CAS-004 Security Architecture — 10 Questions

Question 1

A company is implementing a zero trust architecture. Which of the following BEST describes the principle of micro-segmentation in this model?

Accepted Answer

Isolating workloads at the virtual network interface level with granular security policies. Micro-segmentation creates isolated zones for each workload, enabling granular security policies that restrict lateral movement even within the same network segment.

Answer

Creating a single perimeter around the entire network

Answer

Using VLANs to separate departments

Answer

Implementing a VPN for remote access

Question 2

An organization is adopting a cloud-first strategy and wants to ensure proper security responsibilities are understood. Which concept defines the division of security responsibilities between the cloud provider and the customer?

Accepted Answer

Shared responsibility model. The shared responsibility model defines which security tasks are handled by the provider (e.g., physical security) and which by the customer (e.g., data access).

Answer

Zero trust

Answer

Software-defined perimeter

Answer

Defense in depth

Question 3

A security architect is designing a hybrid cloud environment with workloads in AWS and on-premises. The architect needs to ensure secure, low-latency connectivity between the two environments without traversing the internet. Which solution should be used?

Accepted Answer

AWS Direct Connect. AWS Direct Connect provides dedicated private network connectivity from on-premises to AWS, offering low latency and security without internet exposure.

Answer

Site-to-site VPN over the internet

Answer

AWS Client VPN

Answer

AWS Transit Gateway with internet gateway

Question 4

A company is deploying a cloud access security broker (CASB) to gain visibility into shadow IT. Which mode of operation would allow the CASB to inspect traffic without requiring proxy configuration on endpoints?

Accepted Answer

API-based mode. API-based mode uses cloud provider APIs to access logs and metadata, providing visibility without inline traffic interception or endpoint changes.

Answer

Reverse proxy mode

Answer

Inline mode

Answer

Forward proxy mode

Question 5

A security analyst needs to ensure that only authorized containers run in a Kubernetes cluster. Which Kubernetes native security control should be configured?

Accepted Answer

Pod Security Policies. Pod Security Policies (or Pod Security Admission) enforce security standards for pods, such as preventing privileged containers.

Answer

Secrets management

Answer

Network policies

Answer

RBAC

Question 6

An organization is concerned about quantum computer attacks on its current cryptographic infrastructure. Which of the following NIST-approved post-quantum cryptographic algorithms is designed for key encapsulation?

Accepted Answer

CRYSTALS-Kyber. CRYSTALS-Kyber is a key encapsulation mechanism (KEM) selected by NIST for post-quantum cryptography.

Answer

RSA-4096

Answer

ECDHE

Answer

CRYSTALS-Dilithium

Question 7

During a security assessment, a penetration tester discovers that a web application fails to validate the size of user input, leading to a buffer overflow. Which application security control would have BEST prevented this vulnerability?

Accepted Answer

Input validation. Input validation ensures that data conforms to expected formats and sizes, preventing malformed input from causing overflows.

Answer

Static application security testing (SAST)

Answer

Web application firewall (WAF)

Answer

Rate limiting

Question 8

An organization wants to enforce that only signed container images are deployed in production. Which of the following should be implemented?

Accepted Answer

Image signing and verification in the registry. Image scanning verifies signatures and checks for vulnerabilities; however, to enforce only signed images, the registry must require signature verification.

Answer

Network policies

Answer

Container runtime security (e.g., seccomp)

Answer

Admission controllers

Question 9

A company is deploying a SASE architecture. Which component is responsible for securing web traffic and enforcing acceptable use policies at the edge?

Accepted Answer

Secure Web Gateway (SWG). A Secure Web Gateway (SWG) is a core SASE function that filters web traffic and enforces security policies like URL filtering and malware detection.

Answer

Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA)

Answer

Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)

Answer

SD-WAN

Question 10

A security architect is designing a PKI for a large enterprise. Which component is used to protect private keys and perform cryptographic operations in a tamper-resistant environment?

Accepted Answer

Hardware Security Module (HSM). A hardware security module (HSM) provides secure generation, storage, and management of cryptographic keys in a tamper-resistant device.

Answer

Certificate Revocation List (CRL)

Answer

Key Management Service (KMS)

Answer

Certificate Authority (CA)