CAP Security Architecture & Engineering 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which security architecture principle ensures that a compromised component cannot affect the security of the entire system?
- Least privilege
- Defense in depth
- Compartmentalization (Correct answer)
- Fail-safe defaults
Correct answer: Compartmentalization
Compartmentalization isolates system components so a breach in one area does not propagate to others.
Question 2: In the context of CAP, what does 'trustworthiness' of an information system primarily depend on?
- Network bandwidth and latency
- Security functionality and assurance (Correct answer)
- Number of authorized users
- Physical location of servers
Correct answer: Security functionality and assurance
Trustworthiness combines security functionality (what the system does) with assurance (confidence that it does it correctly).
Question 3: A system uses a reference monitor to mediate all access to objects. Which property ensures the reference monitor cannot be bypassed?
- Completeness
- Isolation
- Verifiability
- Non-bypassability (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Non-bypassability
Non-bypassability means every access request must go through the reference monitor with no alternative path available.
Question 4: Which cryptographic mode of operation provides both confidentiality and authentication in a single pass?
- CBC (Cipher Block Chaining)
- ECB (Electronic Codebook)
- GCM (Galois/Counter Mode) (Correct answer)
- CFB (Cipher Feedback Mode)
Correct answer: GCM (Galois/Counter Mode)
GCM is an authenticated encryption mode that simultaneously provides confidentiality and integrity/authentication.
Question 5: An organization implements mandatory access control (MAC) based on data classification levels. Which model best describes this approach?
- Biba Integrity Model
- Bell-LaPadula Confidentiality Model (Correct answer)
- Clark-Wilson Model
- Brewer-Nash Model
Correct answer: Bell-LaPadula Confidentiality Model
Bell-LaPadula enforces confidentiality using classification levels with 'no read up, no write down' rules.
Question 6: What is the primary security concern with using ECB mode for encrypting large amounts of data?
- It requires too much processing power
- Identical plaintext blocks produce identical ciphertext blocks (Correct answer)
- It does not support key exchange
- It lacks initialization vector support
Correct answer: Identical plaintext blocks produce identical ciphertext blocks
ECB encrypts identical plaintext blocks into identical ciphertext blocks, revealing patterns in the data.
Question 7: In zero-trust architecture, which principle replaces traditional perimeter-based security?
- Trust but verify
- Never trust, always verify (Correct answer)
- Defense in depth at the perimeter
- Air-gap isolation
Correct answer: Never trust, always verify
Zero-trust operates on 'never trust, always verify,' requiring continuous authentication regardless of network location.
CAP Security Architecture & Engineering 4
Which security architecture principle ensures that a compromised component cannot affect the security of the entire system?