ISC CISSP - Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

Derived credential is the best description of an access control method utilizing cryptographic keys derived from a smart card private key that is embedded within mobile devices. A smart card is a device that contains a microchip that stores a private key and a digital certificate that are used for authentication and encryption. A smart card is typically inserted into a reader that is attached to a computer or a terminal, and the user enters a personal identification number (PIN) to unlock the smart card and access the private key and the certificate. A smart card can provide a high level of security and convenience for the user, as it implements a two-factor authentication method that combines something the user has (the smart card) and something the user knows (the PIN).

However, a smart card may not be compatible or convenient for mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets, that do not have a smart card reader or a USB port. To address this issue, a derived credential is a solution that allows the user to use a mobile device as an alternative to a smart card for authentication and encryption. A derived credential is a cryptographic key and a certificate that are derived from the smart card private key and certificate, and that are stored on the mobile device. A derived credential works as follows:

The user inserts the smart card into a reader that is connected to a computer or a terminal, and enters the PIN to unlock the smart card

The user connects the mobile device to the computer or the terminal via a cable, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi

The user initiates a request to generate a derived credential on the mobile device

The computer or the terminal verifies the smart card certificate with a trusted CA, and generates a derived credential that contains a cryptographic key and a certificate that are derived from the smart card private key and certificate

The computer or the terminal transfers the derived credential to the mobile device, and stores it in a secure element or a trusted platform module on the device

The user disconnects the mobile device from the computer or the terminal, and removes the smart card from the reader

The user can use the derived credential on the mobile device to authenticate and encrypt the communication with other parties, without requiring the smart card or the PIN

A derived credential can provide a secure and convenient way to use a mobile device as an alternative to a smart card for authentication and encryption, as it implements a two-factor authentication method that combines something the user has (the mobile device) and something the user is (the biometric feature). A derived credential can also comply with the standards and policies for the use of smart cards, such as the Personal Identity Verification (PIV) or the Common Access Card (CAC) programs.

The other options are not the best descriptions of an access control method utilizing cryptographic keys derived from a smart card private key that is embedded within mobile devices, but rather descriptions of other methods or concepts. Temporary security credential is a method that involves issuing a short-lived credential, such as a token or a password, that can be used for a limited time or a specific purpose. Temporary security credential can provide a flexible and dynamic way to grant access to the users or entities, but it does not involve deriving a cryptographic key from a smart card private key. Mobile device credentialing service is a concept that involves providing a service that can issue, manage, or revoke credentials for mobile devices, such as certificates, tokens, or passwords. Mobile device credentialing service can provide a centralized and standardized way to control the access of mobile devices, but it does not involve deriving a cryptographic key from a smart card private key. Digest authentication is a method that involves using a hash function, such as MD5, to generate a digest or a fingerprint of the user’s credentials, such as the username and password, and sending it to the server for verification. Digest authentication can provide a more secure way to authenticate the user than the basic authentication, which sends the credentials in plain text, but it does not involve deriving a cryptographic key from a smart card private key.

The primary areas that need to be addressed concerning mobile code used for malicious purposes, in addition to web browsers, are email, media players, and instant messaging applications. Mobile code is a type of code that can be transferred or executed over a network, such as the internet, without the user’s knowledge or consent, and that can perform various functions or tasks on the user’s system, such as displaying advertisements, collecting information, or installing malware. Mobile code can be embedded or attached in various types of applications or files, such as web browsers, email, media players, or instant messaging applications, and can pose a serious security threat to the user’s system or data. Text editors, database, and internet phone applications are not the primary areas that need to be addressed concerning mobile code used for malicious purposes, as they are not the common or likely sources or targets of the mobile code attacks, and they may not support or execute the mobile code as easily or frequently as the other applications. References: CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Eighth Edition, Chapter 8, Software Development Security, page 1050. Official (ISC)2 CISSP CBK Reference, Fifth Edition, Chapter 8, Software Development Security, page 1066.

The required components for implementing software configuration management systems are audit control and signoff, rollback and recovery processes, and regression testing and evaluation. Software configuration management systems are tools and techniques that enable the identification, control, tracking, and verification of the changes and versions of software products throughout the software development life cycle. Audit control and signoff are the mechanisms that ensure that the changes and versions of the software products are authorized, documented, reviewed, and approved by the appropriate stakeholders. Rollback and recovery processes are the procedures that enable the restoration of the previous state or version of the software products in case of a failure or error. Regression testing and evaluation are the methods that verify that the changes and versions of the software products do not introduce new defects or affect the existing functionality or performance. User training and acceptance are not required components for implementing software configuration management systems, as they are related to the deployment and operation of the software products, not the configuration management. References: CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Eighth Edition, Chapter 8, Software Development Security, page 1037. Official (ISC)2 CISSP CBK Reference, Fifth Edition, Chapter 8, Software Development Security, page 1063.

The type of security control that is exemplified by the use of a proximity card to gain access to a building is physical. Physical security controls are the controls that protect the physical assets or resources of an organization, such as buildings, equipment, or documents, from unauthorized or malicious access, damage, or theft. Physical security controls can include locks, doors, windows, fences, gates, cameras, alarms, guards, or badges. A proximity card is a type of physical security control that uses a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip or a magnetic stripe to store and transmit the identity or the credentials of the card holder, and that can be used to unlock or open a door or a gate by bringing the card close to a reader or a scanner. Legal, logical, and procedural are not the types of security control that are exemplified by the use of a proximity card to gain access to a building, as they are related to the laws, regulations, or contracts, the software, hardware, or network components, or the policies, guidelines, or processes that govern the security of the organization’s information systems or data, not the physical assets or resources. References: CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Eighth Edition, Chapter 7, Security Operations, page 877. Official (ISC)2 CISSP CBK Reference, Fifth Edition, Chapter 7, Security Operations, page 893.

A Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a system that provides the services and mechanisms for creating, managing, distributing, using, storing, and revoking digital certificates, which are electronic documents that bind a public key to an identity. A digital certificate can be used to authenticate the identity of an entity, such as a person, a device, or a server, that possesses the corresponding private key. An organization can implement a partial PKI with only the servers having digital certificates, which means that only the servers can prove their identity to the clients, but not vice versa. The security benefit of this implementation is that servers can authenticate themselves to the client, which can prevent impersonation, spoofing, or man-in-the-middle attacks by malicious servers. Clients can authenticate themselves to the servers, mutual authentication is available between the clients and servers, and servers are able to issue digital certificates to the client are not the security benefits of this implementation, as they require the clients to have digital certificates as well. References: CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Eighth Edition, Chapter 5, Cryptography and Symmetric Key Algorithms, page 615. Official (ISC)2 CISSP CBK Reference, Fifth Edition, Chapter 5, Cryptography and Symmetric Key Algorithms, page 631.

 Internet Key Exchange (IKE) is a protocol that defines the key exchange for Internet Protocol Security (IPSec). IPSec is a suite of protocols that provides security for IP-based communications, such as encryption, authentication, and integrity. IKE establishes a secure channel between two parties, negotiates the security parameters, and generates the cryptographic keys for IPSec . References: : CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Eighth Edition, Chapter 5, page 541. : CISSP For Dummies, 7th Edition, Chapter 5, page 157.

 By allowing storage communications to run on top of Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) with a Storage Area Network (SAN), the opportunity to sniff network traffic exists. A SAN is a dedicated network that connects storage devices, such as disk arrays, tape libraries, or servers, to provide high-speed data access and transfer. A SAN may use different protocols or technologies to communicate with storage devices, such as Fibre Channel, iSCSI, or NFS. By allowing storage communications to run on top of TCP/IP, a common network protocol that supports internet and intranet communications, a SAN may leverage the existing network infrastructure and reduce costs and complexity. However, this also exposes the storage communications to the same risks and threats that affect the network communications, such as sniffing, spoofing, or denial-of-service attacks. Sniffing is the act of capturing or monitoring network traffic, which may reveal sensitive or confidential information, such as passwords, encryption keys, or data. By allowing storage communications to run on top of TCP/IP with a SAN, the confidentiality of the traffic is not protected, unless encryption or other security measures are applied. The opportunity for device identity spoofing is not eliminated, as an attacker may still impersonate a legitimate storage device or server by using a forged or stolen IP address or MAC address. The storage devices are not protected against availability attacks, as an attacker may still disrupt or overload the network or the storage devices by sending malicious or excessive packets or requests.

The most important factor in designing a biometric access system if it is essential that no one other than authorized individuals are admitted is the False Acceptance Rate (FAR). FAR is the probability that a biometric system will incorrectly accept an unauthorized user or reject an authorized user2. FAR is a measure of the security or accuracy of the biometric system, and it should be as low as possible to prevent unauthorized access. False Rejection Rate (FRR), Crossover Error Rate (CER), and Rejection Error Rate are not as important as FAR, as they are related to the usability or convenience of the biometric system, rather than the security. FRR is the probability that a biometric system will incorrectly reject an authorized user or accept an unauthorized user. CER is the point where FAR and FRR are equal, and it is used to compare the performance of different biometric systems. Rejection Error Rate is the probability that a biometric system will fail to capture or process a biometric sample. References: 2: CISSP For Dummies, 7th Edition, Chapter 4, page 95.

 A secure card reader is a physical security control that protects ATM from skimming, which is a type of fraud where a device is attached to the card slot of an ATM to capture the data from the magnetic stripe of the card1. A secure card reader can prevent skimming by encrypting the data at the point of entry, making it unreadable by the skimming device. Anti-tampering, RF scanner, and IPS are not physical security controls that protect ATM from skimming, as they do not prevent the capture of the card data by the skimming device. References: 1: CISSP For Dummies, 7th Edition, Chapter 9, page 249.

 The Transport layer of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model implementation adds information concerning the logical connection between the sender and receiver. The Transport layer is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and terminating the end-to-end communication between two hosts, as well as ensuring the reliability, integrity, and flow control of the data. The Transport layer uses protocols such as TCP and UDP to provide connection-oriented or connectionless services, and adds headers that contain information such as source and destination ports, sequence and acknowledgment numbers, and checksums . References: : CISSP All-in-One Exam Guide, Eighth Edition, Chapter 5, page 499. : CISSP For Dummies, 7th Edition, Chapter 5, page 145.

The next step after completing the organization’s Business Impact Analysis (BIA) is to identify and select recovery strategies. A BIA is a process of analyzing the potential impact and consequences of a disruption or disaster on the organization’s critical business functions and processes. A BIA helps to identify the recovery objectives, priorities, and requirements for the organization. Based on the BIA results, the organization should identify and select the recovery strategies that are suitable and feasible for restoring the critical business functions and processes within the acceptable time frame and cost. The recovery strategies may include technical, operational, organizational, or contractual solutions, such as backup systems, alternate sites, mutual aid agreements, or insurance policies . References: : Business Impact Analysis | Ready.gov : Business Continuity Planning Process Diagram

 Heuristic is the technique that best describes antivirus software that detects viruses by watching anomalous behavior. Heuristic is a method of virus detection that analyzes the behavior and characteristics of the program or file, rather than comparing it to a known signature or pattern. Heuristic can detect unknown or new viruses that have not been identified or cataloged by the antivirus software. However, heuristic can also generate false positives, as some legitimate programs or files may exhibit suspicious or unusual behavior12. References: 1: What is Heuristic Analysis?32: Heuristic Virus Detection4

Diffusion is the principle that requires that changes to the plaintext affect many parts of the ciphertext. Diffusion is a property of a good encryption algorithm that aims to spread the influence of each plaintext bit over many ciphertext bits, so that a small change in the plaintext results in a large change in the ciphertext2. Diffusion can increase the security of the encryption by making it harder for an attacker to analyze the statistical patterns or correlations between the plaintext and the ciphertext. Encapsulation, obfuscation, and permutation are not principles that require that changes to the plaintext affect many parts of the ciphertext, as they are related to different aspects of encryption or security. References: 2: CISSP For Dummies, 7th Edition, Chapter 3, page 65.

A forensic specialist can exclude from examination a large percentage of operating system files residing on a copy of the target system by creating a comparison database of cryptographic hashes of the files from a system with the same operating system and patch level. This method is also known as known file filtering or file signature analysis. It allows the forensic specialist to quickly identify and eliminate the files that are part of the standard operating system installation and focus on the files that are unique or relevant to the investigation. This makes the process of exclusion much faster and more accurate than manually deleting or discarding files12. References: 1: Computer Forensics: Forensic Techniques, Part 1 [Updated 2019]32: Point Checklist: cissp book4

The best practice for testing a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is to test it when the environment changes, such as when there are new business processes, technologies, threats, or regulations. This ensures that the BCP is updated, relevant, and effective for the current situation. Testing the BCP before the IT audit, after installation of security patches, or after implementation of system patches are not the best practices, as they may not reflect the actual changes in the business environment or the potential disruptions that may occur. References: 5: Comprehensive Guide to Business Continuity Testing67: Maximizing Your BCP Testing Efforts: Best Practices8