard requires proof of an additional retention capability.), but it does not directly resolve the initial need. New mandated objectives require design and evidence changes, not merely tool branding.
B:This response addresses a different condition: A committee wants to measure whether design assurance is sufficient for a new high-sensitivity records system. The present case requires the measure described by Map threats and business requirements to control objectives, design decisions and acceptance tests.
D:Purchasing a tool alone does not prove appropriate risk reduction. The proposal would not be defensible for this case.
Question 262
An architect chooses security controls from a catalog but cannot show which sensitive-data requirements each control addresses. A designer proposes: Install an expensive control with no documented attack path or acceptance criterion. What is the MOST significant security deficiency in this proposal?
- New mandated objectives require design and evidence changes, not merely tool branding.
- Security architecture must satisfy multiple protection objectives rather than optimize one in isolation.
- Purchasing a tool alone does not prove appropriate risk reduction.
- A single shared dependency can defeat availability even if its policy logic is correct.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Purchasing a tool alone does not prove appropriate risk reduction. This is the direct weakness in the proposed action.
Incorrect Answers
A:This explains a later shift in requirements (A new regulatory standard requires proof of an additional retention capability.), not the failure of the current proposal.
B:This is an advantage of another design (Evaluate confidentiality, integrity and availability tradeoffs and choose resilience consistent with risk appetite.), not the particular flaw of Install an expensive control with no documented attack path or acceptance criterion.
D:This is a limitation elsewhere: A critical application has a planned security control but the chosen design creates a single point of failure for all transactions. It does not explain the deficiency of the specified proposed approach.
Question 263
An architect chooses security controls from a catalog but cannot show which sensitive-data requirements each control addresses. The organization has now implemented this response: Map threats and business requirements to control objectives, design decisions and acceptance tests. Which observation would MOST directly demonstrate that the security objective was met?
- A controlled component failure leaves legitimate service paths available within recovery objectives.
- An approved change ticket for Map threats and business requirements to control objectives, design decisions and acceptance tests. without a completed verification result.
- Requirements traceability links risk scenarios to implementations and independent test evidence.
- Independent review, negative testing and corrective actions substantiate the claimed assurance level.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Requirements traceability links risk scenarios to implementations and independent test evidence. This validates that traceability demonstrates that each safeguard addresses a measurable organizational need.
Incorrect Answers
A:This other observation is relevant to: A critical application has a planned security control but the chosen design creates a single point of failure for all transactions.
B:An approved change without an executed test cannot prove operating effectiveness. The needed evidence is Requirements traceability links risk scenarios to implementations and independent test evidence.
D:This demonstrates controls in another circumstance: A committee wants to measure whether design assurance is sufficient for a new high-sensitivity records system.
Question 264
A previous security situation was: An architect chooses security controls from a catalog but cannot show which sensitive-data requirements each control addresses. Now the requirement changes: A new regulatory standard requires proof of an additional retention capability. Which NEW action BEST answers the changed need?
- Install an expensive control with no documented attack path or acceptance criterion.
- Requirements traceability links risk scenarios to implementations and independent test evidence.
- Update control requirements and validation to cover the new compliance obligation.
- Map threats and business requirements to control objectives, design decisions and acceptance tests.
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:New mandated objectives require design and evidence changes, not merely tool branding. The revised action is Update control requirements and validation to cover the new compliance obligation.
Incorrect Answers
A:This remains inappropriate: Purchasing a tool alone does not prove appropriate risk reduction.
B:This is a record of how the initial safeguard would be checked, not an action implementing the newly requested condition: Requirements traceability links risk scenarios to implementations and independent test evidence.
D:This is the appropriate response to the original situation: Traceability demonstrates that each safeguard addresses a measurable organizational need. It does not directly meet the new condition.
Question 265
A critical application has a planned security control but the chosen design creates a single point of failure for all transactions. What should the security manager recommend as the MOST appropriate response to the current requirement?
- Map threats and business requirements to control objectives, design decisions and acceptance tests.
- Evaluate confidentiality, integrity and availability tradeoffs and choose resilience consistent with risk appetite.
- Choose a single shared authorization component with no failover because it is simplest.
- Engineer and test fail-secure decisions with an approved emergency operating path.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:Security architecture must satisfy multiple protection objectives rather than optimize one in isolation.
Incorrect Answers
A:This response addresses a different condition: An architect chooses security controls from a catalog but cannot show which sensitive-data requirements each control addresses. The present case requires the measure described by Evaluate confidentiality, integrity and availability tradeoffs and choose resilience consistent with risk appetite.
C:A single shared dependency can defeat availability even if its policy logic is correct. The proposal would not be defensible for this case.
D:This is appropriate for a later condition (The application receives a strict new requirement to stop all access on policy uncertainty.), but it does not directly resolve the initial need. New fail-secure requirements change behavior under dependency loss while preserving controlled availability.
Question 266
A critical application has a planned security control but the chosen design creates a single point of failure for all transactions. A designer proposes: Choose a single shared authorization component with no failover because it is simplest. What is the MOST significant security deficiency in this proposal?
- Assurance strength must correspond to system impact and the claims being made.
- A single shared dependency can defeat availability even if its policy logic is correct.
- A diagram depicts intention, not security effectiveness or test results.
- New fail-secure requirements change behavior under dependency loss while preserving controlled availability.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:A single shared dependency can defeat availability even if its policy logic is correct. This is the direct weakness in the proposed action.
Incorrect Answers
A:This is an advantage of another design (Define credible threat assumptions, trust boundaries and an evidence-based assurance plan.), not the particular flaw of Choose a single shared authorization component with no failover because it is simplest.
C:This is a limitation elsewhere: A committee wants to measure whether design assurance is sufficient for a new high-sensitivity records system. It does not explain the deficiency of the specified proposed approach.
D:This explains a later shift in requirements (The application receives a strict new requirement to stop all access on policy uncertainty.), not the failure of the current proposal.
Question 267
A critical application has a planned security control but the chosen design creates a single point of failure for all transactions. The organization has now implemented this response: Evaluate confidentiality, integrity and availability tradeoffs and choose resilience consistent with risk appetite. Which observation would MOST directly demonstrate that the security objective was met?
- An approved change ticket for Evaluate confidentiality, integrity and availability tradeoffs and choose resilience consistent with risk appetite. without a completed verification result.
- A controlled component failure leaves legitimate service paths available within recovery objectives.
- Requirements traceability links risk scenarios to implementations and independent test evidence.
- Independent review, negative testing and corrective actions substantiate the claimed assurance level.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:A controlled component failure leaves legitimate service paths available within recovery objectives. This validates that security architecture must satisfy multiple protection objectives rather than optimize one in isolation.
Incorrect Answers
A:An approved change without an executed test cannot prove operating effectiveness. The needed evidence is A controlled component failure leaves legitimate service paths available within recovery objectives.
C:This demonstrates controls in another circumstance: An architect chooses security controls from a catalog but cannot show which sensitive-data requirements each control addresses.
D:This other observation is relevant to: A committee wants to measure whether design assurance is sufficient for a new high-sensitivity records system.
Question 268
A previous security situation was: A critical application has a planned security control but the chosen design creates a single point of failure for all transactions. Now the requirement changes: The application receives a strict new requirement to stop all access on policy uncertainty. Which NEW action BEST answers the changed need?
- A controlled component failure leaves legitimate service paths available within recovery objectives.
- Engineer and test fail-secure decisions with an approved emergency operating path.
- Evaluate confidentiality, integrity and availability tradeoffs and choose resilience consistent with risk appetite.
- Choose a single shared authorization component with no failover because it is simplest.
Explanation
Correct Answer
B:New fail-secure requirements change behavior under dependency loss while preserving controlled availability. The revised action is Engineer and test fail-secure decisions with an approved emergency operating path.
Incorrect Answers
A:This is a record of how the initial safeguard would be checked, not an action implementing the newly requested condition: A controlled component failure leaves legitimate service paths available within recovery objectives.
C:This is the appropriate response to the original situation: Security architecture must satisfy multiple protection objectives rather than optimize one in isolation. It does not directly meet the new condition.
D:This remains inappropriate: A single shared dependency can defeat availability even if its policy logic is correct.
Question 269
A committee wants to measure whether design assurance is sufficient for a new high-sensitivity records system. What should the security manager recommend as the MOST appropriate response to the current requirement?
- Define credible threat assumptions, trust boundaries and an evidence-based assurance plan.
- Assume an unreviewed architecture diagram is proof that control implementation works.
- Map the system against the applicable certification scheme and evidence demands.
- Evaluate confidentiality, integrity and availability tradeoffs and choose resilience consistent with risk appetite.
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:Assurance strength must correspond to system impact and the claims being made. This directly addresses the stated situation.
Incorrect Answers
B:A diagram depicts intention, not security effectiveness or test results. The proposal would not be defensible for this case.
C:This is appropriate for a later condition (The service later needs independent certification for a regulated procurement.), but it does not directly resolve the initial need. External assurance needs scope-specific independent evaluation beyond internal design review.
D:This response addresses a different condition: A critical application has a planned security control but the chosen design creates a single point of failure for all transactions. The present case requires the measure described by Define credible threat assumptions, trust boundaries and an evidence-based assurance plan.
Question 270
An enterprise wants to stop modified boot components from launching on company laptops after physical theft. A later change introduces this additional requirement: A compliance officer needs attestations that laptops booted approved software. Select THREE elements that together supply the initial control, objective evidence of effectiveness, and the changed-requirement response. (Select THREE.)
- Use hardware-backed remote attestation tied to trusted measurement registers.
- Rely only on a desktop antivirus agent that runs after the operating system boots.
- Evaluate confidential computing or trusted execution appropriate to the threat model.
- Attestation and isolation tests verify the intended protected execution boundary.
- Enable verified secure boot and measured boot with platform keys managed under policy.
- Tampered boot images fail signature verification and measured state alerts are recorded.
Explanation
Correct Answers
A:Correct — changed condition. Attestation adds externally verifiable evidence of platform state beyond local boot enforcement.
E:Correct — initial control. Boot validation prevents unauthorized pre-OS components from silently becoming trusted.
F:Correct — observable control evidence. The relevant result is: Tampered boot images fail signature verification and measured state alerts are recorded. This provides a completed control test rather than an implementation promise.
Incorrect Answers
B:Incorrect — it fails the original constraint. Late-running agents may not detect bootkit control before they initialize.
C:Incorrect — the measure Evaluate confidential computing or trusted execution appropriate to the threat model. addresses a different case: A service runs encrypted keys in memory on commodity shared virtual machines and fears hypervisor-level exposure.
D:Incorrect — this evidence applies to another case: A service runs encrypted keys in memory on commodity shared virtual machines and fears hypervisor-level exposure. The specified requirement here is An enterprise wants to stop modified boot components from launching on company laptops after physical theft.