Test your basic knowledge |

CSSLP: Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional

Subjects : certifications, csslp, it-skills

Instructions:

Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
Match each statement with the correct term.
Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

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. Flaw Hypothesis Method (FHM)
Dependability - Trustworthiness : MInimum number or no vulnerabilities - Resilience : Resistant or tolerant of attacks and able to recover quickly with as little harm as possible
Confidentiality - Integrity - Availability
Uses comprehensive penetration testing to test the strength of the security software in order to predict and analyze vulnerabilities
Guidelines for quality software products - Six external quality characteristics to measure quality of software: functionality - reliability - usability - efficiency - maintainability - portability

2. ISO/IEC 27003
Security functionality is easy to use and transparent
Specifies an approved cryptographic algorithm to ensure the confidentiality of electronic data
Addresses the deniability of actions taken by either a user or the software on behalf of the user - Can be accomplished by auditing access information
Still under development - aimsto address ISMS implementation guidance

3. Challenges in implementing auditing/logging
Performance impact - Information Overload - Capacity impact - Configuration Interfaces protection - Audit log protection
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
Microsoft SRMD (Security Risk Management Discipline) - Vulnerability oriented risk management - Charles Le Grand - Morana Risk Management Activities - Cigital Risk Management Methods
Preventive Controls: Detection Controls: e.g background checks - periodic review of security controls - Recovery controls:

4. Security Controls
Predetermined number of user error allowed before recording it as a security violation
Microsoft Methodologies of Risk Management and it comprised the following steps: Assessment of assets - security risks
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
US-CERT Vulnerability Notes - Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) - Open Source Vulnerability Database - Common Vulnerabilities and exposure (CVE) - Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)

5. FIPS 201
Preventive Controls: Detection Controls: e.g background checks - periodic review of security controls - Recovery controls:
Specifies the architecture and technical requirements for a common identified standard for federal employee and contractors
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
A possibility that an unwanted - unintended - or harmful event may occur and resulted in an incident. The source can be a vulnerability.

6. Popular guides developed by OWASP
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
Development guide - Code Review Guide - Testing Guide
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
Technical - Management - Operational

7. Develop hack resilient software
The likelihood that a threat can result into an incident. This is the overall risk of a system
Requires the incorporation of security concept in the requirements - design - code - release - and disposal phases of the SDLC
Ability to determine the actions and behaviors of a single individual within a system and to identify that particular individual
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

8. Take-Grant Model
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
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
Use directed graph to specify the rights that a subject can transfer to an object or that a subject can take from another subject
Microsoft SRMD (Security Risk Management Discipline) - Vulnerability oriented risk management - Charles Le Grand - Morana Risk Management Activities - Cigital Risk Management Methods

9. Configurations Parameters Management
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
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
Concept aims at ensuring that the appropriate levels of protection are provided to secure configurable parameters that are needed for the software to run
Is recommended for validating access to system containing sensitive or critical information (FFIEC guidance on authentication)

10. ISO /IEC 27000:2009
Protection against unauthorized information disclosure. It helps maintaining privacy
Keep it simple principle to reduce the attack surface. Number of vulnerabilites increase with the complexity of the software design and code
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
Support policies at a granular and specific level - Can be characterized as internal and external

11. General security concept
Concepts aim at mitigating disclosure - alteration - and destruction threats. These are supporting concepts to the core security objectives of CIA
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
Protection against unauthorized information disclosure. It helps maintaining privacy

12. Software security risk management methodologies
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
Requires the incorporation of security concept in the requirements - design - code - release - and disposal phases of the SDLC
Microsoft SRMD (Security Risk Management Discipline) - Vulnerability oriented risk management - Charles Le Grand - Morana Risk Management Activities - Cigital Risk Management Methods
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

13. Multifactor authentication
Is recommended for validating access to system containing sensitive or critical information (FFIEC guidance on authentication)
Specifies an approved cryptographic algorithm to ensure the confidentiality of electronic data
Consistency in style - Maintainability - Less prone to error and exposure when security is taken into consideration in the standards
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

14. Security profile of a software
Preventive Controls: Detection Controls: e.g background checks - periodic review of security controls - Recovery controls:
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
Guidelines for quality software products - Six external quality characteristics to measure quality of software: functionality - reliability - usability - efficiency - maintainability - portability
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

15. Residual Risk
Risk remains after the implementation of mitigating security controls
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
Specifies the requirements for establishing - implementing - operating - monitoring - reviewing - maintaining and improving a documented ISMS
Supporting Controls: Identification - crptographic key management - security administration - system protections - Preventive Controls: authentication - authorization - access control enforcement - non repudiation - Detection and recovering controls:

16. Non Repudiation
Microsoft SRMD (Security Risk Management Discipline) - Vulnerability oriented risk management - Charles Le Grand - Morana Risk Management Activities - Cigital Risk Management Methods
Addresses the deniability of actions taken by either a user or the software on behalf of the user - Can be accomplished by auditing access information
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
Opportunity for a threat to cause loss. It plays an important role in the computation of risk.

17. Properties of secure software
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
Protection against unauthorized information disclosure. It helps maintaining privacy
Dependability - Trustworthiness : MInimum number or no vulnerabilities - Resilience : Resistant or tolerant of attacks and able to recover quickly with as little harm as possible
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

18. Total Risk
Specifies an approved cryptographic algorithm to ensure the confidentiality of electronic data
Opportunity for a threat to cause loss. It plays an important role in the computation of risk.
Successful completion of a critical task is dependent on 2 or more conditions that need to be met
The likelihood that a threat can result into an incident. This is the overall risk of a system

19. Error and exception management
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
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
Disallow the sharing of mechaniss that are common to more than one user or process with different levels of privilege
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

20. STRIDE
Opportunity for a threat to cause loss. It plays an important role in the computation of risk.
Uses comprehensive penetration testing to test the strength of the security software in order to predict and analyze vulnerabilities
The likelihood that a threat can result into an incident. This is the overall risk of a system
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

21. Confidentiality
Iron triangle constraint (schedule - scope - budget) - Security as an afterthought - Security versus usability
Uses comprehensive penetration testing to test the strength of the security software in order to predict and analyze vulnerabilities
Concepts aim at mitigating disclosure - alteration - and destruction threats. These are supporting concepts to the core security objectives of CIA
Protection against unauthorized information disclosure. It helps maintaining privacy

22. Complete mediation
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
Access request by a subject to an object is mediated each time and every time.
Disallow the sharing of mechaniss that are common to more than one user or process with different levels of privilege
Risk remains after the implementation of mitigating security controls

23. Clipping level
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
Specified requirements for a cryptographic module for 4 increasing qualitative level (1-4) intended to cover a wide range of potential application and environment
Preventive Controls: Detection Controls: e.g background checks - periodic review of security controls - Recovery controls:
Predetermined number of user error allowed before recording it as a security violation

24. Examples of Security Standards
Preventive Controls: control of media access and disposal - securing wiring closets etx. - Detection Controls: cameras and motion detectors
Uses comprehensive penetration testing to test the strength of the security software in order to predict and analyze vulnerabilities
Coding Standards (internal) - PCI DSS - NIST Standards - ISO Standards - Federal Information Processing Standards
Specifies the requirements for establishing - implementing - operating - monitoring - reviewing - maintaining and improving a documented ISMS

25. Availability
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
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.
Support policies at a granular and specific level - Can be characterized as internal and external
Provides Common Criteria to evaluate IT security product

26. ISO/IEC 27006:2007
Ability to determine the actions and behaviors of a single individual within a system and to identify that particular individual
A possibility that an unwanted - unintended - or harmful event may occur and resulted in an incident. The source can be a vulnerability.
Preventive Controls: Detection Controls: e.g background checks - periodic review of security controls - Recovery controls:
Support for accreditation and certification bodies that audit and certify ISMS

27. 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
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
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
Indicator of magnitude risk in a year ALE = SLE * ARO

28. Single Loss Expectancy (SLE)
estimate potential loss of a single incident: SLE = Asset value * EF(%)
OWASP - ITIL
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
Keep it simple principle to reduce the attack surface. Number of vulnerabilites increase with the complexity of the software design and code

29. ISO/IEC 21827:2008
Indicator of magnitude risk in a year ALE = SLE * ARO
SSE - CMM De-facto standard metric for evaluating security engineering practices for the organization or customer
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
Development guide - Code Review Guide - Testing Guide

30. Single point failure
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
Consistency in style - Maintainability - Less prone to error and exposure when security is taken into consideration in the standards
Design to mitigate any single source of complete compromise
Risk calculation and rating methodology that are often used with STRIDE - Rating performed accross 5 dimensions: Damage potential - Reproducibility - Exploitability - Affected users - Discoverability

31. DREAD
Risk calculation and rating methodology that are often used with STRIDE - Rating performed accross 5 dimensions: Damage potential - Reproducibility - Exploitability - Affected users - Discoverability
Requires the incorporation of security concept in the requirements - design - code - release - and disposal phases of the SDLC
Support policies at a granular and specific level - Can be characterized as internal and external
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.

32. Security Policies

33. OWASP development guide
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.
Comprehensive guides for degining - developing and deploying secure Web applications and Web Services - Intended audiences are architects - developers - consultant - and auditors
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
Risk remains after the implementation of mitigating security controls

34. ISO/IEC 27001:2005
Design to mitigate any single source of complete compromise
Specifies the requirements for establishing - implementing - operating - monitoring - reviewing - maintaining and improving a documented ISMS
Disallow the sharing of mechaniss that are common to more than one user or process with different levels of privilege
Uses comprehensive penetration testing to test the strength of the security software in order to predict and analyze vulnerabilities

35. EALs levels
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
Risk remains after the implementation of mitigating security controls
Access request by a subject to an object is mediated each time and every time.
The likelihood that a threat can result into an incident. This is the overall risk of a system

36. Annual Loss Expectancy (ALE)
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
US-CERT Vulnerability Notes - Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) - Open Source Vulnerability Database - Common Vulnerabilities and exposure (CVE) - Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE)
Specifies the requirements for establishing - implementing - operating - monitoring - reviewing - maintaining and improving a documented ISMS
Indicator of magnitude risk in a year ALE = SLE * ARO

37. Integrity
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
Microsoft SRMD (Security Risk Management Discipline) - Vulnerability oriented risk management - Charles Le Grand - Morana Risk Management Activities - Cigital Risk Management Methods
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
Technical - Management - Operational

38. 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
Supporting Controls: Identification - crptographic key management - security administration - system protections - Preventive Controls: authentication - authorization - access control enforcement - non repudiation - Detection and recovering controls:
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
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

39. Economy of mechanism
Is recommended for validating access to system containing sensitive or critical information (FFIEC guidance on authentication)
Keep it simple principle to reduce the attack surface. Number of vulnerabilites increase with the complexity of the software design and code
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
The likelihood that a threat can result into an incident. This is the overall risk of a system

40. Counter measures
Secure applicatios running on secure hosts (systems) in a secure network
Addresses the deniability of actions taken by either a user or the software on behalf of the user - Can be accomplished by auditing access information
Security controls applied after a threat has been materialized
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

41. Information Security Models
Specified requirements for a cryptographic module for 4 increasing qualitative level (1-4) intended to cover a wide range of potential application and environment
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
Consistency in style - Maintainability - Less prone to error and exposure when security is taken into consideration in the standards
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. Categories of controls
Specifies the architecture and technical requirements for a common identified standard for federal employee and contractors
Technical - Management - Operational
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
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

43. ISO/IEC 27002:2005
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
Use directed graph to specify the rights that a subject can transfer to an object or that a subject can take from another subject
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

44. Security Standards
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
Microsoft SRMD (Security Risk Management Discipline) - Vulnerability oriented risk management - Charles Le Grand - Morana Risk Management Activities - Cigital Risk Management Methods
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 policies at a granular and specific level - Can be characterized as internal and external

45. OWASP Code Review Guide
Manual that provides understanding on how to detect Web application vulnerabilities in code review and what safeguards can be taken to address them
Security controls applied to mitigate a threat before it materializes
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
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

46. Authorization
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 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
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
Requires the incorporation of security concept in the requirements - design - code - release - and disposal phases of the SDLC

47. Least privilege
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
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.
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
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

48. OWASP Top 10
Indicator of magnitude risk in a year ALE = SLE * ARO
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.
Periodic publication by OWASP for top 10 Web application security vulnerabilites
SSE - CMM De-facto standard metric for evaluating security engineering practices for the organization or customer

49. OCTAVE
Manual that provides understanding on how to detect Web application vulnerabilities in code review and what safeguards can be taken to address them
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
Consistency in style - Maintainability - Less prone to error and exposure when security is taken into consideration in the standards
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

50. Holistic Security in software
Specifies the requirements for establishing - implementing - operating - monitoring - reviewing - maintaining and improving a documented ISMS
Access request by a subject to an object is mediated each time and every time.
Consistency in style - Maintainability - Less prone to error and exposure when security is taken into consideration in the standards
Secure applicatios running on secure hosts (systems) in a secure network