CISSP Identity and Access Management — 30 Questions

Question 1

Which statement about SAML 2.0 is correct?

Accepted Answer

SAML relies on browser redirects for SSO flows.. SAML 2.0 (specifically the Web Browser SSO Profile) relies on the user's browser to redirect the user-agent between the Service Provider (SP) and the Identity Provider (IdP) using bindings such as HTTP Redirect or HTTP POST. SAML uses XML (not JSON) for its assertions, supports both IdP-initiated and SP-initiated SSO flows, and is primarily designed for federated authentication (identity assertion) rather than fine-grained authorization.

Answer

SAML supports only IdP-initiated SSO.

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SAML uses JSON for its assertions.

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SAML is primarily used for authorization, not authentication.

Question 2

An organization is implementing Privileged Access Management (PAM). Which THREE of the following are common features of a PAM solution? (Select THREE)

Accepted Answer

Password vaulting. Common PAM features include password vaulting, just-in-time (JIT) access, and session recording/monitoring. Single Sign-On (SSO) and self-service password reset (SSPR) are general Identity and Access Management (IAM) features rather than core Privileged Access Management (PAM) capabilities.

Answer

Self-service password reset

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Break-glass access

Question 3

A company implements a policy requiring two different employees to approve a payment transaction. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Dual control. Separation of duties (SoD) prevents fraud by ensuring that a single person cannot initiate and complete a critical transaction alone. By requiring one employee to initiate the payment and another to approve it, the process is split, mitigating the risk of collusion and unauthorized transactions.

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Need-to-know

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Least privilege

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Two-person control

Question 4

An organization uses Active Directory and needs to enforce password complexity settings for all users in a specific department. What is the most efficient way to achieve this?

Accepted Answer

Use a script to set passwords for each user. In Active Directory, standard domain password policies can only be set at the domain level (typically via the Default Domain Policy). Linking a GPO to an OU to change password settings for domain users in that OU does not work; it only affects local accounts on the computers inside that OU. To enforce different password complexity settings for a specific department, you must use Fine-Grained Password Policies (FGPP) by creating a Password Settings Object (PSO) and applying it to a global security group containing the department's users.

Answer

Configure password settings in the user's individual properties

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Apply a Group Policy Object (GPO) to the OU containing the department's users

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Create a password policy in the Default Domain Policy

Question 5

Which of the following access control models allows the data owner to decide who can access their resources?

Accepted Answer

Discretionary Access Control (DAC). Discretionary Access Control (DAC) is the correct answer because it allows the data owner (the creator or custodian of the resource) to decide who can access their resources and at what privilege level. In DAC, access rights are assigned based on the owner's discretion, typically using Access Control Lists (ACLs) or owner-based permissions, as seen in file systems like NTFS or UNIX chmod.

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Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)

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Mandatory Access Control (MAC)

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Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Question 6

Which authentication factor type is a smart card?

Accepted Answer

Type 2 (something you have). A smart card is a Type 2 authentication factor because it falls under the 'something you have' category. The card itself is a physical device that stores a digital certificate or cryptographic key, which the user must possess to authenticate. Unlike knowledge-based or biometric factors, possession of the smart card is the core authentication mechanism, often combined with a PIN (Type 1) for two-factor authentication.

Answer

Somewhere you are

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Type 3 (something you are)

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Type 1 (something you know)

Question 7

An organization requires users to authenticate with a password and a one-time code sent to their mobile phone. This is an example of which authentication method?

Accepted Answer

Multi-factor authentication. Using two different types of factors (password - Type 1, OTP - Type 2) constitutes multi-factor authentication.

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Two-step verification

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Single-factor authentication

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Step-up authentication

Question 8

In Kerberos authentication, which component issues a Ticket Granting Ticket (TGT) after verifying the user's credentials?

Accepted Answer

Authentication Server (AS). The Authentication Server (AS) verifies the user's credentials and issues a TGT, which the user can then use to request service tickets from the TGS.

Answer

Domain Controller

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Ticket Granting Server (TGS)

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Key Distribution Center (KDC)

Question 9

An attacker who has compromised the Kerberos Key Distribution Center (KDC) could forge a Ticket Granting Ticket (TGT) to impersonate any user. This type of attack is known as:

Accepted Answer

Golden ticket attack. A golden ticket attack involves forging a TGT using the KRBTGT account hash, granting access to any resource in the domain.

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Silver ticket attack

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Pass-the-ticket attack

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Kerberos poisoning attack

Question 10

Which OAuth 2.0 grant type is recommended for a public client (e.g., single-page application) that cannot securely store a client secret?

Accepted Answer

Authorization code grant with PKCE. The authorization code grant with PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange) is designed for public clients to prevent interception of the authorization code.

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Resource owner password credentials grant

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Implicit grant

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Client credentials grant

Question 11

OpenID Connect (OIDC) extends OAuth 2.0 primarily by adding which capability?

Accepted Answer

User authentication. OpenID Connect (OIDC) is an identity layer built on top of OAuth 2.0 that primarily adds user authentication. While OAuth 2.0 provides authorization delegation (access tokens for resources), OIDC introduces an ID token (a JSON Web Token, JWT) that contains claims about the authenticated user, enabling the client to verify the user's identity. This is defined in the OIDC specification (OpenID Foundation) and is the key differentiator from plain OAuth 2.0.

Answer

Client credential management

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Authorization delegation

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Token introspection

Question 12

An organization is implementing identity management and wants to ensure that when an employee leaves, all access is promptly revoked. Which process is most directly responsible for removing accounts and access rights for a leaver?

Accepted Answer

Deprovisioning. Deprovisioning is the process of removing user accounts and access rights when an employee leaves the organization. It directly addresses the requirement to promptly revoke all access, ensuring that the former employee cannot authenticate or authorize any actions within the system. This process typically involves disabling or deleting the user object in the directory service (e.g., Active Directory) and removing associated permissions from all resources.

Answer

Privileged access management

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Access recertification

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Separation of duties

Question 13

A security analyst is reviewing access rights and discovers an active account belonging to a former employee who left six months ago. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Orphaned account. An orphaned account is one that remains active after the user has left the organization, posing a security risk.

Answer

Separation of duties violation

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Account lockout

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Privilege escalation

Question 14

In a Privileged Access Management (PAM) solution, which feature provides temporary elevation of privileges for specific tasks, reducing the risk of standing privileges?

Accepted Answer

Just-in-time (JIT) access. Just-in-time (JIT) access grants privileges only when needed, reducing the attack surface from permanent privileged accounts.

Answer

Password vaulting

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Break-glass account

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Session recording

Question 15

In LDAP, what does the Distinguished Name (DN) uniquely identify?

Accepted Answer

An entry in the directory. The DN is the unique identifier for an entry in the LDAP directory, consisting of a sequence of Relative Distinguished Names (RDNs).

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The root of the directory

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The schema of the directory

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A group within the directory

Question 16

Which access control model allows the owner of a resource to determine who can access it and what permissions they have?

Accepted Answer

Discretionary Access Control (DAC). Discretionary Access Control (DAC) allows the resource owner to control access at their discretion.

Answer

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

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Mandatory Access Control (MAC)

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Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)

Question 17

A security policy requires that a user cannot have both the ability to create purchase orders and approve invoices. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Separation of duties. Separation of Duties (SoD) is a control that prevents a single individual from performing conflicting duties, reducing the risk of fraud.

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Need-to-know

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Least privilege

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Job rotation

Question 18

A security architect is designing a Single Sign-On (SSO) solution for a web application that needs to support authentication and authorization. Which TWO of the following protocols are best suited for this purpose? (Select TWO)

Accepted Answer

OpenID Connect (OIDC). SAML 2.0 and OpenID Connect (OIDC) are both SSO protocols that provide authentication and authorization. OAuth 2.0 alone provides only authorization.

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Kerberos

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LDAP

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OAuth 2.0

Question 19

Which of the following is an example of a Type 2 authentication factor?

Accepted Answer

Smart card. A smart card is a Type 2 authentication factor because it falls under the category of 'something you have.' Type 2 factors are possession-based, meaning the user must physically possess the token to authenticate. Smart cards store cryptographic keys or certificates and require a card reader to present the credential, making them a classic example of a possession factor.

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Answer

Password

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Fingerprint

Question 20

A security administrator is configuring a system that requires users to provide a password and a one-time code from a hardware token. Which authentication method is being implemented?

Accepted Answer

Multi-factor authentication. Using two different factor types (password and hardware token) constitutes multi-factor authentication (MFA).

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Biometric authentication

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Step-up authentication

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Single-factor authentication