CISSP Exam Questions Tutorials

The best way to protect against SQL injection is to use stored procedures. SQL injection is a type of attack that exploits a vulnerability in a web application that allows an attacker to inject malicious SQL commands into the input fields or parameters of the application. The attacker can then execute the SQL commands on the underlying database and access, modify, or delete the data. Stored procedures are precompiled SQL statements that are stored on the database server and can be invoked by the application. Stored procedures can prevent SQL injection by separating the SQL logic from the user input, validating the input parameters, and escaping the special characters that can alter the SQL syntax. References: CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Eighth Edition, Chapter 8: Software Development Security, page 424; [Official (ISC)2 CISSP CBK Reference, Fifth Edition, Chapter 8: Software Development Security, page 564]

The best option to reduce overall risk in addition to quarterly access reviews is to implement and review risk-based alerts. Risk-based alerts are notifications that are triggered by predefined events or conditions that indicate a potential security breach or misuse of system resources. For example, a risk-based alert could be generated when a privileged account is created, modified, or deleted, or when a privileged account performs an unusual or unauthorized activity. By implementing and reviewing risk-based alerts, the organization can detect and respond to suspicious or malicious actions involving privileged accounts in a timely manner, and prevent or minimize the impact of security incidents. The other options are not as effective as risk-based alerts. Increasing logging levels may generate more data, but it does not necessarily improve the detection or analysis of security events. Implementing bi-annual reviews may reduce the time gap between access reviews, but it does not address the issue of detecting unauthorized changes or activities between reviews. Creating policies for system access is a good practice, but it does not ensure that the policies are enforced or complied with by the system users or administrators. References: CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Eighth Edition, Chapter 8: Security Operations, page 1043. Official (ISC)2 CISSP CBK Reference, Fifth Edition, Chapter 7: Security Operations, page 1044.

Software vulnerability remediation is the process of identifying and fixing the weaknesses or flaws in a software application or system that could be exploited by attackers. Software vulnerability remediation is most likely to cost the least to implement at the design stage of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), which is the phase where the requirements and specifications of the software are defined and the architecture and components of the software are designed. At this stage, the software developers can apply security principles and best practices, such as secure by design, secure by default, and secure coding, to prevent or minimize the introduction of vulnerabilities in the software. Remediation at the design stage is also easier and cheaper than at later stages, such as development, testing, or deployment, because it does not require modifying or rewriting the existing code, which could introduce new errors or affect the functionality or performance of the software. References: CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Eighth Edition, Chapter 21: Software Development Security, pp. 2021-2022; [Official (ISC)2 CISSP CBK Reference, Fifth Edition], Domain 8: Software Development Security, pp. 1395-1396.

The best Service Organization Controls (SOC) certification for the vendor to possess for handling and processing of company data is SOC 2 Type 2. SOC is a framework that defines the standards and criteria for the reporting and auditing of the internal controls and processes of a service organization, such as a cloud service provider, that affect the security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, or privacy of the information and systems of the user entities, such as the customers or clients of the service organization. SOC 2 Type 2 is a certification that indicates that the service organization has undergone an independent audit that evaluates and verifies the design and operating effectiveness of the internal controls and processes of the service organization, based on the Trust Services Criteria (TSC) of security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality, or privacy, over a period of time, usually six to twelve months. SOC 2 Type 2 is the best SOC certification for the vendor to possess for handling and processing of company data, as it can provide the highest level of assurance and transparency for the security, reliability, and compliance of the vendor’s services . References: [CISSP CBK, Fifth Edition, Chapter 2, page 90]; [CISSP Practice Exam – FREE 20 Questions and Answers, Question 20].