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Question 201.

A development team is designing authorization for a multi-tenant application. Which control is MOST important?

1. Enforce tenant isolation and object-level authorization on every protected request
2. Hide tenant identifiers in the user interface
3. Use longer URLs for sensitive records
4. Trust users who have already authenticated

Correct Answer: 1. Enforce tenant isolation and object-level authorization on every protected request

Explanation:

Multi-tenant applications must ensure that one customer cannot access another customer’s data or functions. Server-side authorization should verify both the user’s permissions and the tenant context for every protected request. Hiding identifiers or relying on authentication alone is insufficient because users can manipulate requests directly. Strong tenant isolation should be enforced consistently at application, service, and data-access layers where appropriate.

Question 202.

A software team wants to prevent dependency confusion attacks. Which practice is BEST?

1. Allow build tools to retrieve packages from any repository
2. Use controlled repositories, explicit package sources, and verified dependency naming and versions
3. Disable dependency inventories
4. Prefer packages with the shortest names

Correct Answer: 2. Use controlled repositories, explicit package sources, and verified dependency naming and versions

Explanation:

Dependency confusion attacks exploit package-resolution behavior to trick build systems into downloading malicious packages from unintended public sources. Organizations should tightly control package repositories, explicitly define trusted sources, verify package provenance, and manage names and versions carefully. Private package namespaces should be protected. These controls complement dependency scanning and software bill of materials practices.

Question 203.

A security review finds that a web application accepts cross-origin requests from any website while also allowing credentials. What is the MAIN concern?

1. Poor database performance
2. Weak password hashing
3. Misconfigured cross-origin resource sharing may expose authenticated data or actions to untrusted origins
4. Insufficient disk capacity

Correct Answer: 3. Misconfigured cross-origin resource sharing may expose authenticated data or actions to untrusted origins

Explanation:

Cross-origin resource sharing should explicitly allow only trusted origins that require access. Broad origin policies combined with credentials can expose sensitive resources to malicious websites. CORS is enforced by browsers and is not a substitute for server-side authentication and authorization. Configuration should be reviewed carefully, especially for APIs that process sensitive user information or privileged actions.

Question 204.

A security-sensitive service cannot determine whether a request is authorized because its policy data is corrupted. What should it do?

1. Assume the user has normal privileges
2. Ignore the corruption
3. Allow the action if the user is authenticated
4. Fail securely and deny the protected operation until policy integrity is restored

Correct Answer: 4. Fail securely and deny the protected operation until policy integrity is restored

Explanation:

Authorization depends on trustworthy policy information. If policy integrity cannot be established, permitting sensitive operations may create a serious access-control bypass. The application should enter a controlled state, deny affected actions, generate protected diagnostic information, and alert appropriate operators. Fail-secure behavior should be designed in advance for security-critical dependencies.

Question 205.

Which secure design principle recommends that protection should not depend on keeping the design itself secret?

1. Open design
2. Least privilege
3. Complete mediation
4. Separation of duties

Correct Answer: 1. Open design

Explanation:

Open design means the security of a system should depend on protected secrets such as cryptographic keys rather than secrecy of the algorithm or architecture itself. Designs that remain secure even when publicly understood are easier to review and generally more resilient. This principle supports the use of well-vetted standards instead of relying on obscurity as the primary defense.

Question 206.

A development team must protect data stored in a browser. Which approach is MOST appropriate for highly sensitive authentication credentials?

1. Store them permanently in unrestricted client-side storage
2. Avoid unnecessary client-side persistence and use secure platform mechanisms with appropriate session controls
3. Place credentials in URL parameters
4. Store passwords in browser-readable JavaScript variables indefinitely

Correct Answer: 2. Avoid unnecessary client-side persistence and use secure platform mechanisms with appropriate session controls

Explanation:

Highly sensitive authentication credentials should not be persisted in broadly accessible client-side locations without strong justification. Browser storage can be exposed through cross-site scripting, local compromise, extensions, or shared-device access. Applications should minimize credential lifetime and use secure cookie or platform-supported mechanisms appropriate to the architecture. Server-side session controls and token expiration provide additional protection.

Question 207.

A team is reviewing infrastructure-as-code templates before deployment. What is the MAIN security benefit?

1. It guarantees that cloud services will never fail
2. It replaces application security testing
3. It can identify insecure permissions, network exposure, and configuration before resources are created
4. It removes the need for change control

Correct Answer: 3. It can identify insecure permissions, network exposure, and configuration before resources are created

Explanation:

Infrastructure-as-code review allows security controls to be evaluated before infrastructure is deployed. Automated and manual checks can identify public storage, overly permissive identities, exposed management ports, missing encryption settings, and other configuration risks. Because templates are version-controlled, they also improve repeatability and traceability. Runtime monitoring is still required because deployed environments may change.

Question 208.

A software update mechanism permits installation of any correctly signed older version. What additional protection may be needed?

1. Longer filenames
2. More compression
3. Anonymous update access
4. Rollback protection to prevent installation of known-vulnerable older releases

Correct Answer: 4. Rollback protection to prevent installation of known-vulnerable older releases

Explanation:

A valid digital signature proves that software was signed by an authorized publisher, but an old vulnerable version may also have a valid signature. Rollback protection helps prevent attackers from forcing systems to install previously trusted but insecure releases. Version policy, secure counters, or update metadata can support this control depending on the platform.

Question 209.

Which practice BEST helps reduce authorization defects caused by inconsistent endpoint implementations?

1. Use centralized, reusable authorization policies with consistent server-side enforcement
2. Allow each developer to invent separate access rules
3. Hide endpoints from documentation
4. Depend on client-side controls

Correct Answer: 1. Use centralized, reusable authorization policies with consistent server-side enforcement

Explanation:

Authorization logic that is duplicated across many endpoints can become inconsistent as the application evolves. Centralized or reusable policy mechanisms help developers apply the same access rules more reliably. Server-side enforcement remains essential, and policies should still account for resource context and business requirements. Consistency reduces the chance that one endpoint accidentally omits a critical access check.

Question 210.

A team wants to detect whether a software artifact has been modified after the build process. Which mechanism is MOST appropriate?

1. File compression
2. Cryptographic hashing or digital signing with trusted verification
3. Renaming the artifact
4. Increasing artifact size

Correct Answer: 2. Cryptographic hashing or digital signing with trusted verification

Explanation:

Cryptographic hashes can detect changes when the expected hash is obtained through a trusted channel, while digital signatures can also establish publisher authenticity. These mechanisms help deployment systems verify that artifacts have not been altered after build or approval. Integrity verification should occur at relevant handoff points, including storage and deployment.

Question 211.

A security test discovers that an application supports an HTTP method that is not needed for business functionality. What should the team do?

1. Leave it enabled for future use
2. Give the method administrator privileges
3. Disable unnecessary HTTP methods and authorize required ones explicitly
4. Hide the method in documentation only

Correct Answer: 3. Disable unnecessary HTTP methods and authorize required ones explicitly

Explanation:

Unused HTTP methods increase attack surface without adding business value. Applications and supporting infrastructure should permit only the methods needed for intended functionality and should apply authentication and authorization consistently to those methods. Simply hiding a method from documentation does not prevent attackers from invoking it directly.

Question 212.

A containerized application uses a base image that has not been updated for two years. What is the BEST security action?

1. Continue using it because the application still runs
2. Disable vulnerability scanning
3. Remove the image from the inventory
4. Assess the image for vulnerabilities and migrate to a maintained, trusted base image

Correct Answer: 4. Assess the image for vulnerabilities and migrate to a maintained, trusted base image

Explanation:

Container images include operating-system packages, libraries, and runtime components that can develop vulnerabilities over time. Teams should use maintained base images from trusted sources, scan them regularly, pin and track versions, and rebuild application images when important updates become available. An old image may remain functional while accumulating serious security risk.

Question 213.

Which practice BEST protects the integrity of audit logs?

1. Restrict modification, use controlled collection, and monitor for tampering
2. Allow application users to edit their own logs
3. Store logs only in temporary memory
4. Disable timestamps

Correct Answer: 1. Restrict modification, use controlled collection, and monitor for tampering

Explanation:

Audit logs are useful only if their integrity can be trusted. Access should be restricted so ordinary users and compromised application components cannot easily alter or delete records. Centralized collection, append-oriented storage, integrity controls, monitoring, and reliable timestamps can strengthen assurance. Log access itself should also be auditable because logs may contain sensitive information.

Question 214.

A development team is implementing cryptographic functions in several applications. Which approach is BEST?

1. Allow every developer to implement encryption independently
2. Use approved, reusable cryptographic libraries and services with consistent configuration
3. Create a proprietary cipher for each product
4. Store cryptographic keys directly in source code

Correct Answer: 2. Use approved, reusable cryptographic libraries and services with consistent configuration

Explanation:

Centralized, vetted cryptographic libraries and services reduce the risk of implementation mistakes and inconsistent algorithm choices. They can also simplify key management, rotation, policy updates, and future cryptographic migration. Developers should avoid designing custom cryptography or repeatedly implementing low-level primitives when trusted abstractions are available.

Question 215.

A financial application may receive the same transaction request multiple times because of network retries. Which design helps prevent accidental duplicate processing?

1. Disable transaction identifiers
2. Process every retry as a new transaction
3. Use idempotency controls or unique transaction identifiers where appropriate
4. Remove transaction logging

Correct Answer: 3. Use idempotency controls or unique transaction identifiers where appropriate

Explanation:

Network failures can cause clients to retry requests even when the original transaction may have succeeded. Idempotency keys, unique transaction identifiers, or carefully designed transactional logic can help the server recognize repeats and avoid unintended duplicate operations. These controls are especially important for payments, order creation, and other high-value state changes.

Question 216.

A development team needs to expose a diagnostic endpoint in production for operations staff. Which design is MOST secure?

1. Make it publicly accessible but difficult to guess
2. Allow anonymous access from internal networks
3. Return all environment variables for troubleshooting
4. Strongly authenticate and authorize access while minimizing exposed diagnostic information

Correct Answer: 4. Strongly authenticate and authorize access while minimizing exposed diagnostic information

Explanation:

Diagnostic endpoints can reveal configuration, software versions, internal dependencies, secrets, and operational details. If such functionality is required in production, access should be tightly restricted, monitored, and limited to the minimum information necessary. Obscure URLs or network location alone should not be treated as sufficient protection for sensitive diagnostic interfaces.

Question 217.

What is the MAIN purpose of security architecture principles such as defense in depth?

1. Reduce reliance on any single security control
2. Eliminate the need for secure coding
3. Ensure all controls are identical
4. Replace risk assessment

Correct Answer: 1. Reduce reliance on any single security control

Explanation:

Defense in depth uses multiple complementary controls so failure of one safeguard does not automatically result in compromise. For example, input validation, least privilege, network controls, authentication, and monitoring can all contribute to protecting the same asset. Layers should address meaningful risks rather than adding unnecessary complexity. Secure coding remains essential within this broader design approach.

Question 218.

A software team discovers that production configuration differs significantly from the configuration that was security tested. What should happen?

1. Assume the production configuration is equivalent
2. Reassess the security impact and verify the actual production configuration
3. Delete the test results
4. Disable configuration management

Correct Answer: 2. Reassess the security impact and verify the actual production configuration

Explanation:

Security assurance is meaningful only when testing reflects the environment being deployed. Configuration differences can change authentication, exposure, logging, encryption, or authorization behavior. The team should identify the differences, assess their security impact, and validate the production configuration against approved baselines. Configuration management helps reduce this type of drift.

Question 219.

A product uses feature flags to control security-sensitive functionality. Which practice is MOST appropriate?

1. Allow any user to change feature flags
2. Store flags only in browser code
3. Protect flag changes with authorization, change control, and audit logging
4. Assume feature flags cannot affect security

Correct Answer: 3. Protect flag changes with authorization, change control, and audit logging

Explanation:

Feature flags can alter application behavior without changing code and may enable privileged or experimental functionality. Security-sensitive flags should therefore be treated like configuration controls. Access should be limited, changes should be traceable, and default states should be secure. Flags that are no longer needed should be removed to reduce complexity and unintended behavior.

Question 220.

Which practice BEST supports continuous improvement in a mature secure software program?

1. Ignore recurring vulnerability categories
2. Measure only the number of releases
3. Stop reviewing incidents after remediation
4. Use vulnerability trends, incidents, testing results, and metrics to improve processes and controls

Correct Answer: 4. Use vulnerability trends, incidents, testing results, and metrics to improve processes and controls

Explanation:

Continuous improvement requires learning from actual outcomes. Recurring defects may indicate weaknesses in architecture, standards, training, tooling, or review practices. Incident lessons, vulnerability trends, test results, and meaningful metrics can help organizations identify where lifecycle controls should be strengthened. The goal is not simply to collect data but to use it to reduce future software security risk.