Threat Intelligence and Vulnerability Management Flashcards

Which OSINT technique involves gathering information about an organization's internet-facing assets without active scanning?

Answer: Passive reconnaissance using tools like Shodan, DNS records, and certificate transparency logs

Passive OSINT collects publicly available information without touching target systems, leaving no footprint and providing an attacker's-eye view of the attack surface.

What is an attack surface reduction strategy that a CNDA would implement to minimize vulnerability exposure?

Answer: Disabling unnecessary services, ports, and protocols across all systems

Reducing the attack surface by disabling unneeded services, ports, and protocols means fewer potential entry points for attackers.

Which tool is used to passively monitor for new CVEs and vendor advisories relevant to an organization's software inventory?

Answer: A vulnerability intelligence feed or Software Composition Analysis (SCA) tool

SCA tools and CVE intelligence feeds continuously monitor software components against vulnerability databases and notify when a new CVE affects installed software.

What does 'threat modeling' help a CNDA accomplish during the design phase of a new system?

Answer: Identify potential threats, attack vectors, and necessary security controls before the system is built

Threat modeling during design is far cheaper than retrofitting security — it identifies what could go wrong and informs security requirements before code is written.

A CNDA uses the STRIDE model. What does the 'T' stand for and what type of attack does it represent?

Answer: Tampering — unauthorized modification of data or systems

In STRIDE, Tampering represents integrity threats — unauthorized modification of data, configuration, or code.

Which vulnerability management concept involves knowing exactly what software is running in your environment?

Answer: Asset inventory and Software Bill of Materials (SBOM)

A complete asset inventory and SBOM is the foundation of vulnerability management — you cannot protect or patch what you don't know you have.