Architecture & Design Flashcards

A security architect recommends using an SDK that automatically enforces HTTPS, parameterized queries, and input sanitization for all new applications. This approach best exemplifies which principle?

Answer: Secure by default

Secure by default means that security controls are enabled out of the box, so developers must actively choose to weaken them rather than actively choose to enable them.

An organization requires that no single administrator can both create a privileged account AND approve access for that account. Which security principle does this implement?

Answer: Separation of duties

Separation of duties divides critical tasks between multiple individuals so that no single person can commit fraud or error without collusion.

An application is designed so that if the authentication service becomes unavailable, all access to the system is denied rather than allowed. Which design concept does this reflect?

Answer: Fail secure (fail closed)

Fail secure ensures that a system defaults to a secure, restricted state when a component fails, preventing unauthorized access during outages.

A healthcare organization must store patient records for 7 years per HIPAA requirements. Which architectural component should be designed to enforce this retention policy automatically?

Answer: Data lifecycle management / object lock

Data lifecycle management with object lock (WORM) enforces retention policies automatically, preventing records from being deleted before the mandated retention period expires.

Which network architecture concept uses software to dynamically provision and configure virtual network functions (firewalls, load balancers) without dedicated physical hardware?

Answer: Software-Defined Networking (SDN)

SDN decouples the control plane from the data plane, allowing network functions to be provisioned and configured programmatically through software.

A company adopts a BYOD policy and wants to ensure that corporate data on personal devices is wiped remotely if a device is lost, without affecting personal data. Which technology supports this?

Answer: Containerization / MAM with selective wipe

Mobile Application Management (MAM) with containerization separates corporate data into a managed container that can be selectively wiped without touching personal data.

A security engineer is evaluating a third-party vendor's API integration. The vendor authenticates using a long-lived shared secret embedded in each request header. Which improvement should the engineer recommend?

Answer: Switch to OAuth 2.0 with short-lived access tokens

OAuth 2.0 with short-lived access tokens limits the window of exposure if a token is compromised and eliminates the need to share long-lived static secrets.