Secure-Software-Design WGU Secure Software Design (D487, KEO1) Exam Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

Option D best addresses security change management, here's why:

Focus on Change: The question directly asks about a modification to how remote administration is secured. This aligns with the core goal of security change management, which is to evaluate and control the security implications of changes to systems.

Security-Specific: The question is explicitly concerned with security, not general functionality or requirements.

Practical Aspect: Remote administration access is a frequent target for attackers, making it a common area for security change management scrutiny.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

CVSS scores are classified into severity levels based on numeric ranges. A base score of 9.9 falls within the Critical range (9.0–10.0), but after adjustment for temporal and environmental metrics, the score is 8.0, which falls into the High severity category (7.0–8.9). Therefore, the final rating assigned is High severity. Medium severity corresponds to scores between 4.0 and 6.9, and low severity is below 4.0. This scoring methodology is defined by the FIRST Common Vulnerability Scoring System v3.1 Specification which guides how scores are adjusted to reflect real-world risk contexts.

Penetration testing is an activity where a simulated attack is performed on a software product to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. It is a proactive and authorized attempt to evaluate the security of an IT infrastructure by safely trying to exploit system vulnerabilities, including OS, service and application flaws, improper configurations, and risky end-user behavior. In the context of the Ship phase of the Security Development Lifecycle (SDL), penetration testing is conducted as a final check to uncover any potential security issues that might have been missed during previous phases. This ensures that the software product is robust and secure before it is released.

Data integrity requirements within a privacy impact statement ensure that personal information is maintained in an accurate and up-to-date manner. This involves establishing processes to regularly review and update personal data, as well as correct any inaccuracies. These requirements are crucial for maintaining the trustworthiness of the data and ensuring that decisions made based on this information are sound and reliable.

The secure coding best practice that emphasizes treating all incoming data as untrusted and subjecting it to validation is known as input validation. This practice is crucial for ensuring that a system only processes valid, clean data, thereby preventing many types of vulnerabilities, such as SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and buffer overflows, which can arise from maliciously crafted inputs.

Input validation involves verifying that the data meets certain criteria before it is processed by the system. This includes checking for the correct data type, length, format, and range. It also involves sanitizing the data to ensure that it does not contain any potentially harmful elements that could lead to security breaches.

A centralized input validation routine is recommended for the entire application, which helps in maintaining consistency and effectiveness in the validation process. This routine should be implemented on a trusted system, typically server-side, to prevent tampering or bypassing of the validation logic.

It’s important to classify all data sources into trusted and untrusted categories and to apply rigorous validation to all data from untrusted sources, such as user input, databases, file streams, and network interfaces.

By adhering to the input validation best practice, developers can significantly reduce the attack surface of their applications and protect against a wide array of common security threats.

Dynamic analysis is a security testing method that involves analyzing the behavior of software while it is running or in execution. It is most commonly executed during the testing phase of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). This type of analysis is used to detect issues that might not be visible in the code’s static state, such as runtime errors and memory leaks. Automated tools are employed to perform dynamic analysis, which can simulate attacks on the application and identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious actors.

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation From Exact Extract:

The team is in the Assess phase of penetration testing. This phase involves actively testing the software, identifying vulnerabilities, and documenting findings with recommendations. Receiving a report detailing a discovered flaw confirms that testing has been conducted and results are being evaluated. The Identify (A) phase involves defining scope and targets, Evaluate and Plan (B) covers planning test activities, and Deploy (C) refers to executing the test environment setup. The OWASP Penetration Testing Guide and NIST SP 800-115 clarify that assessment includes vulnerability discovery and documentation.

Comprehensive and Detailed In-Depth Explanation:

ISO/IEC 27001 is an international standard that outlines the requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving an information security management system (ISMS). Achieving ISO 27001 certification demonstrates an organization's commitment to information security and provides assurance to customers and stakeholders that security best practices are in place.

In the context of the software development life cycle (SDLC), post-release certifications refer to obtaining formal certifications, such as ISO 27001, after a product has been developed and released. This process involves a comprehensive assessment of the organization's information security practices to ensure they align with the standards set forth by ISO 27001. The certification process typically includes:

Gap Analysis: Evaluating existing information security measures against ISO 27001 requirements to identify areas needing improvement.

Implementation: Addressing identified gaps by implementing necessary policies, procedures, and controls.

Internal Audit: Conducting internal audits to verify the effectiveness of the ISMS and readiness for external assessment.

External Audit: Engaging an accredited certification body to perform a thorough evaluation, leading to certification if compliance is demonstrated.

By pursuing ISO 27001 certification post-release, the company aims to enhance its security posture, comply with international standards, and build trust with its customer base.