Secure-Software-Design WGUSecure Software Design (KEO1) Exam Questions and Answers

 The three primary goals of the secure software development process, often referred to as the CIA triad, are confidentiality, integrity, and availability. These principles form the cornerstone of security considerations in the software development life cycle (SDLC).

• Confidentiality ensures that sensitive information is accessed only by authorized individuals and systems. This involves implementing access controls and encryption to protect data from unauthorized access.
• Integrity refers to maintaining the accuracy and consistency of data across its lifecycle. This means that the data is not altered or tampered with by unauthorized entities. Techniques like checksums and digital signatures help ensure data integrity.
• Availability ensures that information and resources are accessible to authorized users when needed. This involves creating resilient systems that can withstand attacks and recover quickly from any disruptions.

By integrating these security goals into each phase of the SDLC, from planning and design to development, testing, and maintenance, organizations can create more secure software systems that are resilient to cyber threats.

References: The information provided here is verified as per the Secure Software Design documents and best practices in the field, as outlined by sources such as Snyk1, GeeksforGeeks2, and SAFECode3.

Fuzz testing is the ideal technique in this scenario. Here's why:

• Focus on Integrations: The scenario emphasizes testing links between the software, databases, web servers, and web services. Fuzz testing is specifically designed to find vulnerabilities in how software handles data and communication between components.
• Pre-release Testing: The product being close to release indicates a critical need to identify security flaws before public deployment. Fuzz testing is effective in uncovering unexpected behavior and potential vulnerabilities.
• Fuzz Testing Targets: Fuzz testing works by injecting invalid or unexpected data into interfaces (like those between databases, web components, etc.) to observe how the software reacts. This helps expose potential security gaps and weaknesses.

The category of secure software best practices being described is Training. This is because the focus is on educating new developers about organizational security policies and coding practices to mitigate potential threats. Training is a proactive approach to ensure that developers are aware of security concerns and are equipped with the knowledge to address them in their coding practices.

References: The importance of training in secure software best practices is supported by industry resources such as the SAFECode’s “Fundamental Practices for Secure Software Development” which emphasizes the need for application security control definition and management1, and the NIST’s Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) which recommends integrating secure development practices throughout the software development lifecycle2. Additional support for this category can be found in resources detailing effective secure development practices345.

The task described involves assessing a document management application that has been in use for many years. This scenario typically requires a security strategy that addresses the unique challenges of legacy code. Legacy code refers to software that has been around for a long time and may not have been developed with current security standards in mind. A security strategy for legacy code would include measures to ensure that the application complies with current organizational policies, which may involve code reviews, updates, and the implementation of modern security practices to mitigate any potential vulnerabilities inherent in older code12.

References:

• Remotebase, “Best Practices for Managing Legacy Code”
• Medium, “The Engineer’s Complete Guide to Legacy Code”
• Parasoft, “Testing Legacy Code & 3 Steps to Update”

 The security testing technique that involves evaluating the vulnerability of all externally facing enterprise applications through both automated and manual system interactions is known as Penetration Testing. This method simulates real-world attacks on systems to identify potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. It is a proactive approach to discover security weaknesses before they can be exploited in a real attack scenario. Penetration testing can include a variety of methods such as network scanning, application testing, and social engineering tactics to ensure a comprehensive security evaluation.

References: The concept of Penetration Testing as a method for evaluating vulnerabilities aligns with industry standards and practices, as detailed in resources from security-focused organizations and literature1.

The core issue here is cleartext transmission of sensitive data, and option C directly addresses this:

• Addressing the Problem: The scenario reveals the vulnerability is the lack of encryption during data transmission (the GET response). Ensuring encryption in transit fixes this specific exploit.
• Transport Layer Security: Encryption during transit is typically achieved through protocols like TLS (HTTPS), preventing the interception of sensitive information.

 The principle of running with the least privilege is a fundamental security concept that involves granting users only the permissions they need to perform their tasks and no more. This minimizes the risk of a user gaining access to administrator-level functionality that they are not authorized to use. By limiting the privileges of user accounts to the bare minimum necessary, the potential damage from various attacks, such as privilege escalation, is significantly reduced.

References: The concept of least privilege is widely recognized as a critical security measure. Resources like Exabeam’s article on preventing privilege escalation and TechTarget’s guide on privilege escalation attacks provide insights into how enforcing least privilege can mitigate such threats12. These sources verify that running with the least privilege is an effective mitigation technique against the threat of unauthorized access to elevated privileges.

The Asset-centric approach to threat modeling focuses on identifying and protecting the assets that are most valuable to an organization. This method prioritizes the assets themselves, assessing their sensitivity, value, and the impact on the business should they be compromised. It is a strategic approach that aims to safeguard the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the organization’s key assets.

References:

• A Review of Asset-Centric Threat Modelling Approaches1.
• Approaches to Threat Modeling - are you getting what you need?2.
• What Is Threat Modeling? - CrowdStrike3.

The secure coding best practice that requires authentication before allowing any files to be uploaded, and limits the types of files to only those needed for the business purpose, falls under the category of File Management. This practice is crucial for preventing unauthorized file uploads, which can be a common vector for attacks such as uploading malicious files or scripts. By enforcing authentication, the application ensures that only legitimate users can upload files. Additionally, restricting the file types to those necessary for business operations minimizes the risk of uploading potentially harmful files that could compromise the system.

References:

• OWASP Secure Coding Practices1
• File Upload Security Best Practices | CodeHandbook2
• File Upload Protection – 10 Best Practices for Preventing … - OPSWAT3

A threat profile is a security assessment deliverable that identifies possible security vulnerabilities in a product. It involves a systematic examination of the product to uncover any weaknesses that could potentially be exploited by threats. The process typically includes identifying the assets that need protection, assessing the threats to those assets, and evaluating the vulnerabilities that could be exploited by those threats. This deliverable is crucial for understanding the security posture of a product and for prioritizing remediation efforts.

References: The importance of a threat profile in identifying security vulnerabilities is supported by various security resources. For instance, Future Processing’s blog on vulnerability assessments outlines the steps involved in identifying security vulnerabilities, which align with the creation of a threat profile1. Additionally, UpGuard’s article on conducting vulnerability assessments further emphasizes the role of identifying vulnerabilities as part of the security assessment process2.

The phase being described is the Implementation phase of the SDLC. During this phase, the actual development starts, and the product begins to be built. The teams are actively writing code, which is a key activity of the Implementation phase. This phase involves translating the design and specifications into executable code, developing the software’s features, and then integrating the various components into a full-fledged system.

References:

• The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC): 7 Phases and 5 Models1.
• What Is the Software Development Life Cycle? SDLC Explained2.
• SDLC: 6 Main Stages of the Software Product Development Lifecycle3.
• Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Phases & Models4.

The Intelligence domain in the Building Security in Maturity Model (BSIMM) focuses on gathering and using information about software security. This includes understanding the types of attacks that are possible against the software being developed, which is why reviewing attack models falls under this domain. The BSIMM domain of Intelligence involves creating models of potential attacks on software (attack models), analyzing actual attacks that have occurred (attack intelligence), and sharing this information to improve security measures. By reviewing attack models, the software security group is essentially assessing the organization’s ability to anticipate and understand potential security threats, which is a key aspect of the Intelligence domain.

References: The references used to verify this answer include the official BSIMM documentation and related resources that describe the various domains and their activities within the BSIMM framework12345.