CDPSE By Design Principles 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the context of Security by Design, which practice ensures that a compromised component cannot escalate access to other system parts?
- Defense in Depth
- Least Privilege (Correct answer)
- Fail Secure
- Separation of Duties
Correct answer: Least Privilege
Least Privilege limits each component or user to only the permissions required, containing damage if that component is compromised.
Question 2: A privacy engineer is designing a recommendation engine and proposes using aggregated cohort data instead of individual profiles. Which Privacy by Design technique does this represent?
- Data Minimization
- Pseudonymization
- Data Anonymization by Aggregation (Correct answer)
- Privacy-Enhancing Technology
Correct answer: Data Anonymization by Aggregation
Anonymization by aggregation groups individuals into cohorts so individual profiles are never created or exposed, reducing re-identification risk.
Question 3: Which Privacy by Design principle is most directly supported by implementing automatic data retention and deletion schedules?
- Visibility and Transparency
- Full Lifecycle Protection (Correct answer)
- Proactive not Reactive
- Positive-Sum Functionality
Correct answer: Full Lifecycle Protection
Full Lifecycle Protection covers the entire data journey including secure destruction, so automated deletion schedules directly fulfill this principle.
Question 4: An engineer recommends that a new payment system fail to a locked-out state rather than an open state if authentication fails. This is an example of which security principle aligned with Privacy by Design?
- Defense in Depth
- Least Privilege
- Fail Secure (Fail Safe) (Correct answer)
- Zero Trust
Correct answer: Fail Secure (Fail Safe)
Fail Secure ensures that when a system fails, it defaults to denying access rather than inadvertently granting it.
Question 5: How does the concept of 'Privacy by Default' differ from 'Privacy by Design'?
- They are identical concepts used interchangeably in GDPR
- Privacy by Default is the operational setting; Privacy by Design is the architectural approach (Correct answer)
- Privacy by Design is a legal requirement; Privacy by Default is voluntary
- Privacy by Default applies to hardware; Privacy by Design applies to software
Correct answer: Privacy by Default is the operational setting; Privacy by Design is the architectural approach
Privacy by Design is the overarching framework embedding privacy into systems, while Privacy by Default is one of its seven principles specifying the most protective settings must be automatic.
Question 6: A CDPSE candidate reviews a data flow diagram and finds that a marketing module can read the HR database without restriction. Which principle does this violate?
- Visibility and Transparency
- Privacy Embedded into Design
- Least Privilege / Need to Know (Correct answer)
- Full Lifecycle Protection
Correct answer: Least Privilege / Need to Know
Least Privilege / Need to Know requires that systems only access data directly necessary for their function, preventing unauthorized cross-module data access.
Question 7: Which design strategy best supports the 'End-to-End Security' Privacy by Design principle for data in transit?
- Storing encryption keys in the same database as the data
- Using TLS for all data transmissions between services (Correct answer)
- Relying on perimeter firewalls as the sole security control
- Encrypting only data classified as sensitive
Correct answer: Using TLS for all data transmissions between services
TLS protects data in transit between all services, fulfilling the end-to-end security requirement across the full communication lifecycle.
CDPSE By Design Principles 3
In the context of Security by Design, which practice ensures that a compromised component cannot escalate access to other system parts?