Identity and Access Management
In this chapter from CISSP Practice Questions Exam Cram, 4th Edition , author Michael Gregg offers practice questions and answers for the CISSP Exam.
The Identity and Access Management domain tests your knowledge of the large collection of mechanisms available to control authentication, authorization, and accounting. You must not only understand these systems, but also know the advantages and risks of each type as they relate to centralized and decentralized systems. Authentication is but one part of the process; authorization is also a key area of this domain. Individuals should be authorized for only what they need to complete their required tasks. Finally, there is accounting (or accountability). When things go wrong, there must be a way to establish a chain of responsibility. The following list highlights some key areas from the identity and access management domain you need to be aware of for the CISSP exam:
Managing identification and authentication
Authentication methods (types 1, 2, and 3)
Authorization: DAC, MAC, role-based access control, and rule-based access control
Integrating identity as a service (for example, cloud identity)
Integrating third-party identity services (for example, on-premise)
Accounting: Logging, monitoring, auditing
Central, decentralized, and hybrid management
Single sign-on: Kerberos, RADIUS, Diameter, TACACS
Access control attacks: emanations, impersonation, and password cracking
Practice Questions
Which of the following is not one of the three types of access controls?
A. Administrative
B. Personnel
C. Technical
D. Physical
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 194Your company has just opened a call center in India to handle nighttime operations, and you are asked to review the site’s security controls. Specifically, you are asked which of the following is the strongest form of authentication. What will your answer be?
A. Something you know
B. Something you are
C. Passwords
D. Tokens
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 194Your organization has become worried about recent attempts to gain unauthorized access to the R&D facility. Therefore, you are asked to implement a system that will require individuals to present a password and enter a PIN at the security gate before gaining access. What is this type of system called?
A. Authorization
B. Two-factor authentication
C. Authentication
D. Three-factor authentication
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 194Which of the following is not one of the three primary types of authentication?
A. Something you remember
B. Something you know
C. Something you are
D. Something you have
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 194While working as a contractor for Widget, Inc., you are asked what the weakest form of authentication is. What will you say?
A. Passwords
B. Retina scans
C. Facial recognition
D. Tokens
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 194You’re preparing a presentation for the senior management of your company. They have asked you to rank the general order of accuracy of the most popular biometric systems, with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. What will you tell them?
A. (1) fingerprint, (2) palm scan, (3) hand geometry, (4) retina scan, (5) iris scan
B. (1) fingerprint, (2) palm scan, (3) iris scan, (4) retina scan, (5) hand geometry
C. (1) palm scan, (2) hand geometry, (3) iris scan, (4) retina scan, (5) fingerprint
D. (1) hand geometry, (2) palm scan, (3) fingerprint, (4) retina scan, (5) iris scan
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 194Which of the following items is the least important to consider when designing an access control system?
A. Risk
B. Threat
C. Vulnerability
D. Annual loss expectancy
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 195Today, you are meeting with a coworker who is proposing that the number of logins and passwords be reduced. Another coworker has suggested that you investigate single sign-on technologies and make a recommendation at the next scheduled meeting. Which of the following is a type of single sign-on system?
A. Kerberos
B. RBAC
C. DAC
D. SAML
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 195Which style of authentication is not susceptible to a dictionary attack?
A. CHAP
B. LEAP
C. WPA-PSK
D. PAP
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 195Your organization has decided to use a biometric system to authenticate users. If the FAR is high, what happens?
A. Legitimate users are denied access to the organization’s resources.
B. Illegitimate users are granted access to the organization’s resources.
C. Legitimate users are granted access to the organization’s resources.
D. Illegitimate users are denied access to the organization’s resources.
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 195Which of the following types of copper cabling is the most secure against eavesdropping and unauthorized access?
A. Single-mode fiber
B. Multimode fiber
C. Category 6 cabling
D. 802.11ac wireless
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 195Which of the following is not one of the four access control models?
A. Discretionary
B. Mandatory
C. Role-based
D. Delegated
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 195Auditing is considered what method of access control?
A. Preventive
B. Technical
C. Administrative
D. Physical
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 196What method of access control system would a bank teller most likely fall under?
A. Discretionary
B. Mandatory
C. Role-based
D. Rule-based
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 196Which of the following is the easiest and most common form of offline password hash attack used to pick off insecure passwords?
A. Hybrid
B. Dictionary
C. Brute-force
D. Man-in-the-middle
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 196Your company is building a research facility in Bangalore and is concerned about technologies that can be used to pick up stray radiation from monitors and other devices. Specifically, your boss wants copper shielding installed. Which technology does your boss want to know more about?
A. Radon
B. Waveguard
C. Tempest
D. Van Allen
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 196Which of the following is an XML-based, open-standard data format for exchanging authentication and authorization data between an identity provider and a service provider?
A. SAML
B. LDAP
C. OAuth
D. KryptoKnight
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 196Christine, a newly certified CISSP, has offered to help her brother-in-law, Gary, at his small construction business. The business currently has 18 computers configured as a peer-to-peer network. All users are responsible for their own security and can set file and folder privileges as they see fit. Which access control model best describes the configuration at this organization?
A. Discretionary
B. Mandatory
C. Role-based
D. Nondiscretionary
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 196Which of the following best describes challenge/response authentication?
A. It is an authentication protocol in which a salt value is presented to the user, who then returns an MD5 hash based on this salt value.
B. It is an authentication protocol in which a system of tickets is used to validate the user’s rights to access resources and services.
C. It is an authentication protocol in which the username and password are passed to the server using CHAP.
D. It is an authentication protocol in which a randomly generated string of values is presented to the user, who then returns a calculated number based on those random values.
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 196Your company has installed biometric access control systems. Your director has mentioned that he thinks the systems will have a high FRR. What does this mean?
A. Quite a few valid users will be denied access.
B. Employees will accept the system.
C. Almost all unauthorized users will be denied.
D. The system has a high return rate and will quickly pay for itself.
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 196Which of the following is the most time-intensive type of offline password attack to attempt?
A. Hybrid
B. Plain text
C. Brute-force
D. Man-in-the-middle
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 196You are approached by a junior security officer who wants to know what CVE stands for. What do you tell him?
A. Critical Vulnerability and Exploits
B. Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures
C. Chosen Vulnerabilities and Exploits
D. Common Vulnerabilities and Exploits
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 197Which of the following protocols is recommended to be turned off because it transmits usernames and passwords in plaintext?
A. SSH
B. HTTPS
C. Telnet
D. TFTP
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 197Which biometric authentication system is most closely associated with law enforcement?
A. Fingerprint recognition
B. Iris recognition
C. Facial recognition
D. Retina pattern recognition
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 197What type of access control system doesn’t give users much freedom to determine who can access their files and is known for its structure and use of security labels?
A. Discretionary
B. Mandatory
C. Role-based
D. Nondiscretionary
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 197As the newly appointed security officer for your corporation, you suggest replacing the password-based authentication system with RSA tokens. Elsa, your chief technology officer, denies your request, citing budgetary constraints. As a temporary solution, Elsa asks that you find ways to increase password security. Which of the following will accomplish this goal?
A. Disabling password-protected screensavers
B. Enabling account lockout controls
C. Enforcing a password policy that requires noncomplex passwords
D. Enabling users to use the same password on more than one system
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 197Which of the following is a major issue with signature-based IDSs?
A. Signature-based IDSs cannot detect zero-day attacks.
B. Signature-based IDSs can detect only attacks in which activity deviates from normal behavior.
C. Signature-based IDSs are available only as host-based systems.
D. Signature-based IDSs are cost-prohibitive.
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 197Administrative controls form an important part of security, and although most of us don’t like paperwork, that is a large part of this security control. Which of the following is a high-level document that describes a management plan for how security should be practiced throughout the organization?
A. Guidelines
B. Policies
C. Procedures
D. Standards
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 197A hacker submits a malicious URL request for a help page from an unpatched Apache server that supports an Oracle9i Application Server. This causes a denial of service. Which of the following would have best protected the corporation from this attack?
A. HIDS
B. NIPS
C. HIPS
D. NIDS
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 198One of your coworkers has joined a CISSP study group and is discussing today’s list of topics. One of the topics is this: What is an example of a passive attack?
A. Dumpster diving
B. Sniffing
C. Installing SubSeven
D. Social engineering
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 198What is one of the major reasons why separation of duties should be practiced?
A. Reduced cross-training
B. Legal
C. Union policies and procedures
D. To force collusion
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 198There are two basic types of access control policies. Which of the following describes the best approach for a CISSP?
A. Begin with deny all.
B. Allow some based on needs analysis.
C. Begin with allow all.
D. Deny some based on needs analysis.
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 198Your manager asks you to set up a fake network to identify contractors who may be poking around the network without authorization. What is this type of system called?
A. Trap-and-trace
B. Honeypot
C. Snare
D. Prison
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 198Various operating systems such as Windows use what to control access rights and permissions to resources and objects?
A. RBAC
B. MITM
C. ABS
D. ACL
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 198While hanging around the watercooler, you hear that your company, Big Tex Bank and Trust, is introducing a new policy. The company will require periodic job rotation and will force all employees to use their vacation time. From a security standpoint, why is this important?
A. Job rotation is important because it reduces employee burnout.
B. Job rotation is important because employees need to be cross-trained in case of man-made or natural disasters.
C. Job rotation ensures that no one can easily commit fraud or other types of deception without risking exposure.
D. Forcing employees to use their vacation time ensures time away from work, which results in healthy, more productive employees.
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 198Your manager persists in asking you to set up a fake network to identify contractors who may be poking around the network without authorization. What legal issue pertaining to these devices should you be most concerned with?
A. Enticement
B. Federal Statute 1029
C. Entrapment
D. Liability
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 198Your brother-in-law, Mario, is studying for the CISSP exam. He text-messages you with what he believes is an important question: What is a major disadvantage of access control lists? How do you answer him?
A. Overhead of the auditing function
B. Burden of centralized control
C. Independence from resource owners
D. Lack of centralized control
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 198Table 5.1 provides an example of some types and categories of access control. Which of the following is the best example of a technical deterrent?
Table 5.1 Sample Access Types and Categories
Attribute
Deterrent
Preventive
Detective
Corrective
Recovery
Compensating
Administrative
-
-
Audit Policy
-
Incident Response Plan
-
Technical
-
ACLs
-
-
-
-
Physical
-
-
-
Fire Extinguisher
-
Defense in depth
A. AUP
B. Warning banner
C. Anti-virus
D. Hot site
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 199What does TACACS+ use as its communication protocol?
A. TCP
B. UDP
C. ICMP
D. TCP and UDP
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 199Which of the following attributes does not apply to MAC?
A. Multilevel
B. Label-based
C. Universally applied
D. Discretionary
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 199Which of the following is not part of physical access control?
A. CCTV
B. Mantraps
C. Data classification and labeling
D. Biometrics
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 199During a weekly staff meeting, your boss reveals that some employees have been allowing other employees to use their passwords. He is determined to put a stop to this and wants you to install biometric access control systems. He has asked about some basic attributes, such as type I errors, type II errors, and the CER, as shown in Figure 5.1. What’s so important about the CER? How do you respond?
Figure 5.1 Crossover error rate.
A. Speed typically is determined by calculating the CER.
B. The CER has to do with the customer acceptance rate because some systems are more user-friendly than others.
C. Accuracy typically is determined by calculating the CER.
D. The CER has to do with the cost per employee because some biometric access control systems are very good, but also very expensive.
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 199Kerberos has some features that make it a good choice for access control and authentication. One of these items is a ticket. What is a ticket used for?
A. A ticket is a block of data that allows users to prove their identity to an authentication server.
B. A ticket is a block of data that allows users to prove their identity to a service.
C. A ticket is a block of data that allows users to prove their identity to a ticket-granting server.
D. A ticket is a block of data that allows users to prove their identity to the Kerberos server.
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 199What is the best definition of identification?
A. The act of verifying your identity
B. The act of claiming a specific identity
C. The act of finding or testing the truth
D. The act of inspecting or reviewing a user’s actions
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 199What term means that a user cannot deny a specific action because there is positive proof that he or she performed it?
A. Accountability
B. Auditing
C. Nonrepudiation
D. Validation
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 199What type of cryptography does SESAME use to distribute keys?
A. Public key
B. Secret key
C. SHA hashing algorithm
D. None; it uses plaintext
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 199Which of the following is a category of security controls that job rotation fits into?
A. Recovery
B. Corrective
C. Detective
D. Compensation
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 199What does RADIUS use for its transport protocol?
A. UDP
B. TCP
C. TCP and UDP
D. ICMP
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 200Your chief information officer (CIO) needs your recommendation for a centralized access control system to maintain all the users and associated permissions. He also wants to be able to use this system for a wireless local area network (LAN). In addition to the wireless LAN requirement, the network administrator has stated that it is not important to the CIO to have a system that will split the authentication, authorization, and accounting processes up; however, having the option to use UDP, SCTP, or TCP is a must. The CIO also requires a SSO technology that can support non-repudiation and authenticity. The CIO has stated he is willing to purchase more than one system to meet the specified requirements. Which of the following is the best recommendation you would give?
A. Purchase a Diameter for centralized access control and SESAME for SSO.
B. Purchases a RADIUS for centralized access control and Kerberos because it is most commonly used and, most importantly, has been around a long time and many organizations trust it.
C. Purchase a Diameter for centralized access control and Kerberos for SSO.
D. Purchase Extended Terminal Access Controller System for centralized access control and use SESAME for SSO.
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 200You have been promoted to security officer for a Fortune 500 company and are performing an audit of elevated privileges for the network. You observe that there are many members from the help desk that have privileges to various systems that they do not require to do their job on a daily basis. What best business practice does your company lack?
A. Separation of duties
B. Principle of least privilege
C. Need to know
D. Privilege creep
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 200What does strong authentication require?
A. Public/private keys
B. Using two different methods of identification
C. Using a method of identification from at least two of type I, II, or III
D. Authenticating inside an encrypted tunnel
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 200You have a homogeneous environment with multiple application servers. Your users are having difficulty remembering all their passwords as they complete their daily activities. What would be the best solution?
A. Lower the passwords’ complexity requirements
B. Implement harsher penalties
C. Add assisted user reset capabilities
D. Use single sign-on
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 200How do you lower type 1 errors on biometric devices?
A. By increasing type 2 errors
B. By decreasing type 2 errors
C. By increasing precision
D. By decreasing CER
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 200When you log into your remote server from home, your server sends you a nonce that you enter into a token device that you were issued when you were hired. Your token device responds with a value you enter at the prompt. What have you entered?
A. A single sign-on using synchronous authentication
B. A one-time password using synchronous authentication
C. A single sign-on using asynchronous authentication
D. A one-time password using asynchronous authentication
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 200Which of the following describes a distinction between Kerberos and SESAME?
A. Kerberos supplies SSO; SESAME does not.
B. Kerberos uses symmetric encryption; SESAME uses asymmetric encryption.
C. Kerberos can be used for nonrepudiation; SESAME cannot.
D. SESAME can be accessed using GSS-API; Kerberos cannot.
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 201What type of physical control is a mantrap?
A. Deterrent
B. Corrective
C. Preventive
D. Detective
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 201What is the best way to store passwords?
A. In a one-way encrypted file
B. Using symmetric encryption
C. Using asymmetric encryption
D. By means of a digital signature
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 201The act of professing to be a specific user is
A. Validation
B. Authorization
C. Authentication
D. Identification
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 201Which of the following best describes a Zephyr chart?
A. A means of establishing the accuracy of a biometric system
B. A means of comparing different biometric systems
C. A means of comparing type II and type III authentication systems
D. A chart used to examine the accuracy of IDSs and IPSs
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 201What is authentication?
A. Supplying a username
B. Using criteria to determine what a user can do
C. Verifying identification
D. Reviewing audit logs
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 201Being asked what your maiden name is, what city you were born in, and what your pet’s name is an example of what?
A. Single sign-on (SSO)
B. Self-service password reset
C. Centralized authentication
D. Assisted passwords
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 201Which of the following best describes a federated identity?
A. Simply another term for SSO.
B. It is restricted to use within a specific domain or area of the network.
C. Type I authentication (something you know).
D. It is portable and can be used across business boundaries.
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 201Which of the following is the most accurate biometric system?
A. A CER of 1
B. A CER of 2
C. A CER of 3
D. None of the above because CER is not a numeric rating
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 201Which type of control that includes fences, password protection, and CCTV is designed to stop an event from occurring?
A. Detective control
B. Preventive control
C. Corrective control
D. Deterrent control
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 201Nondiscretionary access control includes which of the following?
A. Role- and task-based
B. Rule-based and mandatory
C. Labeled and mandatory
D. None of the above because there are no subcategories
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 201What is a trust?
A. A one-way-only bridge established between two domains
B. A two-way-only bridge established between two domains
C. A security bridge that is established after a valid authentication
D. A security bridge that is established between two domains
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 201What form of authorization is closely associated with labels?
A. Rule-based access control
B. Discretionary access control
C. Mandatory access control
D. Role-based access control
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 201How can a swipe card, smart card, or USB dongle be described?
A. An active token
B. A static token
C. Type I authentication
D. Type III authentication
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 202The Equal Error Rate is equivalent to what?
A. The point at which false acceptance and false rejection meet
B. The crossover error rate minus 10 percent
C. The point at which false acceptance is at its highest and false rejection is at its lowest
D. The point at which false acceptance is at its lowest and false rejection is at its highest
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 202Which of the following is the most expensive means of verifying a user’s identity?
A. Single sign-on
B. Tokens
C. Biometrics
D. Passwords
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 202Which biometric system examines the colored portion of the eye that surrounds the pupil?
A. Iris
B. Retina
C. Fovea
D. Optic disc
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 202Which of the following best describes a rainbow table?
A. An attack against a biometric system
B. An attack against a fingerprint scanner
C. A table used for digital signatures
D. A table of precomputed password hashes
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 202The ticket-granting service is a component of what?
A. TACACS
B. Kerberos
C. RADIUS
D. SESAME
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 202The Privilege Attribute Certificate (PAC) is a component of what?
A. TACACS
B. Kerberos
C. RADIUS
D. SESAME
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 202What nontechnical attack attempts to lure the victim into giving up financial data, credit card numbers, or other types of account information?
A. Pretexting
B. Social engineering
C. Dumpster diving
D. Phishing
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 202You are asked to work on a project where users need to share credentials across multiple domains without forcing them to log in more than once. What technologies might meet this business need?
A. Cookies
B. Unique X.509 certificates
C. Web access management
D. Separate usernames and passwords
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 202Your company was initially considering three security models to use to design access rights and controls in its new operating system (OS). These models included Biba, Bell-LaPadula, and Clark Wilson. If the company decided to base its OS on the Biba model, which of the following properties is correct?
A. A user cannot write down to a lower level.
B. The model makes use of transformational procedures and constrained data items.
C. The user cannot write up to a higher level.
D. If a user has access to one side of the wall, he does not have access to data on the other side of the wall.
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 202Which of the following refers to the process of creation, maintenance, and deletion of user objects?
A. Identification
B. Verification
C. Authentication
D. Provisioning
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 202Object reuse can be an important issue when considering which of the following?
A. RAM scraping attacks
B. Authentication method
C. Type of biometric system used
D. Strength of a password
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 202Which form of access control has a many-to-many relationship and makes use of mapping between a user and a subset of goals?
A. MAC
B. DAC
C. Rule-based access control
D. Core RBAC
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 202Which of the following is the best example of capabilities tables?
A. Memory cards
B. Kerberos
C. Constrained user interface
D. Router ACL
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 202Which of the following provides an upgrade path from RADIUS?
A. Diameter
B. TACACS
C. Kerberos
D. NetSP
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 203Investigations are a good example of which of the following?
A. Detective control
B. Preventive control
C. Deterrent control
D. Proactive control
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 203Although an authorized sniffer has been connected to a network switch, the user can only see traffic directed to the device and some broadcast traffic. What might be the problem?
A. An IDS is blocking the traffic.
B. The switch port must be spanned.
C. The switch detected the sniffer.
D. The sniffer is misconfigured.
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 203Which type of attack makes use of a time-memory tradeoff?
A. Rule-based
B. Dictionary
C. Rainbow table
D. Brute-force
Quick Answer: 192
Detailed Answer: 203