Secure Software Lifecycle Professional – CSSLP – Question228

Which of the following processes will you involve to perform the active analysis of the system for any potential vulnerabilities that may result from poor or improper system configuration, known and/or unknown hardware or software flaws, or operational weaknesses in process or technical countermeasures?

A.
Penetration testing
B. Baselining
C. Risk analysis
D. Compliance checking

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

Explanation: A penetration testing is a method of evaluating the security of a computer system or network by simulating an attack from a malicious source. The process involves an active analysis of the system for any potential vulnerabilities that may result from poor or improper system configuration, known or unknown hardware or software flaws, or operational weaknesses in process or technical countermeasures. This analysis is carried out from the position of a potential attacker, and can involve active exploitation of security vulnerabilities. Any security issues that are found will be presented to the system owner together with an assessment of their impact and often with a proposal for mitigation or a technical solution. The intent of a penetration test is to determine feasibility of an attack and the amount of business impact of a successful exploit, if discovered. It is a component of a full security audit. Answer: C is incorrect. Risk analysis is the science of risks and their probability and evaluation in a business or a process. It is an important factor in security enhancement and prevention in a system. Risk analysis should be performed as part of the risk management process for each project. The outcome of the risk analysis would be the creation or review of the risk register to identify and quantify risk elements to the project and their potential impact. Answer: D is incorrect. Compliance checking performs the reviews for safeguards and controls to verify whether the entity is complying with particular procedures, rules or not. It includes the inspection of operational systems to guarantee that hardware and software controls have been correctly implemented and maintained. Compliance checking covers the activities such as penetration testing and vulnerability assessments. Compliance checking must be performed by skilled persons, or by an automated software package. Answer: B is incorrect. Baselining is a method for analyzing the performance of computer networks. The method is marked by comparing the current performance to a historical metric, or “baseline”. For example, if a user measured the performance of a network switch over a period of time, he could use that performance figure as a comparative baseline if he made a configuration change to the switch.