CCT 233: Practice CISSP Questions - Managing Authentication in the Modern Enterprise (CISSP Domain 5.2)

Cybersecurity professionals know that mastering identity and access management concepts is essential for CISSP certification success. This deep dive into Domain 5.2 tackles fifteen carefully crafted questions covering everything from just-in-time provisioning to federated identity systems and session security.

We begin by examining the accelerating adoption of generative AI in healthcare organizations, where approximately 85% are investigating or implementing these technologies. This trend spans industries from manufacturing to financial services, creating both opportunities and serious security challenges for professionals who must balance innovation with appropriate safeguards.

The heart of our discussion focuses on critical IAM concepts, including how just-in-time provisioning minimizes attack surfaces by limiting standing privileges, particularly vital in cloud environments. We explore SAML as the primary protocol enabling federated architectures, while highlighting their potential single point of failure risks. Session management security receives special attention, emphasizing secure token storage with appropriate expiration times, and protection against cross-site scripting attacks that target cookie theft.

Throughout our exploration, practical security principles are reinforced: the dangers of shared credentials, the necessity of multi-factor authentication, and the security benefits of automated access revocation. Whether you're preparing for the CISSP exam or looking to strengthen your security knowledge, these concepts represent core knowledge every practicing security professional must internalize.

Ready to accelerate your CISSP journey? Visit CISSP Cyber Training for additional resources and guidance from experienced security professionals who understand the practical applications beyond theoretical knowledge. Let's grow your cybersecurity expertise together!

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TRANSCRIPT

Speaker 1: 0:00 

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. Alright, let's get started, let's go cybersecurity knowledge.

Speaker 2: 0:26 

All right, let's get started, hey all, sean Gerber, with CISSP Cyber Training and hope you all are having a beautifully blessed day today. Today is guess what? Yes, you all know it is CISSP Question Thursday, and today we're going to be going over CISSP questions related to domain 5.2. But before we do, I want to kind of just talk about a quick article that I saw in the news. The reason I'm bringing this one up is I'm actually getting deeper into Gen AI and the various aspects around the LLMs and the AI models in general. One is kind of a research project, but two is to kind of better understand some of the security aspects around it. But one of this article that I just saw in Computer World was around Gen AI is already transforming the healthcare industry. This article, again by Computer World and it's set up there. It came out April 2nd, so this guy came out today and the aspect around it is is that they're saying about 85% of healthcare organizations are looking to use it or investigating the use of Gen AI, with about between 40 and almost 60% that are actively engaging in it. Now, coming from the marketing, the manufacturing space, we were getting into AI as well and we see the definite increased need for it from the marketing standpoint. Working now in the financial institutions as a consultant for a couple of various different kinds of financial aspects, they too are getting pretty hot and heavy into the Gen AI piece. So, as it comes to this overall article it relates, comes back to is what they're seeing. The benefits of. It is around clinical documentation, basically automated note-taking, and I don't know if you've all dealt with automated note-taking I've been in with the teams kind of applications and you can actually record what you're doing. It then will spit out the teams kind of applications and you can actually record what you're doing. It then will spit out the kind of a conversation of what you've actually had, what you talked about, along with details around what are some takeaways, what are some tasks that have to be done so you can see a definite need there, use it for diagnostics. As far as AI assistance, helping in medical imaging that's what they had Rona aspect of it and then, as well as patient engagement, I think one of the pieces that you always run into I just booked a flight with Expedia and I worked with an AI agent, obviously on the chat, and they helped resolve all my issues for me and very, very quickly. I say they, I mean it. It basically did so.

Speaker 2: 2:39 

The Gen AI is really growing in a better space and I would say, from a cybersecurity standpoint, it's important that you do understand this market, because it's going to do nothing but expand. Some of the benefits they obviously they talked about is operational efficiencies basically the day-to-day stuff, and then reducing the administrative burden that goes along with that. I think it's gonna be an incredible part and it's gonna save a lot of time. Now, on the flip side, there's going to be a lot of folks that are going to be displaced because of this, and I think it's important that there's that is being thought of and concerned about as well, and how do you end up remedying that situation? So some of the challenges that are coming out of this as well as ensuring the data quality, managing it as far as the risks and then one of them is a big, obviously security and privacy risks that are associated with this and then ensuring what is occurring there, as well as balancing the cost of the overall programs along with regulatory risks. Obviously, privacy is a big factor, but as you get into the financial industry, there's going to be regulations in the financial industry as well. So a lot of different things that are going around the Gen AI space. So I would highly recommend you check this article out Again. It's on Computer World and Gen AI is already transforming the healthcare industry industry.

Speaker 2: 3:47 

Okay, so let's get started with today's questions. So, again, this is focused on domain 5.2 of the cissp. It's the isc squared book that you can be studying for the cissp exam. If you need some sort of assistance, go to cissp cyber training and you can get access to my site there. There's a lot of free content on my site, but there's also a lot of great, wonderfully paid stuff that's out there that'll help you shortcut the overall CISSP process. The training is there and it's available to you. All of it is there and you can get access to it. All you got to do is just basically go in. You can purchase different tiers that are available and you can gain access to all the content that you want to help you pass the exam. But again, it depends on you if there's free stuff as well. If you want to use that and, again, check it out, all right. So let's start. And one of these questions again, these questions you'll be able to get at CISSP Cyber Training.

Speaker 2: 4:36 

So let's start off with question number one. Which of the following best describes just-in-time provisioning? Can we talk about that in the training? What is the describes just-in-time provisioning A users are granted access only when they are requesting it and it is revoked immediately after each use. B users are assigned long-term privileges based on their roles. C users must manually request access each time they log in. Or D access is automatically provisioned based on predefined attributes. Again, which of the following best describes just-in-time provisioning? And the answer is A users are granted access only when they request it and it's revoked immediately after use. Now, one of the things is you may want to have it, may not want to have it necessarily right after use. You may make changes to that, but there are different options available to you. Just got to kind of decide which one works best for you and your organization.

Speaker 2: 5:28 

Question two what is the primary security concern when using a federated identity system? So what is the primary security concern when using a federated identity system? A increased administrative overhead. B lack of centralized control control. C single point of failure for identity providers. Or d excessive user authentication requests. Again, what is the primary security concern using fid or fid federated ids? And the answer is c single point of failure. If identity provider is, it goes out. So basically, it comes right down to is you have a federated identity system, such as google, facebook, whatever that might be? If that system goes, you do lose the ability to have some sort of access to your environment, because that is the main source of you getting your identity. So there is a concern when dealing with federated aspects.

Speaker 2: 6:17 

Question three which protocol most commonly used to enable federated identity management? A, ldap, b, oauth 2.0. C, radius or D SAML, again, which is the most commonly used to enable federated identity? And it is D, not C. It's D, d SAML, right. So SAML is your security assertion markup language, or SAML. It's an XML-based protocol that does allow single sign-on, right, and that's the ultimate base behind it, that various service providers will provide this for you. So again, when it comes right down to it, this for you. So again, when it comes right down to it, your federated identity management the primary protocol that's used is called SAML.

Speaker 2: 6:56 

Question four what is the primary advantage of using just-in-time provisioning in cloud environments? A it reduces administrative workload by pre-assigning permissions. B it minimizes the attack surface by limiting standing provisions or privileges. I should say C provides permanent access to resources, or d eliminates the need for authentication. Again, what is the primary advantage of using just-in-time provisioning in cloud environments? And the answer is b minimize the attack surface by limiting standing privileges. Again, all that really comes down to is you don't have predefined credentials that are just basically waiting for them to be used. It uses it just as you need it.

Speaker 2: 7:31 

Question five in credential management, which of the following is an example of secure authentication method? In the credential management, which of the following is an example of a secure authentication method? A using same password across multiple accounts yeah, no, that's not a good idea. B implementing the multi-factor authentication or mfa. C storing plain text passwords in a database. Or d allowing password reset via email without verification. And if you probably all probably went through all those going, well, if I don't know those, I can at least get rid of the ones that are really bad. And yeah, it would narrow it down to. The answer would be b right and credential management. Which of the following is the most secure? It is implementing multi-factor authentication. That's pretty much a no-brainer.

Speaker 2: 8:13 

Question six what is a key security consideration when managing session tokens? A token should be valid indefinitely for user convenience. B token should be transmitted over unencrypted channels. C token should be hard hard coded in the application source code. Or d token should be stored securely and have an expiration time. Again, what is a key security consideration when managing session tokens? The answer is D yes, tokens should be stored securely and have an expiration time. That's the whole thing about session management. We talk about that where you want to make sure that those sessions are terminated after a predefined set up, a period that you basically set aside. So you want to make sure that that is how it's done.

Speaker 2: 8:53 

Question seven in a federated identity management, which component issues authentication assertions? In a federated identity management, which component issues authentication assertions? A identity providers, b service providers, c resource owners or D authentication gateway. So, in a federated identity management, b service providers, c resource owners or D authentication gateway. So, in a federated identity management, which component issues authentication assertions? And the answer is IDP identity provider. Yes, the identity provider is responsible for authenticating users, obviously then giving out the authentication assertions. So that's the main point there your identity providers, obviously your Googles and Facebooks, and so forth.

Speaker 2: 9:30 

Question eight which attack targets sessions management by stealing session cookies? Which attack? Which attack target? Which attack targets session management by stealing session cookies? I have a lot of big words, sorry. A cross-site scripting or XSS. You guys know what cross-site scripting is? B SQL injection, c man in the middle. Or D credential stuffing. And the answer is A cross-site scripting. This allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web apps, right, which then allows them to steal the session cookies okay, and hijack their sessions. So that is the one that targets the session management system Session. Yeah, whatever. I can't say that word. You know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 10:13 

Question nine why is common language important in identity and access management? Again, why is common language important in identity and access management? One or A, it helps reduce the length of the security policies. B, it eliminates the need for authentication protocols. C it ensures uniform communication across security teams. Or d, it allows passwords to be simplified. You know, with common language important, what is important? Uh. C, it ensures uniform communication across security teams, right. So common language ensures that the identity and access management teams I am concepts are clearly understood across different teams. Without, basically, the standard terminology, a lot of misconfigurations would occur. So that is the whole purpose behind it.

Speaker 2: 10:55 

Question 10, which of the following is a key risk of using shared credentials? There's nothing wrong with using shared credentials. We know that. Right, it's easy peasy, lemon squeezy. So which of the following is a key risk of using shared credentials? A users cannot multiply systems with a single login. B it increases accountability. C it reduces the complexity of access management. Or. D it makes it extremely difficult to track user activity and detect misuse. Okay, which of the following is a key risk when using shared credentials? Yes, it is. D it makes it difficult for track users and activity and detect misuse. Now, there's a lot of bad things with using shared credentials, right. So using shared credentials, it's just. All those are bad, right. But when it comes to the questions, users cannot access multiple systems with a single logon. Well, okay, yeah, they can. Right, it's a negative. The point was it comes down to is that you don't want to use shared credentials, right? Bad idea, just don't do it.

Speaker 2: 11:51 

Question 11, which is the authentication mechanism is most secure for protecting credentials? So which authentication mechanism is most secure for protecting credentials? A basic authentication. B token-based authentication with short-lived tokens. C username and password stored in plain text or D security questions. Again, which authentication mechanism is the most secure for protecting credentials? And the answer is B token-based authentication, obviously with a very short lifespan, is an important part. Right, token-based are good, you want to have them, but you also want to have them a short-lived, so that they die and then you don't have more security issues following up later.

Speaker 2: 12:29 

Question 12. In just-in-time provisioning, which factor is the most critical to security? So, in just-in-time provisioning, which factor is the most critical in security? A Automating access revocation. C Providing indefinite access. C reducing authentication requirements or D storing credentials permanently. So which factor is the most critical to security? And the answer is A automating access revocation. So one of the big things about just-in-time well, it's just-in-time provisioning, just-in-time removal. But if you don't have some sort of automated revocation process, you can't do the automated removal and that causes problems. So just-in-time, one of the most secure reasons are the most critical to security is automating access revocation.

Speaker 2: 13:14 

Question 13 how can session hijacking be prevented? How can session hijacking be prevented? A use http versus https disabling. B disabling multi-factor authentication. C implementing default admin credentials or. D encrypting session tokens and enforcing session timeouts. Okay, if it's all about session hijacking, somebody comes in and takes over your session. What should you do? Obviously, tokens that have a time to die. I've been watching the Mission Impossible thing right. So Ethan Hunt, as he's pushing a button or doing whatever he says, this message will self-destruct. Same thing with recession you want them to self-destruct because you don't want someone to hijack them.

Speaker 2: 13:55 

Question 14, what is the most common vulnerability in federated identity systems? A using multi-factor authentication. B weak assertion validation. C strong cryptographic algorithms or D secure session management. So the answer is what is? Or? Well, the question again is what is the most common vulnerability in federated identity systems? And it is B weak assertion validation. So, again, these rely on assertions as part of the SAML right. This is to confirm the user's identity. These assertions, if they're not properly validated, attackers can forge them, obviously, and then gain unauthorized access. So it's an important part that you have strong assertion validation, not weak.

Speaker 2: 14:35 

Okay, the last question, the last melon what is the role of identity provider in a federated identity? Again, what is the role of an identity provider, or IDP, in federated identity? A it issues authentication tokens for users to access service providers. B it enforces network firewall rules. C it manages database storage. Or. D it generates session logs. What is the role of an identity provider in a federated identity? And the answer is A. It issues authentication tokens for users to access service providers. Okay, that is all I have for you today. I hope you guys got a lot out of it.

Speaker 2: 15:13 

Again, go to CISSP Cyber Training. Get access to my content. All of it is not that expensive. It will help you if you're passing the CISSP and on top of it, there's just really good stuff in there. I mean, you're dealing with a guy that's been doing security for a long time and the part is not about me. I want to pass that information on to you all Because you know what Getting in the security space there's so many opportunities there. But again, getting around security professionals, ones that understand the market, understand that world that is what you need to do. And again, I'm just trying to tell you I've done a lot of different things. I can help you in your security path and your security journey. Just go to CISSP Cyber Training and check it out. Also, go to ReduceCyberRiskcom. You can get access to my other site there. That's my consulting site if you need any sort of consulting services. No-transcript.