Certified Secure Software Development Professional (CSSDP) | Testing Methodologies

Assessor Methodology for Circumventing Information System Security Features

Question

In which of the following testing methodologies do assessors use all available documentation and work under no constraints, and attempt to circumvent the security features of an information system?

Answers

Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

and the amount of business impact of a successful exploit, if discovered.

It is a component of a full security audit.

Answer: C is incorrect.

A paper test is the least.

A penetration testing is a method of evaluating the security of a computer system or network by simulating an attack from a malicious source.

The process involves an active analysis of the system for any potential vulnerabilities that may result from poor or improper system configuration, known or unknown hardware or software flaws, or operational weaknesses in process or technical countermeasures.

This analysis is carried out from the position of a potential attacker, and can involve active exploitation of security vulnerabilities.

Any security issues that are found will be presented to the system owner together with an assessment of their impact and often with a proposal for mitigation or a technical solution.

The intent of a penetration test is to determine feasibility of an attack complex test in the disaster recovery and business continuity testing approaches.

In this test, the BCP/DRP plan documents are distributed to the appropriate managers and BCP/DRP team members for review, markup, and comment.

This approach helps the auditor to ensure that the plan is complete and that all team continuity and disaster recovery process.

In this testing methodology, appropriate managers and BCP/DRP team members discuss and walk through procedures members and participants in the disaster recovery and business continuity process.

This full operation test involves the mobilization of personnel.

It restores operations in the same manner as an outage or disaster would.

The full operational test extends the preparedness test by including actual notification, mobilization of resources, processing of data, and utilization of backup media for restoration.

The testing methodology in which assessors use all available documentation and work under no constraints, attempting to circumvent the security features of an information system is called a Penetration Test (Option B).

A Penetration Test, also known as a Pen Test, is a simulated cyber attack on a computer system, network, or web application to identify security weaknesses that could be exploited by attackers. In this methodology, security experts, often referred to as "ethical hackers," attempt to exploit vulnerabilities in the system to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information, data or functionality.

During a Penetration Test, assessors simulate various attacks on the system, including attempts to bypass firewalls, gain access to privileged accounts, and exploit vulnerabilities in the application code or operating system. The assessors can use a variety of tools and techniques to test the system's security, including network scanning, vulnerability scanning, and social engineering.

Unlike other testing methodologies, such as the Walk-through Test (Option D) or the Paper Test (Option C), a Penetration Test is a real-world simulation of an attack, conducted in a controlled environment, but with the goal of providing a realistic view of the system's security posture.

In summary, the correct answer to the question is B. Penetration test, which is a testing methodology used by security experts to simulate cyber-attacks on computer systems, networks or web applications, with the goal of identifying vulnerabilities and improving security.