Explanation: The best practice is to totally remove any unneeded services and utilities on a system to prevent any chance of compromise or use. If they are just disabled, it is possible for them to be inadvertently started again at any point, or another exploit could be used to start them again. Removing also negates the need to patch and maintain them going forward.

Explanation: Sensitive data exposure occurs when information is not properly secured through encryption and secure transport mechanisms; it can quickly become an easy and broad method for attackers to compromise information. Web applications must enforce strong encryption and security controls on the application side, but secure methods of communications with browsers or other clients used to access the information are also required. Security misconfiguration occurs when applications and systems are not properly configured for security, often a result of misapplied or inadequate baselines. Insecure direct object references occur when code references aspects of the infrastructure, especially internal or private systems, and an attacker can use that knowledge to glean more information about the infrastructure. Unvalidated redirects and forwards occur when an application has functions to forward users to other sites, and these functions are not properly secured to validate the data and redirect requests, thus allowing spoofing for malware or phishing attacks.

Explanation: The GLBA, as it is commonly called based on the lead sponsors and authors of the act, is officially known as “The Financial Modernization Act of 1999.” It is specifically focused on PII as it relates to financial institutions. There are three specific components of it, covering various areas and use, on top of a general requirement that all financial institutions must provide all users and customers with a written copy of their privacy policies and practices, including with whom and for what reasons their information may be shared with other entities.

Explanation: The United States lacks a single comprehensive law at the federal level addressing data security and privacy, but there are multiple federal laws that deal with different industries.

Explanation: The payment card industry data security standard (PCI DSS) pertains to organizations that handle credit card transactions and is an industry regulatory standard, not a governmental one.

Explanation: Object storage uses a flat structure with key values to store and access objects.

Explanation: Cross-site scripting (XSS) is an attack where a malicious actor is able to send untrusted data to a user’s browser without going through any validation or sanitization processes, or where the code is not properly escaped from processing by the browser. The code is then executed on the user’s browser with the user’s own access and permissions, allowing an attacker to redirect their web traffic, steal data from their session, or potentially access information on the user’s own computer that their browser has the ability to access.

Explanation: Hex GBL is a reference to a computer part in Terry Pratchett’s fictional Discworld universe. The rest are not.

Explanation: The guidelines from ASHRAE establish 64.4-80.6degF (18-27degC) as the optimal temperature for a data center.

Explanation: Any time data is created, modified, or imported, the classification needs to be evaluated and set from the earliest phase to ensure security is always properly maintained for the duration of its lifecycle.