CCT 091: Cyber Guardrails: Navigating Security Compliance and Vulnerability Management (CISSP Domain 4.5)

Are you armed with the right strategies to handle a business-altering ransomware attack? How would you navigate the evolving landscape of cyber threats like the recent Boeing lock bit ransomware incident or the Maine move it debacle? Prepare to sink your teeth into these juicy cybersecurity happenings while also getting a breakdown of Google's new strategy on deleting files from inactive accounts. 

Join us as we shift gears, focusing on CISSP exam questions, particularly the automated patch management system's nuances. We delve into the critical considerations, walk you through the options, and reveal the correct answers. We don't stop there; we also take a deep dive into effective patch management strategies, discussing automated compliance reporting, compatibility considerations, risk mitigation, and patch prioritization based on risk assessment. Ever thought of integrating vulnerability scanning with automated patch management tools? Well, we've got that covered too, with a bountiful discussion on the subject and a look at the most indicative metric of success for patch management programs.

Finally, we'll unpack ways of improving patch management and prioritizing patches. Root cause analysis, patch categorization, and designing a patch management process for mixed-system organizations all come under scrutiny. As we draw the curtains, we'll examine the CISSPCybertrainingcom program and demonstrate how taking the time to digest information can set you up for success in your CISSP exam. We promise a compelling conversation that will leave you well-equipped to tackle your cybersecurity challenges head-on.

Gain access to 30 FREE CISSP Exam Questions each and every month by going to FreeCISSPQuestions.com and sign-up to join the team for Free. 

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to the CISSP Cyber Training Podcast, where we provide you the training and tools you need to pass the CISSP exam the first time. Hi, my name is Sean Gerber and I'm your host for this action-packed, informative podcast. Join me each week as I provide the information you need to pass the CISSP exam and grow your cybersecurity knowledge. All right, let's get started. Hey, all it's Sean Gerber with CISSP Cyber Training. Hope you all are doing great. This beautiful day Today is an amazing day. It truly is. Today is CISSP exam question Thursday. Yes, today we're going to be talking about some awesome CISSP exam questions, but before we do, we are going to get into a couple of news articles that I saw just this past week and I thought were very interesting. One was the lock bit ransomware attack that occurred on Boeing. Now, if you're not familiar with what Boeing is, boeing makes all kinds of stuff, from airplanes to military type aircraft, to some would suspect, even UFO type airplanes. You never know. But the bottom line is that they supposedly got had a ransomware incident that occurred and it was in the news. It was big and I guess what happened is that the folks that had hacked Boeing decided that they were going to release some of the data, mainly because of the fact that Boeing wasn't paying up, and what it appears is those around 50 gigabytes of data was stolen from Boeing as it relates to the Citrix bleed issue that occurred a while back, and they were so basically the Citrix environment that they were able to get screenshots of and get access to the data. What it came right down to it was was that it looks like there was a lot of emails that were passed before to and from the various entities within Boeing, and that seems to be what they got, at least from the initial blush. The initial look of the overall data dump that occurred Now. Is that a bad thing can be? I mean, from a days when I was working with the red teams, we would use emails to give us a lot of great information because they had the people put a lot of stuff in emails, but typically not enough. That would actually push you over the edge. What it would do is it would also give our intelligence folks basically some insight in where to go look for the data. So it looks like initially is probably not quite as bad as they everybody had thought it might be, but I would go check it out. The register has an article on. It talks a little bit about how it occurred and what they looked and what it looks like actually happened. But again, it is a ransomware event that occurred at Boeing and it looks like a bunch of data was stolen, but we don't know how much. In the United States, the state of Maine becomes the latest victim of the move it debacle. Now I know move it file transfer tool got hacked and it caused all kinds of drama and Maine now has a situation where that it's the United States. There's a state called Maine, if you're listening from someplace other than the United States, and it looks like 1.3 individual, 1.3 million individuals. Data was compromised to include social security numbers, data, burst, drivers license, et cetera, et cetera. So Again, I say, you security folks, if you're out there and you're help, able to help some of these Other country states and small municipalities, I think it's be extremely valuable for you, just because of the fact that it can cost so much money to these smaller entities, especially if their data was compromised. But again, bottom line, if you have social security numbers or any sensitive data out there, just assume. Just assume it's gone, assume that someone that's got a picture of it and somebody's using it. So I highly recommend that you lock your credit. I'm a big proponent of that, just because I know my stuff's been compromised multiple times. And then the last thing is is Google is got a situation coming up where they are deleting Various files that are in old, defunct Google accounts, so basically have photos and Different types of Gmail emails that are out there. They are deleting that information because it's been a significant active for a long time. They've sent out several email reminders. I know I've gotten one from a email account that I had that was pretty long, pretty old, and they have since been working to Delete a lot of that information. So, and it's fine, you know, realistically, if you have data that's been sitting out there way too long, you need to really consider do you need to do something else with it? So it's it's kind of interesting how this is playing out, but they basically said there's 1.8 billion Gmail users and then they're expecting it to get up to two billion. So obviously having Google photos and all of that data in their presence is costing them lots of money that they actually Are not getting any sort of revenue off of. So in right mind, they're actually gonna go out and start deleting things, which makes total sense. Alright, so let us get into today's CISSP exam questions, and this is over 4.5 and this is tied to what we had talked about in our podcast on Monday. We're gonna get into some various aspects around security, compliance and vulnerability management. Question number one An organization is implementing an automated patch management system. Which of the following should be the primary consideration to maintain operational stability a patch management systems ability to deploy patches within the vendors suggested timeframe. Be integration of patch management system within the organization's existing configuration management database, which is CMDB. Have come the capability to patch management system to come to support rollback features in case of faulty patches. Or D ensure that the patch management system covers all endpoints, regardless of operating system or location. So what should be the primary consideration? There's a lot of words I just said that you but main thing to think about is is a is it able to deploy patches Within the vendors timeframe? That would be thought when you throw out integration of the patch management system within the organization's existing configuration or database, cmdb, or the ability to roll back. So that would be a. B would be a good one. C would be the ability for it to roll back in case of faulty patches. That would be a really good one as well. And then D it covers all endpoints. Well, we want that, but that isn't the primary purpose. So the answer would be C you want to have the ability so that when it rolls on a patch, it can roll it out or roll it back if necessary. In the context of vulnerability management, why is it important to prioritize vulnerabilities based on the business impact? A Ensures the most technically severe vulnerabilities are remedied first. B Alligns with remediation efforts with the risk appetite of an organization. C Allows for quicker response to public disclosures of vulnerabilities. C Satisfies regulatory requirements for vulnerability management. So, again in the context of vulnerability management, why is it important to prioritize vulnerabilities based on business impact? So if you're dealing with business impact, you want to really understand the risk appetite of the organization, which is b. And the reason you want to understand the risk appetite of the organization is is that you can try to mitigate all the risks there are to your company and go spend a lot of time and money doing that. But the problem is is, if you do that, maybe the company doesn't value that as much as you do and therefore you have waste. So it's important that you prioritize the vulnerabilities and then you attach or attack those as best you can that are based on the highest risk to your company. Question three when utilizing automated patch tools, what is the most critical aspect to configure to ensure compliance with industry specific regulations? When utilizing automated patch tools, what is the most critical aspect to configure to ensure your comply with industry specific regulations? A patch deployment scheduling to avoid business hours. B patch testing on a representative system or sample of systems before deployment. B patch approval process to specifically to the organizational environment. Or. D detailed logging and patch management activities for audit trails. So, when you're dealing with industry specific regulations, what is the main thing that they deal with? Because these regulations deal a lot with auditing, so you want to ensure that you have detailed logging and patch management activities for your audit. That's the important part, because it's essential to demonstrate the compliance efforts during audits and regulatory reviews. Question four what is the most significant risk of not having a formal patch testing procedure before an organization wide deployment? A potential operational disruption due to compatibility issues or patch related errors. B inability to adhere to SLAs due to extended patch deployment times. C reduced efficiency of the security operations team in identifying false positives. Or. D increased vulnerability windows due to staggered patch deployments. So the most significant of not having a formal patch process is the potential operational disruption due to compatibility issues or patch related errors. You want to avoid any sort of operational disruption that you possibly have, so without a formal testing, there is a risk that the patch could cause more issues than good. Right, you want to make sure that you avoid having do your powers for good, not evil, and then, when you have system and compatibilities, the new security holes. Basically, when you're going after new security holes, it's leading to operational disruptions and if that's the case, that's usually not a good thing for you and your long term employment. Question five a global enterprise is standardizing its documentation reporting procedures for patch management. Which of the filing would provide the most benefit for both management and audit purposes? A essentialize logging of all patch management activities across all regions. B automated generation of compliance reports for each business unit. C a standardized patch management policy communicating to all employees. Or. D regular training programs for IT staff on the patch management process. And the answer is B the most benefit for management and audit process is an auto generated compliance report for each business unit. An automated report will offer consistent and accessible data for management to make decisions and the auditors to verify you complied with what they've asked for. So again, those are really good. Any sort of report that is automated, as long as it meets the criteria by which you're being audited. For Question six for the financial institution that varies in a variety of operating systems across its network, what is the primary security concern regarding automated patch management tools? A combined ability of the patch management tool with all types of operating systems and configurations. B the ability to patch all systems simultaneously to maintain uniform security Poster. B the frequency of an automated patch check and updates provided by the tool. Or. C ensuring the tools patching process adheres to the institution's change management procedures. And the answer is a compatibility of the patch management tool with all types of operating systems and configurations. That is the primary security concern regarding these automatic patch systems, because what's going to happen is, with all the systems that are out there, it's critical to ensure that no device is left unpatched. Now again, you say that, but then it comes down to the risk. If the company has a higher risk tolerance, they may allow some systems to be unpatched. There are some situations where that may be a viable option. It's not ideal, but as a security professional, you may have to do that In an organization with stringent uptime requirements. Which strategy would best mitigate the risk of downtime due to patch related issues? A implement a rapid rollback feature. B perform comprehensive testing and staging that mirrors your production. C apply patches during the least active hours, based on global time zones. Or. C utilize a cloud based patch management service to ensure high availability. So which strategy would be the best to mitigate risk of downtime due to patch related issues? And that would be performing a comprehensive testing and staging environment that mirrors production. That would be B Again, having that as the best proactive strategy to ensure patches do not introduce issues into production. Question 8. A security manager then needs to ensure that all systems are kept up to date with patches while minimizing the risk of introducing vulnerabilities. Which approach should be the manager prioritize? A Fast-tracking the patches for all critical vulnerabilities upon release. B Establish a baseline of standard operating environments for easier patch management. C Rely on automated patch management tools to handle all patching processes. Or. D Prioritizing patches based on risk assessment correlating to the business impact. So what is the answer? The answer is D Prioritizing patches based on risk assessment, correlating that specifically to the impact to the business. When you do this, this approach of patching and addressing critical vulnerabilities in the context of their business impact is an important part. So as you're looking as a security professional, you always want to come back to the business. Why? Because the business makes you money. Question 9. Which of the following is the most critical factor to consider when security analysts is tasked with the deployment of patch management solution A the solutions reporting capabilities on patch success or failure. B the ability of the solution to integrate with existing security information and event management systems. That would be your SIM Security Incident Event Management System. C the frequency in which a solution can be pulled, the updates from vendors. Or D Scalability of the solution to accommodate future organizational growth. So what is the most critical factor to consider when a security analyst is tasked with the deployment of patch management solutions? Most critical, and the answer is D the scalability of the solution. You want to make sure you have a good, scalable solution, because what ends up happening is, if you build it based on your company today, it will grow. Now it may contract as well, and you don't want to overpay for these solutions. So it's important that you understand the scalability and it's just a longevity and adaptability is really an important part as the organization's size and needs change. Question 10. What is the primary advantage of integrating vulnerability scanning with automated patch management tools? A Improving the prioritization of patch management of patch deployments based on actual environment vulnerabilities. B Reducing the time to detect false positives in patch management. C Enhancing the ability to identify unauthorized changes in the environment. Or. D Coordinating the patch management process with real-time threat intelligence. So what is the primary advantage of integrating vulnerability scanning with automated patch management tools? A Improving the prioritization of patch deployments based on actual environmental vulnerabilities. That's the purpose, that's the primary advantage. Again, it's to improve the prioritization of these patches, which ensures that, again, the most critical vulnerabilities are addressed first and it helps reduce your risk to your company. Question 11. When evaluating the effectiveness of a patch management program, which metric is most indicative of the success over time? A the reduction of the number of critical vulnerabilities over a quarter. B the number of patches applied within 24 hours of release. C the time taken from the patch release to deployment. Or. D the percentage of systems compliant with the organization's patching policy. And the answer is A. A tangible reduction in the critical vulnerabilities over a quarter is a direct indicator of the improved security posture and what you're doing. Now I will tell you that. When I work with companies various companies around the globe one of the big factors is metrics. You've got to have some level of metrics and metrics will give you a good indication of how you're reducing your risk to your company. Now you can play with the metrics just like anything else, but it is a good indicator of how things are going. Question 12. What is the most significant challenge when implementing automated patch tools in a decentralized organizational structure? A consolidating patch management logs for central analysis? Be ensuring uniform patch levels across disparate business units see achieving scalability for varying sizes of your organization or D maintaining compliance with different regulatory environments? And the answer is first go back. The most significant challenge when implementing automated patch management tools is D maintaining compliance with different regulatory environments. That is so true because they change and they are different, but more or less, if you follow a some level of patch management, you will be compliant with most of them. Question 13. The company is using a patch management tool that automates the identification and application of patches for its systems. Despite this, they suffered a data breach due to an unpatched vulnerability. What is the first action that should be taken to improve patch management process post incident? So, after the instance occurred, what are you going to do to fix the problem? A increase the frequency of your scans for new patches. B conduct a root cause analysis to understand why the vulnerability was not patched. B manually verify patch levels of all systems, ensuring no vulnerabilities are present. Or D review and update existing patch management policy procedures. So all of those are valuable. Right, they're valuable, except for the manual one. That that one's a lot of work for really no reason. But B conduct a root cause analysis is important to why it wasn't patched. You need to really try to understand why it didn't happen. This happens time and again. You'll get some sort of system you'll be patching and, for whatever reason, it skips over a certain system and doesn't patch it. You need to find out why, because, realistically, that's what you're you're banking on these automated systems to do their job. Question 14. In a large enterprise, what is the primary reason for categorizing patches before deployment? A to ensure the most credit recent patch of our deployed. First, to facilitate the rollback procedures in case of a failed patch application. C to prioritize patches based on their relevance and criticality to the business. Or D comply with industry standard patch management frameworks. Again, what a large enterprise. What is the primary reason for categorizing patches before deployment? And the answer is C to prioritize patches based on their relevance and criticality to the business. Categorization by relevance and criticality ensures that most impactful patches are prioritized, which is crucial for large enterprises. The final question, the final, last melon, all right. When designing a patch management process for an organization with a mix of legacy and modern systems, what factor must be given the highest priority to ensure successful implementation? When designing a patch management process for an organization with a mix of legacy and modern systems that's most places what factor must be given the highest priority to ensure successful implementation? A deployment of a leading edge patch management solution. B ensuring patch management solution provides comprehensive coverage for all systems. C establishment of a frequent patching schedule. Or D development of a phased patch deployment approach tailored to different system types. And the answer is D develop a phased patch deployment approach with different system types. If you've got all kinds of dogs and cats living together, you don't want to give everybody dog food and you don't want to give everybody cat food, so you're going to have to have a phased approach to give out dog food to dogs and cat food to cats. And it's the same thing when you're looking at patches. Because you have Linux systems and Windows systems, you can't just it's better to deploy them with all the Windows systems together and all the Linux systems together. It just it's better Because if you have some sort of failure with any of those, you now can do a root cause analysis on why those specific systems did not get patched. So it does. It avoids compatibility issues when you're using these modern systems and sometimes these legacy systems. I know Windows and Linux are both modern, but sometimes you have some really old Windows systems that are kind of co-living with really young Linux systems and that can be a problem. All right, that is all I have for you today. So you can go out to CISSP Cyber Training. You can check out this video. It's on my blog. It'll be there. I'll, along with all the other videos that I have are out there. I should say all the other podcast videos. I'm in the process of populating that to that, that blog site. So that's CISSPCybertrainingcom. You can head there. You can also go to my free CISSPQuestionscom and you can gain access to free CISSP questions. You can join part of my mailing list and get all kinds of new stuff that's coming out. And then also I'm going to be releasing I've got to get it done, but I'm going to be releasing a new set of, basically products available for you to once get ready for your CISSP. It's going to guarantee you're going to get this thing done. If you do what the course says and you follow what it tells you to do, you will pass the CISSP gear, roll and teed. And the second thing is is it's also going to have some training out there and some availability of work with me directly to get some coaching and for you and your cybersecurity career and I'm here to help you. If you're with a business I deal with businesses all the time and they have to want to train their employees on the CISSP. I have packages out there for you specifically on that as well. So it's a great product If you are looking for someone for your CISSP to get them training, if you are studying for your CISSP and you want to guarantee solution that you know you will pass. If you follow the courseware and you follow the product, you go out to CISSPCypertrainingcom and I guarantee it will work for you. It truly will. The program is set up specifically and laid out to help you walk you through this entire process. The part it can't do is it can't. You can't put the stuff in your brain. You've got to put it in your brain. But if you follow the program step by step, I guarantee you you will definitely pass the CISSP exam. All right, have a wonderful day and we will catch you on the flip side, see ya.