Procedures are a type of security document that offers specific, detailed steps for operations within an organization. Unlike governance or IT policy documents, procedures provide hands-on guidance, outlining the exact processes to be followed in various scenarios. They serve as practical guides to ensure consistent and secure execution of operational tasks.

Cloaking in secure software deployment and operations refers to the practice of concealing sensitive information or system details from unauthorized users or attackers. It involves hiding critical data, configurations, or identifiers to prevent potential exploitation or unauthorized access. Cloaking is a security measure aimed at minimizing the exposure of valuable information, enhancing system resilience, and reducing the risk of targeted attacks.

Correct Answer: A web server facing the Internet, the application server and the database server on the internal network.

This architecture follows the principle of network segmentation and provides a layered approach to security:

1. The web server needs to be publicly accessible to handle incoming user requests from the Internet.
2. The application server and database server should reside on the internal network, protected by firewalls, to ensure they are not directly exposed to external threats. This setup minimizes the attack surface while still allowing the web server to communicate with the internal servers.

Explanation of other options:

1. A web server and the database server facing the Internet, an application server on the internal network: Exposing the database server to the Internet is highly risky, as databases contain sensitive information and should never be directly exposed to external threats.
2. All three servers need to be placed within the internal network: This would make the web-based software inaccessible over the Internet since the web server would not be publicly reachable.
3. All the three servers need to face the Internet so that they can communicate between themselves: Exposing all servers to the Internet is a poor security practice, making them vulnerable to attacks like DDoS, hacking, and data breaches.

Continuous monitoring ensures software resilience by regularly assessing security measures, detecting vulnerabilities, and promptly addressing any deviations from the acceptable risk threshold set by the business post-deployment. This proactive approach helps maintain a robust security posture and align software resilience with organizational risk tolerance over time.

A “Blue-Green Deployment” strategy ensures minimal downtime during updates by running two identical production environments simultaneously, labeled as blue and green. This allows for a seamless transition between versions, reducing the impact on users and maintaining continuous service availability. The approach enhances reliability and mitigates risks associated with software deployment.

Correct Answer: To monitor and respond to security threats in real-time.

A Security Operations Center (SOC) is responsible for continuously monitoring an organization’s network, systems, and applications for security threats and incidents. The SOC’s primary function is to detect, analyze, and respond to security events in real-time, helping to protect the organization from cyber threats and breaches.

Explanation of other options:

1. To log events from the application: While the SOC may utilize logs for analysis, logging alone is typically handled by logging systems or SIEMs (Security Information and Event Management) and is not the sole purpose of the SOC.
2. To manage security controls: Managing security controls is typically done by system administrators or security architects, not the SOC, whose focus is on monitoring and responding to threats.
3. To manage access controls: Access control management is generally the responsibility of identity and access management (IAM) systems or administrators, not the SOC.

A Security Incident Response Plan outlines systematic procedures for identifying, responding to, and mitigating security incidents within software operations. By providing a structured framework, it enables swift and effective actions to address threats, minimizing potential damage and ensuring operational continuity. This proactive approach enhances overall security posture and readiness to handle security incidents.

Mandating the delivery of an operational security guide from project teams ensures that deployment and operations personnel have comprehensive documentation for secure software practices. This guide aids in understanding and implementing security measures effectively, promoting a resilient and secure operational environment. It enhances collaboration between development and operations teams for seamless and secure software deployment.

Availability ensures that systems and data are available to authorized individuals when they need it and under any circumstances, including power outages or natural disasters.

Monitoring traffic and capacity usage is a crucial responsibility of systems operations personnel to ensure the security and efficiency of the deployed software. Utilizing various monitoring tools enables them to identify illegitimate traffic, proactively address issues, and optimize system performance for a secure and resilient operational environment. This practice enhances overall situational awareness and contributes to the effective management of system resources.

A change control system is crucial for managing changes in an IT environment. It provides a structured process for evaluating, approving, and implementing alterations to IT systems. This ensures proper documentation, coordination, and oversight to maintain system integrity and security.

Risk avoidance is a risk management strategy that involves taking actions to completely eliminate or withdraw from activities, processes, or situations that pose potential risks. This strategy aims to prevent exposure to certain risks by avoiding any actions or decisions that could lead to those risks.

When identifying a security vulnerability in a third-party library, it is crucial to report the issue to the library vendor promptly. Collaboratively working with the vendor helps ensure a timely resolution and the development of a patched version. This proactive approach contributes to overall software security and protects against potential exploits.

Correct Answer: Bringing security practices earlier into the software development process.

In the context of DevSecOps, “Shifting Left” means incorporating security measures and practices early in the software development lifecycle (SDLC), rather than waiting until later stages, such as just before deployment. This proactive approach integrates security into the development phase, allowing developers to identify and fix security issues sooner, which leads to more secure and efficient software development.

Explanation of other options:

1. Pausing security considerations until the end of the development lifecycle: This would be the opposite of “shifting left.” Delaying security until the end can lead to higher costs, delays, and more vulnerabilities.
2. Shifting security controls to the right, focusing on the deployment phase: Shifting security to the right would mean focusing on security at the deployment or post-deployment stage, which is reactive and not ideal for secure software development.
3. Completely excluding security from the development and deployment phases: This would be a highly risky approach and goes against secure software development practices. Security must be integrated throughout the SDLC.

Correct Answer: It involves setting secure and restricted defaults, ensuring a secure baseline configuration.

The concept of “Fail-Safe Defaults” in secure software operations means that systems should default to the most secure state when there is a failure or lack of explicit access or configuration. By setting secure and restricted defaults, you ensure that if something goes wrong (like a misconfiguration or an unexpected failure), the system will automatically deny access or restrict functionality to prevent unauthorized actions. This helps maintain a secure baseline configuration and minimizes the risk of exploitation.

Explanation of other options:

1. It encourages ignoring security configuration temporarily to prioritize system availability: This would compromise security for availability, which is not recommended. Security should not be ignored, even during failover or recovery situations.
2. It involves ignoring security configuration temporarily to prioritize system failover: While failover is important for availability, ignoring security configurations in such cases can expose the system to vulnerabilities and attacks.
3. It encourages applying maximum security ignoring the User Experience: “Fail-Safe Defaults” focuses on maintaining security in case of failure but does not advocate for ignoring user experience entirely. It’s about balancing security and functionality.