Pass the ISC 2 Credentials SSCP Questions and answers with ValidTests

"one-time password" provides maximum security because a new password is required for each new log-on.

Source: KRUTZ, Ronald L. & VINES, Russel D., The CISSP Prep Guide: Mastering the Ten Domains of Computer Security, 2001, John Wiley & Sons, Page 36.

It is not a property of Bell LaPadula model.

The other answers are incorrect because:

A subject is not allowed to read up is a property of the 'simple security rule' of Bell LaPadula model.

The property restriction can be escaped by temporarily downgrading a high level subject can be escaped by temporarily downgrading a high level subject or by identifying a set of trusted objects which are permitted to violate the property as long as it is not in the middle of an operation.

It is restricted to confidentiality as it is a state machine model that enforces the confidentiality aspects of access control.

The Clark-Wilson model differs from other models that are subject- and object- oriented by introducing a third access element programs resulting in what is called an access triple, which prevents unauthorized users from modifying data or programs. The Biba model uses objects and subjects and addresses integrity based on a hierarchical lattice of integrity levels. The non-interference model is related to the information flow model with restrictions on the information flow. The Sutherland model approaches integrity by focusing on the problem of inference.

Source: ANDRESS, Mandy, Exam Cram CISSP, Coriolis, 2001, Chapter 2: Access Control Systems and Methodology (page 12).

And: KRAUSE, Micki & TIPTON, Harold F., Handbook of Information Security Management, CRC Press, 1997, Domain 1: Access Control.

Capability tables are used to track, manage and apply controls based on the object and rights, or capabilities of a subject. For example, a table identifies the object, specifies access rights allowed for a subject, and permits access based on the user's posession of a capability (or ticket) for the object. It is a row within the matrix.

To put it another way, A capabiltiy table is different from an ACL because the subject is bound to the capability table, whereas the object is bound to the ACL.

CLEMENT NOTE:

If we wish to express this very simply:

Capabilities are attached to a subject and it describe what access the subject has to each of the objects on the row that matches with the subject within the matrix. It is a row within the matrix.

ACL's are attached to objects, it describe who has access to the object and what type of access they have. It is a column within the matrix.

The following are incorrect answers:

"Access control lists are subject-based whereas capability tables are object-based" is incorrect.

"Capability tables are used for objects whereas access control lists are used for users" is incorrect.

"They are basically the same" is incorrect.

References used for this question:

CBK, pp. 191 - 192

AIO3 p. 169

Containing the dial-up problem is conceptually easy: by installing the Remote Access Server outside the firewall and forcing legitimate users to authenticate to the firewall, any access to internal resources through the RAS can be filtered as would any other connection coming from the Internet.

The use of a TACACS+ Server by itself cannot eliminate hacking.

Setting a modem ring count to 5 may help in defeating war-dialing hackers who look for modem by dialing long series of numbers.

Attaching modems only to non-networked hosts is not practical and would not prevent these hosts from being hacked.

Source: STREBE, Matthew and PERKINS, Charles, Firewalls 24seven, Sybex 2000, Chapter 2: Hackers.

Radius, TACACS and DIAMETER are classified as authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) servers.

Source: TIPTON, Harold F. & KRAUSE, MICKI, Information Security Management Handbook, 4th Edition, Volume 2, 2001, CRC Press, NY, Page 33.

also see:

The term "AAA" is often used, describing cornerstone concepts [of the AIC triad] Authentication, Authorization, and Accountability. Left out of the AAA acronym is Identification which is required before the three "A's" can follow. Identity is a claim, Authentication proves an identity, Authorization describes the action you can perform on a system once you have been identified and authenticated, and accountability holds users accountable for their actions.

The principle of least privilege refers to allowing users to have only the access they need and not anything more. Thus, certain users may have no need to access any of the files on specific systems.

The following answers are incorrect:

Users can access all systems. Although the principle of least privilege limits what access and systems users have authorization to, not all users would have a need to know to access all of the systems. The best answer is still Users would get access to only the info for which they have a need to know as some of the users may not have a need to access a system.

Users get new privileges when they change positions. Although true that a user may indeed require new privileges, this is not a given fact and in actuality a user may require less privileges for a new position. The principle of least privilege would require that the rights required for the position be closely evaluated and where possible rights revoked.

Authorization creep. Authorization creep occurs when users are given additional rights with new positions and responsibilities. The principle of least privilege should actually prevent authorization creep.

The following reference(s) were/was used to create this question:

ISC2 OIG 2007 p.101,123

Shon Harris AIO v3 p148, 902-903

A major concern with Single Sign-On (SSO) is that if a user's ID and password are compromised, the intruder would have access to all the systems that the user was authorized for.

The following answers are incorrect:

The security administrator's workload would increase. Is incorrect because the security administrator's workload would decrease and not increase. The admin would not be responsible for maintaining multiple user accounts just the one.

The users' password would be too hard to remember. Is incorrect because the users would have less passwords to remember.

User access rights would be increased. Is incorrect because the user access rights would not be any different than if they had to log into systems manually.

A Network Access Server (NAS) operates as a client of RADIUS. The client is responsible for passing user information to

designated RADIUS servers, and then acting on the response which is returned.

RADIUS servers are responsible for receiving user connection requests, authenticating the user, and then returning all

configuration information necessary for the client to deliver service to the user.

RADIUS authentication is based on provisions of simple username/password credentials. These credentials are encrypted

by the client using a shared secret between the client and the RADIUS server. OIG 2007, Page 513

RADIUS incorporates an authentication server and can make uses of both dynamic and static passwords.

Since it uses the PAP and CHAP protocols, it also incluses static passwords.

RADIUS is an Internet protocol. RADIUS carries authentication, authorization, and configuration information between a Network Access Server and a shared Authentication Server. RADIUS features and functions are described primarily in the IETF (International Engineering Task Force) document RFC2138.

The term " RADIUS" is an acronym which stands for Remote Authentication Dial In User Service.

The main advantage to using a RADIUS approach to authentication is that it can provide a stronger form of authentication. RADIUS is capable of using a strong, two-factor form of authentication, in which users need to possess both a user ID and a hardware or software token to gain access.

Token-based schemes use dynamic passwords. Every minute or so, the token generates a unique 4-, 6- or 8-digit access number that is synchronized with the security server. To gain entry into the system, the user must generate both this one-time number and provide his or her user ID and password.

Although protocols such as RADIUS cannot protect against theft of an authenticated session via some realtime attacks, such as wiretapping, using unique, unpredictable authentication requests can protect against a wide range of active attacks.

RADIUS: Key Features and Benefits

Features Benefits

RADIUS supports dynamic passwords and challenge/response passwords.

Improved system security due to the fact that passwords are not static.

It is much more difficult for a bogus host to spoof users into giving up their passwords or password-generation algorithms.

RADIUS allows the user to have a single user ID and password for all computers in a network.

Improved usability due to the fact that the user has to remember only one login combination.

RADIUS is able to:

Prevent RADIUS users from logging in via login (or ftp).

Require them to log in via login (or ftp)

Require them to login to a specific network access server (NAS);

Control access by time of day.

Provides very granular control over the types of logins allowed, on a per-user basis.

The time-out interval for failing over from an unresponsive primary RADIUS server to a backup RADIUS server is site-configurable.

RADIUS gives System Administrator more flexibility in managing which users can login from which hosts or devices.

Stratus Technology Product Brief

http://www.stratus.com/products/vos/openvos/radius.htm

Source: KRUTZ, Ronald L. & VINES, Russel D., The CISSP Prep Guide: Mastering the Ten Domains of Computer Security, 2001, John Wiley & Sons, Pages 43, 44.

Also check: MILLER, Lawrence & GREGORY, Peter, CISSP for Dummies, 2002, Wiley Publishing, Inc., pages 45-46.

All of the above are considered technical controls except for locks, which are physical controls.

Administrative, Technical, and Physical Security Controls

Administrative security controls are primarily policies and procedures put into place to define and guide employee actions in dealing with the organization's sensitive information. For example, policy might dictate (and procedures indicate how) that human resources conduct background checks on employees with access to sensitive information. Requiring that information be classified and the process to classify and review information classifications is another example of an administrative control. The organization security awareness program is an administrative control used to make employees cognizant of their security roles and responsibilities. Note that administrative security controls in the form of a policy can be enforced or verified with technical or physical security controls. For instance, security policy may state that computers without antivirus software cannot connect to the network, but a technical control, such as network access control software, will check for antivirus software when a computer tries to attach to the network.

Technical security controls (also called logical controls) are devices, processes, protocols, and other measures used to protect the C.I.A. of sensitive information. Examples include logical access systems, encryptions systems, antivirus systems, firewalls, and intrusion detection systems.

Physical security controls are devices and means to control physical access to sensitive information and to protect the availability of the information. Examples are physical access systems (fences, mantraps, guards), physical intrusion detection systems (motion detector, alarm system), and physical protection systems (sprinklers, backup generator). Administrative and technical controls depend on proper physical security controls being in place. An administrative policy allowing only authorized employees access to the data center do little good without some kind of physical access control.

From the GIAC.ORG website

This type of IDS is called a network-based IDS because monitors network traffic in real time.

Source: KRUTZ, Ronald L. & VINES, Russel D., The CISSP Prep Guide: Mastering the Ten Domains of Computer Security, 2001, John Wiley & Sons, Page 48.

The data or information owner also referred to as "Data Owner" would be the best person. That is the individual or officer who is ultimately responsible for the protection of the information and can therefore decide what are the adequate security controls according to the data sensitivity and data criticality. The auditor would be the best person to determine the adequacy of controls and whether or not they are working as expected by the owner.

The function of the auditor is to come around periodically and make sure you are doing what you are supposed to be doing. They ensure the correct controls are in place and are being maintained securely. The goal of the auditor is to make sure the organization complies with its own policies and the applicable laws and regulations.

Organizations can have internal auditors and/ or external auditors. The external auditors commonly work on behalf of a regulatory body to make sure compliance is being met. For example CobiT, which is a model that most information security auditors follow when evaluating a security program. While many security professionals fear and dread auditors, they can be valuable tools in ensuring the overall security of the organization. Their goal is to find the things you have missed and help you understand how to fix the problem.

The Official ISC2 Guide (OIG) says:

IT auditors determine whether users, owners, custodians, systems, and networks are in compliance with the security policies, procedures, standards, baselines, designs, architectures, management direction, and other requirements placed on systems. The auditors provide independent assurance to the management on the appropriateness of the security controls. The auditor examines the information systems and determines whether they are designed, configured, implemented, operated, and managed in a way ensuring that the organizational objectives are being achieved. The auditors provide top company management with an independent view of the controls and their effectiveness.

Example:

Bob is the head of payroll. He is therefore the individual with primary responsibility over the payroll database, and is therefore the information/data owner of the payroll database. In Bob's department, he has Sally and Richard working for him. Sally is responsible for making changes to the payroll database, for example if someone is hired or gets a raise. Richard is only responsible for printing paychecks. Given those roles, Sally requires both read and write access to the payroll database, but Richard requires only read access to it. Bob communicates these requirements to the system administrators (the "information/data custodians") and they set the file permissions for Sally's and Richard's user accounts so that Sally has read/write access, while Richard has only read access.

So in short Bob will determine what controls are required, what is the sensitivily and criticality of the Data. Bob will communicate this to the custodians who will implement the requirements on the systems/DB. The auditor would assess if the controls are in fact providing the level of security the Data Owner expects within the systems/DB. The auditor does not determine the sensitivity of the data or the crititicality of the data.

The other answers are not correct because:

A "system auditor" is never responsible for anything but auditing... not actually making control decisions but the auditor would be the best person to determine the adequacy of controls and then make recommendations.

A "system manager" is really just another name for a system administrator, which is actually an information custodian as explained above.

A "Data or information user" is responsible for implementing security controls on a day-to-day basis as they utilize the information, but not for determining what the controls should be or if they are adequate.

References:

Official ISC2 Guide to the CISSP CBK, Third Edition , Page 477

Schneiter, Andrew (2013-04-15). Official (ISC)2 Guide to the CISSP CBK, Third Edition : Information Security Governance and Risk Management ((ISC)2 Press) (Kindle Locations 294-298). Auerbach Publications. Kindle Edition.

Harris, Shon (2012-10-25). CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, 6th Edition (Kindle Locations 3108-3114).

Information Security Glossary

Responsibility for use of information resources

Monitoring has to be conducted is a lawful manner and applied in a consistent fashion; thus should be applied uniformly to all employees, not only to a small number.

Source: KRUTZ, Ronald L. & VINES, Russel D., The CISSP Prep Guide: Mastering the Ten Domains of Computer Security, John Wiley & Sons, 2001, Chapter 9: Law, Investigation, and Ethics (page 304).

Displaying the directory contents of a folder can alter the last access time on each listed file.

Using a write blocker is wrong because using a write blocker ensure that you cannot modify the data on the host and it prevent the host from writing to its hard drives.

Made a full-disk image is wrong because making a full-disk image can preserve all data on a hard disk, including deleted files and file fragments.

Created a message digest for log files is wrong because creating a message digest for log files. A message digest is a cryptographic checksum that can demonstrate that the integrity of a file has not been compromised (e.g. changes to the content of a log file)

Domain: LEGAL, REGULATIONS, COMPLIANCE AND INVESTIGATIONS

References:

AIO 3rd Edition, page 783-784

NIST 800-61 Computer Security Incident Handling guide page 3-18 to 3-20

The two current conceptual approaches to Intrusion Detection methodology are knowledge-based ID systems and behavior-based ID systems, sometimes referred to as signature-based ID and statistical anomaly-based ID, respectively.

Source: KRUTZ, Ronald L. & VINES, Russel D., The CISSP Prep Guide: Mastering the Ten Domains of Computer Security, 2001, John Wiley & Sons, Page 63.

Audit trails maintain a record of system activity by system or application processes and by user activity. In conjunction with appropriate tools and procedures, audit trails can provide individual accountability, a means to reconstruct events, detect intrusions, and identify problems. Audit trail controls are considered technical controls. Monitoring and tracking of incidents is more an operational control related to incident response capability.

Reference(s) used for this question:

SWANSON, Marianne, NIST Special Publication 800-26, Security Self-Assessment Guide for Information Technology Systems, November 2001 (Pages A-50 to A-51).

NOTE: NIST SP 800-26 has been superceded By: FIPS 200, SP 800-53, SP 800-53A

You can find the new replacement at: http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPs.html

However, if you really wish to see the old standard, it is listed as an archived document at:

http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/PubsSPArch.html

Unfortunately, anomaly detectors and the Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) based on them often produce a large number of false alarms, as normal patterns of user and system behavior can vary wildly. Being only able to identify correctly attacks they already know about is a characteristic of misuse detection (signature-based) IDSs. Application-based IDSs are a special subset of host-based IDSs that analyze the events transpiring within a software application. They are more vulnerable to attacks than host-based IDSs. Not being able to identify abnormal behavior would not cause false positives, since they are not identified.

Source: DUPUIS, Cl?ment, Access Control Systems and Methodology CISSP Open Study Guide, version 1.0, march 2002 (page 92).

Knowledge-based IDS are more common than behavior-based ID systems.

Source: KRUTZ, Ronald L. & VINES, Russel D., The CISSP Prep Guide: Mastering the Ten Domains of Computer Security, 2001, John Wiley & Sons, Page 63.

Application-Based IDS - "a subset of HIDS that analyze what's going on in an application using the transaction log files of the application." Source: Official ISC2 CISSP CBK Review Seminar Student Manual Version 7.0 p. 87

Host-Based IDS - "an implementation of IDS capabilities at the host level. Its most significant difference from NIDS is intrusion detection analysis, and related processes are limited to the boundaries of the host." Source: Official ISC2 Guide to the CISSP CBK - p. 197

Network-Based IDS - "a network device, or dedicated system attached to the network, that monitors traffic traversing the network segment for which it is integrated." Source: Official ISC2 Guide to the CISSP CBK - p. 196

CISSP for dummies a book that we recommend for a quick overview of the 10 domains has nice and concise coverage of the subject:

Intrusion detection is defined as real-time monitoring and analysis of network activity and data for potential vulnerabilities and attacks in progress. One major limitation of current intrusion detection system (IDS) technologies is the requirement to filter false alarms lest the operator (system or security administrator) be overwhelmed with data. IDSes are classified in many different ways, including active and passive, network-based and host-based, and knowledge-based and behavior-based:

Active and passive IDS

An active IDS (now more commonly known as an intrusion prevention system — IPS) is a system that's configured to automatically block suspected attacks in progress without any intervention required by an operator. IPS has the advantage of providing real-time corrective action in response to an attack but has many disadvantages as well. An IPS must be placed in-line along a network boundary; thus, the IPS itself is susceptible to attack. Also, if false alarms and legitimate traffic haven't been properly identified and filtered, authorized users and applications may be improperly denied access. Finally, the IPS itself may be used to effect a Denial of Service (DoS) attack by intentionally flooding the system with alarms that cause it to block connections until no connections or bandwidth are available.

A passive IDS is a system that's configured only to monitor and analyze network traffic activity and alert an operator to potential vulnerabilities and attacks. It isn't capable of performing any protective or corrective functions on its own. The major advantages of passive IDSes are that these systems can be easily and rapidly deployed and are not normally susceptible to attack themselves.

Network-based and host-based IDS

A network-based IDS usually consists of a network appliance (or sensor) with a Network Interface Card (NIC) operating in promiscuous mode and a separate management interface. The IDS is placed along a network segment or boundary and monitors all traffic on that segment.

A host-based IDS requires small programs (or agents) to be installed on individual systems to be monitored. The agents monitor the operating system and write data to log files and/or trigger alarms. A host-based IDS can only monitor the individual host systems on which the agents are installed; it doesn't monitor the entire network.

Knowledge-based and behavior-based IDS

A knowledge-based (or signature-based) IDS references a database of previous attack profiles and known system vulnerabilities to identify active intrusion attempts. Knowledge-based IDS is currently more common than behavior-based IDS.

Advantages of knowledge-based systems include the following:

It has lower false alarm rates than behavior-based IDS.

Alarms are more standardized and more easily understood than behavior-based IDS.

Disadvantages of knowledge-based systems include these:

Signature database must be continually updated and maintained.

New, unique, or original attacks may not be detected or may be improperly classified.

A behavior-based (or statistical anomaly–based) IDS references a baseline or learned pattern of normal system activity to identify active intrusion attempts. Deviations from this baseline or pattern cause an alarm to be triggered.

Advantages of behavior-based systems include that they

Dynamically adapt to new, unique, or original attacks.

Are less dependent on identifying specific operating system vulnerabilities.

Disadvantages of behavior-based systems include

Higher false alarm rates than knowledge-based IDSes.

Usage patterns that may change often and may not be static enough to implement an effective behavior-based IDS.

There are two basic IDS analysis methods: pattern matching (also called signature analysis) and anomaly detection.

Anomaly detection uses behavioral characteristics of a system’s operation or network traffic to draw conclusions on whether the traffic represents a risk to the network or host. Anomalies may include but are not limited to:

Multiple failed log-on attempts

Users logging in at strange hours

Unexplained changes to system clocks

Unusual error messages

The following are incorrect answers:

Network-based ID Systems (NIDS) are usually incorporated into the network in a passive architecture, taking advantage of promiscuous mode access to the network. This means that it has visibility into every packet traversing the network segment. This allows the system to inspect packets and monitor sessions without impacting the network or the systems and applications utilizing the network.

Host-based ID Systems (HIDS) is the implementation of IDS capabilities at the host level. Its most significant difference from NIDS is that related processes are limited to the boundaries of a single-host system. However, this presents advantages in effectively detecting objectionable activities because the IDS process is running directly on the host system, not just observing it from the network. This offers unfettered access to system logs, processes, system information, and device information, and virtually eliminates limits associated with encryption. The level of integration represented by HIDS increases the level of visibility and control at the disposal of the HIDS application.

Signature Analysis Some of the first IDS products used signature analysis as their detection method and simply looked for known characteristics of an attack (such as specific packet sequences or text in the data stream) to produce an alert if that pattern was detected. For example, an attacker manipulating an FTP server may use a tool that sends a specially constructed packet. If that particular packet pattern is known, it can be represented in the form of a signature that IDS can then compare to incoming packets. Pattern-based IDS will have a database of hundreds, if not thousands, of signatures that are compared to traffic streams. As new attack signatures are produced, the system is updated, much like antivirus solutions. There are drawbacks to pattern-based IDS. Most importantly, signatures can only exist for known attacks. If a new or different attack vector is used, it will not match a known signature and, thus, slip past the IDS. Additionally, if an attacker knows that the IDS is present, he or she can alter his or her methods to avoid detection. Changing packets and data streams, even slightly, from known signatures can cause an IDS to miss the attack. As with some antivirus systems, the IDS is only as good as the latest signature database on the system.

For additional information on Intrusion Detection Systems - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrusion_detection_system

Reference(s) used for this question:

Hernandez CISSP, Steven (2012-12-21). Official (ISC)2 Guide to the CISSP CBK, Third Edition ((ISC)2 Press) (Kindle Locations 3623-3625, 3649-3654, 3666-3686). Auerbach Publications. Kindle Edition.

Network-based ID systems:

- Commonly reside on a discrete network segment and monitor the traffic on that network segment

- Usually consist of a network appliance with a Network Interface Card (NIC) that is operating in promiscuous mode and is intercepting and analyzing the network packets in real time

"A passive NIDS takes advantage of promiscuous mode access to the network, allowing it to gain visibility into every packet traversing the network segment. This allows the system to inspect packets and monitor sessions without impacting the network, performance, or the systems and applications utilizing the network."

NOTE FROM CLEMENT:

A discrete network is a synonym for a SINGLE network. Usually the sensor will monitor a single network segment, however there are IDS today that allow you to monitor multiple LAN's at the same time.

References used for this question:

KRUTZ, Ronald L. & VINES, Russel D., The CISSP Prep Guide: Mastering the Ten Domains of Computer Security, 2001, John Wiley & Sons, Page 62.

and

Official (ISC)2 Guide to the CISSP CBK, Hal Tipton and Kevin Henry, Page 196

and

Additional information on IDS systems can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intrusion_detection_system