ICS Threat Assessment & Risk Analysis 2

Question 1

In ICS environments, which threat modeling methodology is most commonly adapted to account for physical-cyber interdependencies?

Accepted Answer

STRIDE

Answer

STRIDE is widely adapted for ICS threat modeling because its spoofing, tampering, repudiation, information disclosure, denial of service, and elevation of privilege categories map naturally to both cyber and physical control system attack vectors.

Question 2

A risk analyst discovers that a legacy PLC has no authentication and communicates over Modbus TCP. Which risk factor most directly increases the likelihood score in a quantitative risk assessment?

Accepted Answer

Known vulnerability with public exploit code

Answer

A known vulnerability with publicly available exploit code dramatically increases likelihood because threat actors can weaponize it without advanced capabilities, directly elevating the probability component of the risk formula.

Question 3

Which document provides the foundational risk management framework specifically referenced in NIST SP 800-82 for ICS security?

Accepted Answer

NIST SP 800-30

Answer

NIST SP 800-30 provides the Guide for Conducting Risk Assessments and is the foundational document cited in NIST SP 800-82 for performing risk assessments in ICS environments.

Question 4

During a threat assessment of a water treatment SCADA system, an analyst identifies an insider with legitimate access who has expressed grievances. This threat actor is best classified as:

Accepted Answer

Malicious insider

Answer

An employee with authorized access who may use that access maliciously due to personal motivations is classified as a malicious insider, a particularly dangerous threat in ICS environments due to existing access and system knowledge.

Question 5

What is the primary purpose of a Bow-Tie analysis in ICS risk assessment?

Accepted Answer

To visualize threat pathways, preventive barriers, and consequence mitigations simultaneously

Answer

Bow-Tie analysis visually connects threats on the left (causes) through a central hazard event to consequences on the right, showing both preventive controls and recovery mitigations in a single diagram.

(ICS) Industrial Control Systems Security Certification Practice Test

(ICS) Industrial Control Systems Security Certification Practice Test

ICS Threat Assessment & Risk Analysis 2