Complete CCOA Isaca Materials

The greatest security concern associated withvirtualization technologyis theinsufficient isolation between VMs.

VM Escape:An attacker can break out of a compromised VM to access the host or other VMs on the same hypervisor.

Shared Resources:Hypervisors manage multiple VMs on the same hardware, making it critical to maintain strong isolation.

Hypervisor Vulnerabilities:A flaw in the hypervisor can compromise all hosted VMs.

Side-Channel Attacks:Attackers can exploit shared CPU cache to leak information between VMs.

Incorrect Options:

A. Inadequate resource allocation:A performance issue, not a primary security risk.

C. Shared network access:Can be managed with proper network segmentation and VLANs.

D. Missing patch management:While important, it is not unique to virtualization.

Exact Extract from CCOA Official Review Manual, 1st Edition:

Refer to Chapter 6, Section "Virtualization Security," Subsection "Risks and Threats" - Insufficient VM isolation is a critical concern in virtual environments.

TheRecovery Point Objective (RPO)defines themaximum acceptable amount of data lossmeasured in time before a disaster occurs.

Daily Backups:If the DRP requiresdaily backups, the RPO is effectively set at24 hours, meaning the organization can tolerate up to one day of data loss.

Data Preservation:Ensures that the system can recover data up to the last backup point.

Business Continuity Planning:Helps determine how often data backups need to be performed to minimize loss.

Other options analysis:

A. Maximum tolerable downtime (MTD):Refers to the total time a system can be down before significant impact.

B. Recovery time objective (RTO):Defines the time needed to restore operations after an incident.

D. Mean time to failure (MTTF):Indicates the average time a system operates before failing.

CCOA Official Review Manual, 1st Edition References:

Chapter 5: Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery:Defines RPO and its importance in data backup strategies.

Chapter 7: Risk Management:Discusses RPO as a key metric in disaster recovery planning.

The primary reason to limit local admin privileges on endpoints is thatlocal admin accounts have elevated privilegeswhich, if compromised, can be exploited to:

Escalate Privileges:Attackers can move laterally or gain deeper access.

Install Malware:Direct access to system settings and software installation.

Modify Security Configurations:Disable antivirus or firewalls.

Persistence:Create backdoor accounts for future access.

Incorrect Options:

A. Installing unapproved software:A consequence, but not the most critical reason.

C. Increased administrative work:Not a security issue.

D. Making unauthorized changes:Similar to A, but less significant than privilege exploitation.

Exact Extract from CCOA Official Review Manual, 1st Edition:

Refer to Chapter 4, Section "Privilege Management," Subsection "Risks of Excessive Privileges" - Limiting admin rights reduces attack surface and potential exploitation.

Operational Technology (OT)systems are particularly vulnerable due to theirage, complexity, and long upgrade cycles.

Legacy Systems:Often outdated, running on old hardware and software with limited update capabilities.

Complexity:Integrates various control systems like SCADA, PLCs, and DCS, making consistent security challenging.

Lack of Patching:Industrial environments often avoid updates due to fear of system disruptions.

Protocols:Many OT devices use insecure communication protocols that lack modern encryption.

Incorrect Options:

A. Ethernet:A network protocol, not a system prone to aging or complexity issues.

B. Mainframe technology:While old, these systems are typically better maintained and secured.

D. Wireless:While vulnerable, it’s not primarily due to age or inherent complexity.

Exact Extract from CCOA Official Review Manual, 1st Edition:

Refer to Chapter 7, Section "Securing Legacy Systems," Subsection "Challenges in OT Security" - OT environments often face security challenges due to outdated and complex infrastructure.