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CSSLP: Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional

Subjects : certifications, csslp, it-skills

Instructions:

Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
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Match each statement with the correct term.
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This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.

1. ISO/IEC 15408
Security concept aims at: identity of an entity (person or resource) is specified in the format that the software is expecting it - Validates or verifies the identity information that has been supplied
estimate potential loss of a single incident: SLE = Asset value * EF(%)
Provides Common Criteria to evaluate IT security product
Microsoft Methodologies of Risk Management and it comprised the following steps: Assessment of assets - security risks

2. Security design principles
Ability to determine the actions and behaviors of a single individual within a system and to identify that particular individual
Security Concepts that need to be considered when designing and architecting software: Least privilege - Compartmentalization (separation of duties) - Defense in depth - Fail Secure - Keep it simple - Complete mediation - Open Design - Least common m
Replacement of ISO 17799 standards - Provide guidelines for effective security management practices - Outlines control objectives and controls in diverse areas of ISMS
Passive detective control - security concepts in which critical and business transactions are logged to build a history of events to be used in troubleshooting and forensic evidence - At a minimum - audit fields should include who - where - when - a

3. FIPS140-2 (Security requirement for cryptographic modules)
Specified requirements for a cryptographic module for 4 increasing qualitative level (1-4) intended to cover a wide range of potential application and environment
Supporting Controls: Identification - crptographic key management - security administration - system protections - Preventive Controls: authentication - authorization - access control enforcement - non repudiation - Detection and recovering controls:
Risk based information security strategy assessment methodology - developed by SEI in conjunction of US-CERT - Performed in 3 phases: Build asset based threat profile - Identify infrastructure vulnerabilities - develop security strategy and plans
Iron triangle constraint (schedule - scope - budget) - Security as an afterthought - Security versus usability

4. Annual Rate of Occurence (ARO)
Preventive Controls: Detection Controls: e.g background checks - periodic review of security controls - Recovery controls:
Consistency in style - Maintainability - Less prone to error and exposure when security is taken into consideration in the standards
Number of incidents that can be expected in a year
Specifies an approved cryptographic algorithm to ensure the confidentiality of electronic data

5. Access Matrix model

6. Examples of Security Standards
Specifies the architecture and technical requirements for a common identified standard for federal employee and contractors
Coding Standards (internal) - PCI DSS - NIST Standards - ISO Standards - Federal Information Processing Standards
Periodic publication by OWASP for top 10 Web application security vulnerabilites
Security controls applied to mitigate a threat before it materializes

7. Core Security Concept
Aims at mitigating session hijacking (MITM attack). Requires that session token is unique and that user session is tracked to detect and prevent session hijacking
Confidentiality - Integrity - Availability
A possibility that an unwanted - unintended - or harmful event may occur and resulted in an incident. The source can be a vulnerability.
Risk calculation and rating methodology that are often used with STRIDE - Rating performed accross 5 dimensions: Damage potential - Reproducibility - Exploitability - Affected users - Discoverability

8. ISO/IEC 27006:2007
Replacement of ISO 17799 standards - Provide guidelines for effective security management practices - Outlines control objectives and controls in diverse areas of ISMS
Support for accreditation and certification bodies that audit and certify ISMS
Periodic publication by OWASP for top 10 Web application security vulnerabilites
Support policies at a granular and specific level - Can be characterized as internal and external

9. Security Policies

10. ISO/IEC 27001:2005
Specifies the requirements for establishing - implementing - operating - monitoring - reviewing - maintaining and improving a documented ISMS
Development guide - Code Review Guide - Testing Guide
Opportunity for a threat to cause loss. It plays an important role in the computation of risk.
Specifies the architecture and technical requirements for a common identified standard for federal employee and contractors

11. Take-Grant Model
Development guide - Code Review Guide - Testing Guide
Security Concepts that need to be considered when designing and architecting software: Least privilege - Compartmentalization (separation of duties) - Defense in depth - Fail Secure - Keep it simple - Complete mediation - Open Design - Least common m
US-CERT Vulnerability Notes - Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) - Open Source Vulnerability Database - Common Vulnerabilities and exposure (CVE) - Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)
Use directed graph to specify the rights that a subject can transfer to an object or that a subject can take from another subject

12. Compartmentalization
SP800-12 : Introduction to computer security handbook - SP800-14: Generally accepted principles and practices for securing IT systems - SP800-30: Risk Management Guide for IT - SP800-64: Security Considerations in the information systems development
Mechanisms by which threats to software and systems can be mitigated. These mechanisms may be technical - administrative or physical. Improper implementation of these mechanism may become a threat to the system
Support DAC - Subject's capabilities are defined by the triple (object - rights and random numbers) - Random number in the triple is used to prevent a replay or spoofing of the triple's source - Column of the access matrix are called ACLs - Rows are
Successful completion of a critical task is dependent on 2 or more conditions that need to be met

13. Configurations Parameters Management
Concept aims at ensuring that the appropriate levels of protection are provided to secure configurable parameters that are needed for the software to run
Risk based information security strategy assessment methodology - developed by SEI in conjunction of US-CERT - Performed in 3 phases: Build asset based threat profile - Identify infrastructure vulnerabilities - develop security strategy and plans
Disallow the sharing of mechaniss that are common to more than one user or process with different levels of privilege
Access Control Models - Access Matrix - Take-Grant - BLP (Bell La-Padula) - State machine - Integrity Models - Biba Model - Clark-Wilson Model - Information Flow Models - Non-Interference - Chinese Wall (Brewer and Nash) model

14. Technical Controls
Replacement of ISO 17799 standards - Provide guidelines for effective security management practices - Outlines control objectives and controls in diverse areas of ISMS
Specifies the architecture and technical requirements for a common identified standard for federal employee and contractors
Design to mitigate any single source of complete compromise
Supporting Controls: Identification - crptographic key management - security administration - system protections - Preventive Controls: authentication - authorization - access control enforcement - non repudiation - Detection and recovering controls:

15. Authentication
Concept aims at ensuring that the appropriate levels of protection are provided to secure configurable parameters that are needed for the software to run
Manual that provides understanding on how to detect Web application vulnerabilities in code review and what safeguards can be taken to address them
Security concept aims at: identity of an entity (person or resource) is specified in the format that the software is expecting it - Validates or verifies the identity information that has been supplied
Development guide - Code Review Guide - Testing Guide

16. NIST standards related to software security
SP800-12 : Introduction to computer security handbook - SP800-14: Generally accepted principles and practices for securing IT systems - SP800-30: Risk Management Guide for IT - SP800-64: Security Considerations in the information systems development
The incorporation of security concept in the requirements - design - code - release - and disposal phases of the SDLC - include: - Confidentiality - integrity - availability - authentication - authorization - auditing - Session management - Error/exc
Concepts aim at mitigating disclosure - alteration - and destruction threats. These are supporting concepts to the core security objectives of CIA
Mechanisms by which threats to software and systems can be mitigated. These mechanisms may be technical - administrative or physical. Improper implementation of these mechanism may become a threat to the system

17. Authorization
Still under development - aimsto address ISMS implementation guidance
Aims at controlling the access of a subject to an object based on rights and privileges granted to the requestor by the owner of the data or system - or according to a policy - Layered on top authentication and must not precede authentication unless
Specifies an approved cryptographic algorithm to ensure the confidentiality of electronic data
Indicator of magnitude risk in a year ALE = SLE * ARO

18. Vulnerabilities repositories
Provides a common glossary of terms and definitions - Overview and introduction to the ISMS family of standards that covered: Requirement definitions - Detailed guidance of PDCA process - Sector Specific guidelines and conformity assessement for ISMS
US-CERT Vulnerability Notes - Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) - Open Source Vulnerability Database - Common Vulnerabilities and exposure (CVE) - Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)
The likelihood that a threat can result into an incident. This is the overall risk of a system
Concept aims at ensuring that unintended and unreliable behavior of the software is explicitly handled - while maintaining a secure state and protection against CIA threats - Errors and exception messages should be non verbose and explicit - Software

19. Single point failure
Mechanisms by which threats to software and systems can be mitigated. These mechanisms may be technical - administrative or physical. Improper implementation of these mechanism may become a threat to the system
Design to mitigate any single source of complete compromise
Security concept aims at: identity of an entity (person or resource) is specified in the format that the software is expecting it - Validates or verifies the identity information that has been supplied
Consistency in style - Maintainability - Less prone to error and exposure when security is taken into consideration in the standards

20. Phsychological acceptability
Security functionality is easy to use and transparent
Predetermined number of user error allowed before recording it as a security violation
SSE - CMM De-facto standard metric for evaluating security engineering practices for the organization or customer
Authentication

21. STRIDE
Number of incidents that can be expected in a year
US-CERT Vulnerability Notes - Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) - Open Source Vulnerability Database - Common Vulnerabilities and exposure (CVE) - Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)
Threat modeling methodology performed in the design phase of software development - Categories of threats: Spoofing - Tampering - Repudiation - Information Disclosure - Denial of Service - Elevation of privileges
Protection against improper data alteration. It is a measure of software resiliency and pertains to the modification of data and the reliable function of the software - Data is internally and externally consistent

22. Multifactor authentication
Mechanisms by which threats to software and systems can be mitigated. These mechanisms may be technical - administrative or physical. Improper implementation of these mechanism may become a threat to the system
Passive detective control - security concepts in which critical and business transactions are logged to build a history of events to be used in troubleshooting and forensic evidence - At a minimum - audit fields should include who - where - when - a
Is recommended for validating access to system containing sensitive or critical information (FFIEC guidance on authentication)
Risk calculation and rating methodology that are often used with STRIDE - Rating performed accross 5 dimensions: Damage potential - Reproducibility - Exploitability - Affected users - Discoverability

23. ISO/IEC 21827:2008
SSE - CMM De-facto standard metric for evaluating security engineering practices for the organization or customer
Keep it simple principle to reduce the attack surface. Number of vulnerabilites increase with the complexity of the software design and code
Dependability - Trustworthiness : MInimum number or no vulnerabilities - Resilience : Resistant or tolerant of attacks and able to recover quickly with as little harm as possible
Indicator of magnitude risk in a year ALE = SLE * ARO

24. FIPS 201
Specifies the architecture and technical requirements for a common identified standard for federal employee and contractors
Risk based information security strategy assessment methodology - developed by SEI in conjunction of US-CERT - Performed in 3 phases: Build asset based threat profile - Identify infrastructure vulnerabilities - develop security strategy and plans
Protection against unauthorized information disclosure. It helps maintaining privacy
Microsoft SRMD (Security Risk Management Discipline) - Vulnerability oriented risk management - Charles Le Grand - Morana Risk Management Activities - Cigital Risk Management Methods

25. Session Management
Consistency in style - Maintainability - Less prone to error and exposure when security is taken into consideration in the standards
Provides a common glossary of terms and definitions - Overview and introduction to the ISMS family of standards that covered: Requirement definitions - Detailed guidance of PDCA process - Sector Specific guidelines and conformity assessement for ISMS
Predetermined number of user error allowed before recording it as a security violation
Aims at mitigating session hijacking (MITM attack). Requires that session token is unique and that user session is tracked to detect and prevent session hijacking

26. Exposure factor (EF)
Opportunity for a threat to cause loss. It plays an important role in the computation of risk.
Periodic publication by OWASP for top 10 Web application security vulnerabilites
A weakness or flaw that could be accidentally triggered or intentionally exploited by an attacker - resulting in the breach or breakdown of the security policy
Consistency in style - Maintainability - Less prone to error and exposure when security is taken into consideration in the standards

27. Auditing
Passive detective control - security concepts in which critical and business transactions are logged to build a history of events to be used in troubleshooting and forensic evidence - At a minimum - audit fields should include who - where - when - a
Is recommended for validating access to system containing sensitive or critical information (FFIEC guidance on authentication)
Supporting Controls: Identification - crptographic key management - security administration - system protections - Preventive Controls: authentication - authorization - access control enforcement - non repudiation - Detection and recovering controls:
Keep it simple principle to reduce the attack surface. Number of vulnerabilites increase with the complexity of the software design and code

28. ISO /IEC 27000:2009
Threat modeling methodology performed in the design phase of software development - Categories of threats: Spoofing - Tampering - Repudiation - Information Disclosure - Denial of Service - Elevation of privileges
Provides a common glossary of terms and definitions - Overview and introduction to the ISMS family of standards that covered: Requirement definitions - Detailed guidance of PDCA process - Sector Specific guidelines and conformity assessement for ISMS
Microsoft Methodologies of Risk Management and it comprised the following steps: Assessment of assets - security risks
Security controls applied to mitigate a threat before it materializes

29. Total Risk
The likelihood that a threat can result into an incident. This is the overall risk of a system
Mechanisms by which threats to software and systems can be mitigated. These mechanisms may be technical - administrative or physical. Improper implementation of these mechanism may become a threat to the system
Entity should have the minimum access level access right to do the jo- The right is given for a minimum amount of time necessary to complete the job
Implementation detail of the design is independent of the design itself. Reviewing the design itself will not result in the compromise of the sageguards of the software

30. After identification step is...
Likely to be replaced by ISO/IEC 30001 under development - Provides standards for IS risk Management
Risk calculation and rating methodology that are often used with STRIDE - Rating performed accross 5 dimensions: Damage potential - Reproducibility - Exploitability - Affected users - Discoverability
Authentication
Access request by a subject to an object is mediated each time and every time.

31. Open design
Implementation detail of the design is independent of the design itself. Reviewing the design itself will not result in the compromise of the sageguards of the software
Keep it simple principle to reduce the attack surface. Number of vulnerabilites increase with the complexity of the software design and code
Software or data it processed must be accessible by only those who are authorized - It must be accessible only at the time that it is required.
Specifies the architecture and technical requirements for a common identified standard for federal employee and contractors

32. Management Controls
Access request by a subject to an object is mediated each time and every time.
Replacement of ISO 17799 standards - Provide guidelines for effective security management practices - Outlines control objectives and controls in diverse areas of ISMS
Covers the necessary procedures and tools to validate software assurance
Preventive Controls: Detection Controls: e.g background checks - periodic review of security controls - Recovery controls:

33. OWASP Code Review Guide
Specifies the requirements for establishing - implementing - operating - monitoring - reviewing - maintaining and improving a documented ISMS
Specifies an approved cryptographic algorithm to ensure the confidentiality of electronic data
Manual that provides understanding on how to detect Web application vulnerabilities in code review and what safeguards can be taken to address them
Protection against unauthorized information disclosure. It helps maintaining privacy

34. Complete mediation
A possibility that an unwanted - unintended - or harmful event may occur and resulted in an incident. The source can be a vulnerability.
Functionally tested - Structurally tested - Methodically tested and checked - Methodically designed - tested and reviewed - Semiformally designed - and tested - Semiformally verified design and tested - Formally verified designed and tested
Access request by a subject to an object is mediated each time and every time.
Keep it simple principle to reduce the attack surface. Number of vulnerabilites increase with the complexity of the software design and code

35. Operation Controls
Provides a common glossary of terms and definitions - Overview and introduction to the ISMS family of standards that covered: Requirement definitions - Detailed guidance of PDCA process - Sector Specific guidelines and conformity assessement for ISMS
Preventive Controls: control of media access and disposal - securing wiring closets etx. - Detection Controls: cameras and motion detectors
Specifies an approved cryptographic algorithm to ensure the confidentiality of electronic data
Requires the incorporation of security concept in the requirements - design - code - release - and disposal phases of the SDLC

36. Least privilege
Entity should have the minimum access level access right to do the jo- The right is given for a minimum amount of time necessary to complete the job
Uses comprehensive penetration testing to test the strength of the security software in order to predict and analyze vulnerabilities
estimate potential loss of a single incident: SLE = Asset value * EF(%)
Still under development - aimsto address ISMS implementation guidance

37. Risk management process
Manual that provides understanding on how to detect Web application vulnerabilities in code review and what safeguards can be taken to address them
US-CERT Vulnerability Notes - Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) - Open Source Vulnerability Database - Common Vulnerabilities and exposure (CVE) - Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)
Balancing act between the protection of IT assets and the cost of implementing software security controls so that the risk is handled approprietely. It includes: Preliminary assessement for the need of security controls - Identification of security c
Requires the incorporation of security concept in the requirements - design - code - release - and disposal phases of the SDLC

38. Benefits of coding standards
Covers the necessary procedures and tools to validate software assurance
Support DAC - Subject's capabilities are defined by the triple (object - rights and random numbers) - Random number in the triple is used to prevent a replay or spoofing of the triple's source - Column of the access matrix are called ACLs - Rows are
Consistency in style - Maintainability - Less prone to error and exposure when security is taken into consideration in the standards
Replacement of ISO 17799 standards - Provide guidelines for effective security management practices - Outlines control objectives and controls in diverse areas of ISMS

39. FIPS 197 (Advance Cryptographic standards - AES)
Security concept aims at: identity of an entity (person or resource) is specified in the format that the software is expecting it - Validates or verifies the identity information that has been supplied
Specifies an approved cryptographic algorithm to ensure the confidentiality of electronic data
Aims at mitigating session hijacking (MITM attack). Requires that session token is unique and that user session is tracked to detect and prevent session hijacking
Concept aims at ensuring that unintended and unreliable behavior of the software is explicitly handled - while maintaining a secure state and protection against CIA threats - Errors and exception messages should be non verbose and explicit - Software

40. Vulnerability
A weakness or flaw that could be accidentally triggered or intentionally exploited by an attacker - resulting in the breach or breakdown of the security policy
Support for accreditation and certification bodies that audit and certify ISMS
Replacement of ISO 17799 standards - Provide guidelines for effective security management practices - Outlines control objectives and controls in diverse areas of ISMS
Specifies at a high level the 'what' and 'why' for security - Provides the framework and point of reference that can be used to measure an organization's posture - requires support of executive management to be effective and enforceable

41. Categories of controls
Indicator of magnitude risk in a year ALE = SLE * ARO
Technical - Management - Operational
Entity should have the minimum access level access right to do the jo- The right is given for a minimum amount of time necessary to complete the job
Access Control Models - Access Matrix - Take-Grant - BLP (Bell La-Padula) - State machine - Integrity Models - Biba Model - Clark-Wilson Model - Information Flow Models - Non-Interference - Chinese Wall (Brewer and Nash) model

42. DREAD
Entity should have the minimum access level access right to do the jo- The right is given for a minimum amount of time necessary to complete the job
The incorporation of security concept in the requirements - design - code - release - and disposal phases of the SDLC - include: - Confidentiality - integrity - availability - authentication - authorization - auditing - Session management - Error/exc
Risk calculation and rating methodology that are often used with STRIDE - Rating performed accross 5 dimensions: Damage potential - Reproducibility - Exploitability - Affected users - Discoverability
Opportunity for a threat to cause loss. It plays an important role in the computation of risk.

43. EALs levels
US-CERT Vulnerability Notes - Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) - Open Source Vulnerability Database - Common Vulnerabilities and exposure (CVE) - Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)
Provides a common glossary of terms and definitions - Overview and introduction to the ISMS family of standards that covered: Requirement definitions - Detailed guidance of PDCA process - Sector Specific guidelines and conformity assessement for ISMS
Functionally tested - Structurally tested - Methodically tested and checked - Methodically designed - tested and reviewed - Semiformally designed - and tested - Semiformally verified design and tested - Formally verified designed and tested
Comprehensive guides for degining - developing and deploying secure Web applications and Web Services - Intended audiences are architects - developers - consultant - and auditors

44. OWASP testing guide
Security functionality is easy to use and transparent
Covers the necessary procedures and tools to validate software assurance
Specifies an approved cryptographic algorithm to ensure the confidentiality of electronic data
Microsoft SRMD (Security Risk Management Discipline) - Vulnerability oriented risk management - Charles Le Grand - Morana Risk Management Activities - Cigital Risk Management Methods

45. ISO/IEC 27005:2008
Successful completion of a critical task is dependent on 2 or more conditions that need to be met
Preventive Controls: Detection Controls: e.g background checks - periodic review of security controls - Recovery controls:
Likely to be replaced by ISO/IEC 30001 under development - Provides standards for IS risk Management
Protection against improper data alteration. It is a measure of software resiliency and pertains to the modification of data and the reliable function of the software - Data is internally and externally consistent

46. Single Loss Expectancy (SLE)
Indicator of magnitude risk in a year ALE = SLE * ARO
Risk remains after the implementation of mitigating security controls
Threat modeling methodology performed in the design phase of software development - Categories of threats: Spoofing - Tampering - Repudiation - Information Disclosure - Denial of Service - Elevation of privileges
estimate potential loss of a single incident: SLE = Asset value * EF(%)

47. Economy of mechanism
Keep it simple principle to reduce the attack surface. Number of vulnerabilites increase with the complexity of the software design and code
Likely to be replaced by ISO/IEC 30001 under development - Provides standards for IS risk Management
SSE - CMM De-facto standard metric for evaluating security engineering practices for the organization or customer
Security controls applied to mitigate a threat before it materializes

48. Threat
A possibility that an unwanted - unintended - or harmful event may occur and resulted in an incident. The source can be a vulnerability.
estimate potential loss of a single incident: SLE = Asset value * EF(%)
Uses comprehensive penetration testing to test the strength of the security software in order to predict and analyze vulnerabilities
Use directed graph to specify the rights that a subject can transfer to an object or that a subject can take from another subject

49. OCTAVE
A set of comprehensive requirements aimed at protecting payment account data security - 12 foundational requirements mapped into 6 control objectives - Requirement 6 and its subrequirements are directly related to software security - develop and main
Requires the incorporation of security concept in the requirements - design - code - release - and disposal phases of the SDLC
Risk based information security strategy assessment methodology - developed by SEI in conjunction of US-CERT - Performed in 3 phases: Build asset based threat profile - Identify infrastructure vulnerabilities - develop security strategy and plans
Predetermined number of user error allowed before recording it as a security violation

50. Challenges in implementing auditing/logging
Risk remains after the implementation of mitigating security controls
Protection against improper data alteration. It is a measure of software resiliency and pertains to the modification of data and the reliable function of the software - Data is internally and externally consistent
Support for accreditation and certification bodies that audit and certify ISMS
Performance impact - Information Overload - Capacity impact - Configuration Interfaces protection - Audit log protection