Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A team deploys an e-commerce application on an IaaS virtual machine. The cloud provider secures the datacenter, hardware, and hypervisor. The company wants to reduce the chance that attackers exploit outdated software on the VM itself. Which responsibility remains with the company?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
Replace the cloud provider’s physical security controls with on-site guards.
Physical security for the datacenter is part of the provider’s responsibility in this model. The company cannot practically replace that control inside the IaaS service, and it does not address software vulnerabilities on the guest VM.
B
Best answer
Patch and harden the guest operating system and application running on the VM.
In IaaS, the organization is responsible for the guest OS and everything above it, including applications and configuration. If attackers may exploit outdated software on the VM, the company must handle patching, hardening, and secure configuration of that environment.
C
Distractor review
Install new firmware on the physical host server maintained by the provider.
The host hardware and underlying infrastructure are managed by the cloud provider. The customer typically does not patch provider-owned firmware or directly maintain the physical servers in an IaaS environment.
D
Distractor review
Set the data center’s perimeter access badge policy.
Badge policies for the provider’s facilities are also the provider’s responsibility. Changing them would not mitigate the VM-level risk created by outdated operating system or application software.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A laptop is suspected of being used in a malware incident. It is still powered on and connected to Wi-Fi. What should the responder do before shutting it down?
Question 2
An employee reports a ransomware note on a file server. The server is still powered on, shares are still being accessed, and management wants service restored as quickly as possible. What should the incident response team do first?
Question 3
An employee reports a ransomware note on a finance laptop. The laptop is still powered on, connected to Wi-Fi, and the user says they were just working in a spreadsheet. Management wants the fastest safe response that also preserves evidence. What should the responder do first?
Question 4
You are handed a company laptop suspected in an insider theft case. Legal says the evidence may be needed in court. Which action best preserves admissibility?
Question 5
A developer wants to reduce the risk of SQL injection in a new customer search form. Which two changes are the best mitigations? Select two.
Question 6
A branch office uses a flat LAN, and a compromise on one user workstation could spread quickly to finance systems. Management wants finance workstations isolated from general users, but finance staff still need access to a central finance application and network printer. What is the best design change?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SY0-701 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Patch and harden the guest operating system and application running on the VM. — For an IaaS workload, the organization is responsible for the guest operating system, application stack, and configuration choices running inside the virtual machine. Since the risk is outdated software on the VM itself, the right action is to patch and harden that guest environment. The cloud provider handles the physical facility, host hardware, and hypervisor, but not the software installed above that layer. Why others are wrong: Physical security, host firmware, and facility badge controls belong to the provider in this model. Those controls are important, but they do not address vulnerabilities inside the customer-managed VM. The question is specifically about software on the guest system, so the company must act there.
What should I do if I get this SY0-701 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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