CISSP Security Architecture 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which security architecture concept requires every access request to be fully validated, regardless of the requester's previous authentication status?
- Least privilege
- Complete mediation (Correct answer)
- Separation of privilege
- Psychological acceptability
Correct answer: Complete mediation
Complete mediation requires every access to every object to be checked against access control policy, with no caching of permissions.
Question 2: In the context of secure hardware, what does a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) primarily provide?
- Network packet filtering and inspection
- Secure storage of cryptographic keys and platform integrity measurements (Correct answer)
- Hardware-accelerated encryption for disk volumes
- Biometric authentication processing
Correct answer: Secure storage of cryptographic keys and platform integrity measurements
A TPM is a dedicated chip that provides secure key storage, platform integrity attestation via PCRs, and cryptographic functions.
Question 3: Which approach to system design creates multiple layers of redundant security controls so that failure of one does not result in a breach?
- Security by obscurity
- Defense in depth (Correct answer)
- Minimal footprint
- Security through diversity
Correct answer: Defense in depth
Defense in depth implements layered security controls so an attacker must defeat multiple independent mechanisms to succeed.
Question 4: An application uses a hardware security module (HSM) to perform all cryptographic operations. What is the primary security advantage?
- It speeds up encryption for high-traffic applications
- Private keys never leave the tamper-resistant hardware boundary (Correct answer)
- It automatically rotates encryption keys on a schedule
- It enables hardware-based multi-factor authentication
Correct answer: Private keys never leave the tamper-resistant hardware boundary
HSMs ensure private keys are generated and used inside tamper-resistant hardware, preventing key extraction even by privileged administrators.
Question 5: Which security architecture pattern uses a single entry and exit point to enforce security policy on all network traffic?
- DMZ architecture
- Choke point (Correct answer)
- Air gap
- Network segmentation
Correct answer: Choke point
A choke point funnels all traffic through a single controlled gateway, making it easier to monitor and enforce security policies.
Question 6: The Brewer-Nash (Chinese Wall) model was specifically designed to prevent:
- Unauthorized modification of financial records
- Conflicts of interest in commercial environments (Correct answer)
- Covert channels in military systems
- Privilege escalation by insider threats
Correct answer: Conflicts of interest in commercial environments
The Brewer-Nash (Chinese Wall) model prevents analysts from accessing data belonging to competing clients to avoid conflicts of interest.
Question 7: What security risk is most directly mitigated by using immutable infrastructure (replace rather than patch)?
- Zero-day vulnerability exploitation
- Configuration drift and unauthorized changes accumulating over time (Correct answer)
- Insider threat from privileged administrators
- Denial of service attacks against servers
Correct answer: Configuration drift and unauthorized changes accumulating over time
Immutable infrastructure eliminates configuration drift by replacing entire instances rather than patching running systems.
CISSP Security Architecture 4
Which security architecture concept requires every access request to be fully validated, regardless of the requester's previous authentication status?