SE Secure Software Development and Application Security 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which OWASP Top 10 category covers weaknesses in authentication mechanisms that allow attackers to compromise passwords, keys, or session tokens?
- Injection
- Broken Access Control
- Identification and Authentication Failures (Correct answer)
- Cryptographic Failures
Correct answer: Identification and Authentication Failures
OWASP A07:2021 - Identification and Authentication Failures covers weaknesses that allow attackers to compromise user identity through flawed login, session, or credential management.
Question 2: What is the most effective defense against SQL injection attacks in application code?
- Input length validation
- Parameterized queries (prepared statements) (Correct answer)
- Encrypting database connections
- Using stored procedures exclusively
Correct answer: Parameterized queries (prepared statements)
Parameterized queries separate SQL code from user-supplied data, preventing input from being interpreted as SQL syntax regardless of its content.
Question 3: Which type of Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attack permanently stores the malicious script on the target server?
- Reflected XSS
- DOM-based XSS
- Stored XSS (Correct answer)
- Blind XSS
Correct answer: Stored XSS
Stored XSS (Persistent XSS) saves the malicious script in the server's database or file system, causing it to execute for every user who views the affected page.
Question 4: What security principle requires each application component to operate with only the minimum permissions necessary to perform its function?
- Defense in Depth
- Separation of Duties
- Principle of Least Privilege (Correct answer)
- Zero Trust Architecture
Correct answer: Principle of Least Privilege
The Principle of Least Privilege limits access rights and permissions of software components to the absolute minimum required, reducing the attack surface if a component is compromised.
Question 5: Which vulnerability occurs when an application passes user-controlled input to a system command interpreter without proper sanitization?
- Path Traversal
- Command Injection (Correct answer)
- Remote File Inclusion
- XML External Entity (XXE)
Correct answer: Command Injection
Command injection allows attackers to execute arbitrary OS commands by embedding them in user input that the application passes to a system shell.
Question 6: What is Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF)?
- An attack that forces a server to make requests to unintended internal or external locations (Correct answer)
- An attack that forges server-side TLS certificates
- A method to bypass server authentication using crafted HTTP requests
- A technique to intercept encrypted server-to-server communications
Correct answer: An attack that forces a server to make requests to unintended internal or external locations
SSRF induces the server-side application to make HTTP requests to arbitrary domains, potentially exposing internal services not accessible from the internet.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes a 'cryptographic failure' as defined by OWASP?
- Using an expired TLS certificate on a public-facing server
- Failing to encrypt sensitive data or using weak/broken cryptographic algorithms (Correct answer)
- Implementing two-factor authentication with a weak second factor
- Using self-signed certificates in a production environment
Correct answer: Failing to encrypt sensitive data or using weak/broken cryptographic algorithms
OWASP A02:2021 Cryptographic Failures occur when sensitive data is exposed due to absent encryption or the use of deprecated and weak cryptographic algorithms.
SE Secure Software Development and Application Security 1
Which OWASP Top 10 category covers weaknesses in authentication mechanisms that allow attackers to compromise passwords, keys, or session tokens?