CND Application And Data Protection Practice Question
A security analyst is hardening an enterprise Microsoft Exchange email server and needs to prevent Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) and insecure deserialization attacks targeting Exchange web components. Which security control or update management practice is most critical?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Applying the latest Microsoft Exchange Cumulative Updates (CUs) and security patches
Applying the latest cumulative updates (CUs) and security patches provided by Microsoft Exchange team is critical because Exchange vulnerabilities like ProxyLogon and ProxyShell stem from unpatched Exchange web services.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configuring an IIS URL Rewrite rule to block GET requests
Why it's wrong here
Blocking GET requests breaks legitimate email client web connections.
- ✗
Disabling Outlook Web Access (OWA) entirely for all users
Why it's wrong here
Disabling OWA impacts business operations; patching is the correct mitigation.
- ✗
Enabling Basic Authentication across all virtual directories
Why it's wrong here
Basic Authentication transmits credentials in cleartext unless paired with strict HTTPS, and does not mitigate SSRF.
- ✓
Applying the latest Microsoft Exchange Cumulative Updates (CUs) and security patches
Why this is correct
Vendor patches are the primary remediation for software flaws like SSRF and deserialization in Exchange.
About these practice questions
One of 323 original CND practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed August 2026 · checked against the official EC-Council exam blueprint
This CND practice question is part of Courseiva's free EC-Council certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CND exam.