CBSE Credential Curriculum and Topics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which domain of the CBSE curriculum specifically addresses vulnerabilities in Ethereum smart contract code?
- Blockchain Fundamentals
- Smart Contract Security (Correct answer)
- Cryptographic Protocols
- Consensus Mechanism Analysis
Correct answer: Smart Contract Security
Smart Contract Security is the CBSE domain dedicated to identifying and remediating vulnerabilities such as reentrancy, integer overflow, and access control flaws in smart contract code.
Question 2: The CBSE exam places emphasis on understanding threat modeling. Which framework is most commonly referenced for blockchain threat modeling in the curriculum?
- PASTA
- STRIDE (Correct answer)
- DREAD
- OCTAVE
Correct answer: STRIDE
STRIDE (Spoofing, Tampering, Repudiation, Information Disclosure, Denial of Service, Elevation of Privilege) is the most widely referenced threat modeling framework in blockchain security curricula including CBSE.
Question 3: A CBSE candidate must understand 51% attacks. What resource does an attacker need to control to execute one on a Proof-of-Work network?
- More than half of all wallet private keys
- More than half of the network's total hashing power (Correct answer)
- More than half of all validator nodes' stake
- More than half of all circulating tokens
Correct answer: More than half of the network's total hashing power
A 51% attack on a Proof-of-Work blockchain requires an attacker to control more than 50% of the network's total hash rate, enabling double-spend and chain reorganization.
Question 4: Which CBSE curriculum topic covers the security implications of using oracles in decentralized applications?
- Consensus Security
- DeFi and Oracle Security (Correct answer)
- Network Layer Attacks
- Key Management
Correct answer: DeFi and Oracle Security
DeFi and Oracle Security is the CBSE domain that examines how oracles introduce off-chain data trust assumptions and can be manipulated to compromise on-chain logic.
Question 5: According to the CBSE body of knowledge, which attack exploits a smart contract calling an external contract before updating its own state?
- Front-running
- Reentrancy (Correct answer)
- Integer overflow
- Selfdestruct abuse
Correct answer: Reentrancy
A reentrancy attack occurs when a malicious contract repeatedly calls back into the vulnerable contract before the initial execution updates its balance or state, as seen in the 2016 DAO hack.
Question 6: In the CBSE curriculum, which layer of blockchain architecture is primarily responsible for peer discovery and data propagation?
- Application layer
- Consensus layer
- Network (P2P) layer (Correct answer)
- Data layer
Correct answer: Network (P2P) layer
The Network or P2P layer handles peer discovery, block propagation, and transaction broadcasting across nodes in a blockchain network.
Question 7: The CBSE exam expects candidates to know about cold wallet security. What is the primary security advantage of a hardware (cold) wallet over a software (hot) wallet?
- It stores keys on an internet-connected server for faster access
- It generates keys in a secure enclave never exposed to an internet-connected device (Correct answer)
- It uses symmetric encryption to protect private keys
- It relies on multi-factor authentication via SMS
Correct answer: It generates keys in a secure enclave never exposed to an internet-connected device
Hardware wallets store and use private keys within a secure, air-gapped chip that never exposes the key material to an internet-connected host, dramatically reducing remote attack exposure.
CBSE Credential Curriculum and Topics 2
Which domain of the CBSE curriculum specifically addresses vulnerabilities in Ethereum smart contract code?