Systems Security Certified Practitioner – SSCP – Question0604

The criteria for evaluating the legal requirements for implementing safeguards is to evaluate the cost (C) of instituting the protection versus the estimated loss (L) resulting from the exploitation of the corresponding vulnerability. Therefore, a legal liability may exists when:

A.
(C<L)orCislessthanL
B. (C < L -(residual risk)) or C is less than L minus residual risk
C. (C > L) or C is greather than L
D. (C > L -(residual risk)) or C is greather than L minus residual risk

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

If the cost is lower than the estimated loss (C < L), then legal liability may exists if you fail to implement the proper safeguards. Government laws and regulations require companies to employ reasonable security measures to reduce private harms such as identity theft due to unauthorized access. The U.S. Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) Safeguards Rule and the broader European Directive 95/46/EC, Article 17, both require that companies employ reasonable or appropriate administrative and technical security measures to protect consumer information. The GLBA is a U.S. Federal law enacted by U.S. Congress in 1998 to allow consolidation among commercial banks. The GLBA Safeguards Rule is U.S. Federal regulation created in reaction to the GLBA and enforced by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The Safeguards Rule requires companies to implement a security plan to protect the confidentiality and integrity of consumer personal information and requires the designation of an individual responsible for compliance. Because these laws and regulations govern consumer personal information, they can lead to new requirements for information systems for which companies are responsible to comply. The act of compliance includes demonstrating due diligence, which is defined as “reasonable efforts that persons make to satisfy legal requirements or discharge their legal obligations”. Reasonableness in software systems includes industries standards and may allow for imperfection. Lawyers representing firms and other organizations, regulators, system administrators and engineers all face considerable challenge in determining what constitutes “reasonable” security measures for several reasons, including: 1. Compliance changes with the emergence of new security vulnerabilities due to innovations in information technology; 2. Compliance requires knowledge of specific security measures, however publicly available best practices typically include general goals and only address broad categories of vulnerability; and 3. Compliance is a best-effort practice, because improving security is costly and companies must prioritize security spending commensurate with risk of non-compliance. In general, the costs of improved security are certain, but the improvement in security depends on unknown variables and probabilities outside the control of companies. The following reference(s) were used for this question: KRUTZ, Ronald L. & VINES, Russel D., The CISSP Prep Guide: Mastering the Ten Domains of Computer Security, 2001, John Wiley & Sons, Page 315. and http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~breaux/publications/tdbreaux-cose10.pdf

Systems Security Certified Practitioner – SSCP – Question0603

Which disaster recovery plan test involves functional representatives meeting to review the plan in detail?

A.
Simulation test
B. Checklist test
C. Parallel test
D. Structured walk-through test

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

The structured walk-through test occurs when the functional representatives meet to review the plan in detail. This involves a thorough look at each of the plan steps, and the procedures that are invoked at that point in the plan. This ensures that the actual planned activities are accurately described in the plan. The checklist test is a method of testing the plan by distributing copies to each of the functional areas. The simulation test plays out different scenarios. The parallel test is essentially an operational test that is performed without interrupting current processing.
Source: HARE, Chris, CISSP Study Guide: Business Continuity Planning Domain,

Systems Security Certified Practitioner – SSCP – Question0602

Which of the following statements pertaining to a Criticality Survey is incorrect?

A.
It is implemented to gather input from all personnel that is going to be part of the recovery teams.
B. The purpose of the survey must be clearly stated.
C. Management's approval should be obtained before distributing the survey.
D. Its intent is to find out what services and systems are critical to keeping the organization in business.

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

The Criticality Survey is implemented through a standard questionnaire to gather input from the most knowledgeable people. Not all personnel that is going to be part of recovery teams is necessarily able to help in identifying critical functions of the organization.
The intent of such a survey is to identify the services and systems that are critical to the organization.
Having a clearly stated purpose for the survey helps in avoiding misinterpretations.
Management’s approval of the survey should be obtained before distributing it. Source: HARE, Chris, CISSP Study Guide: Business Continuity Planning Domain,

Systems Security Certified Practitioner – SSCP – Question0601

A Business Continuity Plan should be tested:

A.
Once a month.
B. At least twice a year.
C. At least once a year.
D. At least once every two years.

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

It is recommended that testing does not exceed established frequency limits. For a plan to be effective, all components of the BCP should be tested at least once a year. Also, if there is a major change in the operations of the organization, the plan should be revised and tested not more than three months after the change becomes operational.
Source: BARNES, James C. & ROTHSTEIN, Philip J., A Guide to Business Continuity Planning, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 (page 165).

Systems Security Certified Practitioner – SSCP – Question0600

Which of the following rules pertaining to a Business Continuity Plan/Disaster Recovery Plan is incorrect?

A.
In order to facilitate recovery, a single plan should cover all locations.
B. There should be requirements to form a committee to decide a course of action. These decisions should be made ahead of time and incorporated into the plan.
C. In its procedures and tasks, the plan should refer to functions, not specific individuals.
D. Critical vendors should be contacted ahead of time to validate equipment can be obtained in a timely manner.

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

The first documentation rule when it comes to a BCP/DRP is “one plan, one building”. Much of the plan revolves around reconstructing a facility and replenishing it with production contents. If more than one facility is involved, then the reader of the plan will find it difficult to identify quantities and specifications of replacement resource items. It is possible to have multiple plans for a single building, but those plans must be linked so that the identification and ordering of resource items is centralized. All other statements are correct.
Source: BARNES, James C. & ROTHSTEIN, Philip J., A Guide to Business Continuity Planning, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 (page 162).

Systems Security Certified Practitioner – SSCP – Question0599

During the salvage of the Local Area Network and Servers, which of the following steps would normally be performed first?

A.
Damage mitigation
B. Install LAN communications network and servers
C. Assess damage to LAN and servers
D. Recover equipment

Correct Answer: C

Explanation:

The first activity in every recovery plan is damage assessment, immediately followed by damage mitigation.
This first activity would typically include assessing the damage to all network and server components (including cables, boards, file servers, workstations, printers, network equipment), making a list of all items to be repaired or replaced, selecting appropriate vendors and relaying findings to Emergency Management Team.
Following damage mitigation, equipment can be recovered and LAN communications network and servers can be reinstalled.
Source: BARNES, James C. & ROTHSTEIN, Philip J., A Guide to Business Continuity Planning, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 (page 135).

Systems Security Certified Practitioner – SSCP – Question0598

A business continuity plan should list and prioritize the services that need to be brought back after a disaster strikes. Which of the following services is more likely to be of primary concern in the context of what your Disaster Recovery Plan would include?

A.
Marketing/Public relations
B. Data/Telecomm/IS facilities
C. IS Operations
D. Facilities security

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

The main concern when recovering after a disaster is data, telecomm and IS facilities. Other services, in descending priority order are: IS operations, IS support services, market structure, marketing/public relations, customer service & systems support, market regulation/surveillance, listing, application development, accounting services, facilities, human resources, facilities security, legal and Office of the Secretary, national sales. Source: BARNES, James C. & ROTHSTEIN, Philip J., A Guide to Business Continuity Planning, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 (page 129).

Systems Security Certified Practitioner – SSCP – Question0597

Which of the following steps should be one of the first step performed in a Business Impact Analysis (BIA)?

A.
Identify all CRITICAL business units within the organization.
B. Evaluate the impact of disruptive events.
C. Estimate the Recovery Time Objectives (RTO).
D. Identify and Prioritize Critical Organization Functions

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

Project Initiation and Management
This is the first step in building the Business Continuity program is project initiation and management. During this phase, the following activities will occur:
Obtain senior management support to go forward with the project Define a project scope, the objectives to be achieved, and the planning assumptions Estimate the project resources needed to be successful, both human resources and financial resources Define a timeline and major deliverables of the project In this phase, the program will be managed like a project, and a project manager should be assigned to the BC and DR domain.
The next step in the planning process is to have the planning team perform a BIA. The BIA will help the company decide what needs to be recovered, and how quickly. Mission functions are typically designated with terms such as critical, essential, supporting and nonessential to help determine the appropriate prioritization.
One of the first steps of a BIA is to Identify and Prioritize Critical Organization Functions. All organizational functions and the technology that supports them need to be classified based on their recovery priority. Recovery time frames for organization operations are driven by the consequences of not performing the function. The consequences may be the result of organization lost during the down period; contractual commitments not met resulting in fines or lawsuits, lost goodwill with customers.
All other answers are incorrect.
Reference(s) used for this question: Hernandez CISSP, Steven (2012-12-21). Official (ISC)2 Guide to the CISSP CBK, Third Edition ((ISC)2 Press) (Kindle Locations 21073-21075). Auerbach Publications. Kindle Edition. Hernandez CISSP, Steven (2012-12-21). Official (ISC)2 Guide to the CISSP CBK, Third Edition ((ISC)2 Press) (Kindle Locations 20697-20710). Auerbach Publications. Kindle Edition.

Systems Security Certified Practitioner – SSCP – Question0596

What can be defined as the maximum acceptable length of time that elapses before the unavailability of the system severely affects the organization?

A.
Recovery Point Objectives (RPO)
B. Recovery Time Objectives (RTO)
C. Recovery Time Period (RTP)
D. Critical Recovery Time (CRT)

Correct Answer: B

Explanation:

One of the results of a Business Impact Analysis is a determination of each business function’s Recovery Time Objectives (RTO). The RTO is the amount of time allowed for the recovery of a business function. If the RTO is exceeded, then severe damage to the organization would result. The Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) is the point in time in which data must be restored in order to resume processing.
Reference(s) used for this question: BARNES, James C. & ROTHSTEIN, Philip J., A Guide to Business Continuity Planning, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 (page 68). and And: SWANSON, Marianne, & al., National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), NIST Special Publication 800-34, Contingency Planning Guide for Information Technology Systems, December 2001 (page 47).

Systems Security Certified Practitioner – SSCP – Question0595

Which of the following item would best help an organization to gain a common understanding of functions that are critical to its survival?

A.
A risk assessment
B. A business assessment
C. A disaster recovery plan
D. A business impact analysis

Correct Answer: D

Explanation:

A Business Impact Analysis (BIA) is an assessment of an organization’s business functions to develop an understanding of their criticality, recovery time objectives, and resources needed. By going through a Business Impact Analysis, the organization will gain a common understanding of functions that are critical to its survival.
A risk assessment is an evaluation of the exposures present in an organization’s external and internal environments. A Business Assessment generally include Business Analysis as a discipline and it has heavy overlap with requirements analysis sometimes also called requirements engineering, but focuses on identifying the changes to an organization that are required for it to achieve strategic goals. These changes include changes to strategies, structures, policies, processes, and information systems. A disaster recovery plan is the comprehensive statement of consistent actions to be taken before, during and after a disruptive event that causes a significant loss of information systems resources.
Source: BARNES, James C. & ROTHSTEIN, Philip J., A Guide to Business Continuity Planning, John Wiley & Sons, 2001 (page 57).