Which of the following is a PRIMARY advantage of using a third-party identity service?
Correct Answer: D
Section: Security Operations
Question 177
What would be considered the biggest drawback of Host-based Intrusion Detection systems (HIDS)?
Correct Answer: A
The biggest drawback of HIDS, and the reason many organizations resist its use, is that it can be very invasive to the host operating system. HIDS must have the capability to monitor all processes and activities on the host system and this can sometimes interfere with normal system processing. HIDS versus NIDS A host-based IDS (HIDS) can be installed on individual workstations and/ or servers to watch for inappropriate or anomalous activity. HIDSs are usually used to make sure users do not delete system files, reconfigure important settings, or put the system at risk in any other way. So, whereas the NIDS understands and monitors the network traffic, a HIDS's universe is limited to the computer itself. A HIDS does not understand or review network traffic, and a NIDS does not "look in" and monitor a system's activity. Each has its own job and stays out of the other's way. The ISC2 official study book defines an IDS as: An intrusion detection system (IDS) is a technology that alerts organizations to adverse or unwanted activity. An IDS can be implemented as part of a network device, such as a router, switch, or firewall, or it can be a dedicated IDS device monitoring traffic as it traverses the network. When used in this way, it is referred to as a network IDS, or NIDS. IDS can also be used on individual host systems to monitor and report on file, disk, and process activity on that host. When used in this way it is referred to as a host-based IDS, or HIDS. An IDS is informative by nature and provides real-time information when suspicious activities are identified. It is primarily a detective device and, acting in this traditional role, is not used to directly prevent the suspected attack. What about IPS? In contrast, an intrusion prevention system (IPS), is a technology that monitors activity like an IDS but will automatically take proactive preventative action if it detects unacceptable activity. An IPS permits a predetermined set of functions and actions to occur on a network or system; anything that is not permitted is considered unwanted activity and blocked. IPS is engineered specifically to respond in real time to an event at the system or network layer. By proactively enforcing policy, IPS can thwart not only attackers, but also authorized users attempting to perform an action that is not within policy. Fundamentally, IPS is considered an access control and policy enforcement technology, whereas IDS is considered network monitoring and audit technology. The following answers were incorrect: All of the other answer were advantages and not drawback of using HIDS TIP FOR THE EXAM: Be familiar with the differences that exists between an HIDS, NIDS, and IPS. Know that IDS's are mostly detective but IPS are preventive. IPS's are considered an access control and policy enforcement technology, whereas IDS's are considered network monitoring and audit technology. Reference(s) used for this question: Harris, Shon (2012-10-25). CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, 6th Edition (Kindle Locations 5817-5822). McGraw-Hill. Kindle Edition. and Schneiter, Andrew (2013-04-15). Official (ISC)2 Guide to the CISSP CBK, Third Edition : Access Control ((ISC)2 Press), Domain1, Page 180-188 or on the kindle version look for Kindle Locations 3199-3203 Auerbach Publications.
Question 178
What is the main focus of the Bell-LaPadula security model?
Correct Answer: C
The Bell-LaPadula model is a formal model dealing with confidentiality. The Bell-LaPadula Model (abbreviated BLP) is a state machine model used for enforcing access control in government and military applications. It was developed by David Elliott Bell and Leonard J. LaPadula, subsequent to strong guidance from Roger R. Schell to formalize the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) multilevel security (MLS) policy. The model is a formal state transition model of computer security policy that describes a set of access control rules which use security labels on objects and clearances for subjects. Security labels range from the most sensitive (e.g."Top Secret"), down to the least sensitive (e.g., "Unclassified" or "Public"). The Bell-LaPadula model focuses on data confidentiality and controlled access to classified information, in contrast to the Biba Integrity Model which describes rules for the protection of data integrity. In this formal model, the entities in an information system are divided into subjects and objects. The notion of a "secure state" is defined, and it is proven that each state transition preserves security by moving from secure state to secure state, thereby inductively proving that the system satisfies the security objectives of the model. The Bell-LaPadula model is built on the concept of a state machine with a set of allowable states in a computer network system. The transition from one state to another state is defined by transition functions. A system state is defined to be "secure" if the only permitted access modes of subjects to objects are in accordance with a security policy. To determine whether a specific access mode is allowed, the clearance of a subject is compared to the classification of the object (more precisely, to the combination of classification and set of compartments, making up the security level) to determine if the subject is authorized for the specific access mode. The clearance/classification scheme is expressed in terms of a lattice. The model defines two mandatory access control (MAC) rules and one discretionary access control (DAC) rule with three security properties: The Simple Security Property - a subject at a given security level may not read an object at a higher security level (no read-up). The -property (read "star"-property) - a subject at a given security level must not write to any object at a lower security level (no write-down). The -property is also known as the Confinement property. The Discretionary Security Property - use of an access matrix to specify the discretionary access control. The following are incorrect answers: Accountability is incorrect. Accountability requires that actions be traceable to the user that performed them and is not addressed by the Bell-LaPadula model. Integrity is incorrect. Integrity is addressed in the Biba model rather than Bell-Lapadula. Availability is incorrect. Availability is concerned with assuring that data/services are available to authorized users as specified in service level objectives and is not addressed by the Bell-Lapadula model. References: CBK, pp. 325-326 AIO3, pp. 279 - 284 AIOv4 Security Architecture and Design (pages 333 - 336) AIOv5 Security Architecture and Design (pages 336 - 338) Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell-La_Padula_model
Question 179
When writing security assessment procedures, what is the MAIN purpose of the test outputs and reports?
Correct Answer: B
Question 180
Refer to the information below to answer the question. An organization has hired an information security officer to lead their security department. The officer has adequate people resources but is lacking the other necessary components to have an effective security program. There are numerous initiatives requiring security involvement. The security program can be considered effective when
