Free Cloud Security Alliance CCSK Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 10

TheShared Responsibility Modelin cloud computing establishes that:

Cloud providersare responsible for securing the underlyinginfrastructure, networking, and hardware.

Customers (organizations)are responsible for securingdata, identity and access management (IAM), encryption, and complianceobligations.

Data ownershipremainswith the customer, even though visibility into cloud infrastructure may belimited.

The major security challenge in cloud computing is thatorganizations lack full control over cloud infrastructurebut must still ensure that security policies align withregulatory requirements (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS).

This principle is outlined in:

CCSK v5 - Security Guidance v4.0, Domain 2 (Governance and Enterprise Risk Management)

Cloud Security Alliance’s (CSA) Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) - Data Security and Governance​.

Using IAM roles/identities provided by cloud providers instead of static secrets (like passwords or API keys) significantly reduces the risk of credential leakage. IAM roles enable dynamic and temporary credentials, meaning that they are automatically rotated and do not need to be manually stored or managed. This eliminates the need for hardcoding sensitive credentials into code or configuration files, which can often lead to accidental exposure or misuse if not properly secured.

Lowering storage costs is not a direct benefit of using IAM roles over static secrets. Facilitating data encryption is important for security, but IAM roles are not specifically focused on data encryption. Improving system performance is not a primary benefit of using IAM roles over static secrets. The main advantage is security-related, specifically the reduction in credential leakage risks.

TheCascade-and-filter approachis a method used in cloud security to handle incoming data logs efficiently. It prioritizes logs for threat detection byapplying multiple sequential filters, where each filter progressively narrows down the data. This approach helps in:

Layered threat detection:Early filters eliminate non-critical data, while subsequent filters perform more detailed analysis.

Efficient processing:Reduces the volume of data passed through advanced and resource-intensive filters.

Improved accuracy:Allows focusing on the most relevant security events.

For example, in a cloud environment, the first filter might check for known malicious IP addresses, the second might look for suspicious file types, and subsequent filters may perform behavioral analysis or anomaly detection.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

B. Parallel processing approach:This method processes logs simultaneously, not sequentially, and is less efficient for prioritizing threats.

C. Streamlined single-filter method:Uses a single filter for all data, which lacks depth and thoroughness in identifying complex threats.

D. Unfiltered bulk analysis:This approach is resource-intensive and inefficient, as it does not prioritize or filter logs.

“The best practice for virtual machine image creation is to use image factories and trusted repositories to ensure images are patched, hardened, and validated before deployment.”

— CSA Security Guidance v4.0 – Domain 7: Infrastructure Security

Cloud governance establishes controls and policies that align with the organization’s goals for security, compliance, and efficient management in the cloud. Reference: [Security Guidance v5, Domain 2 - Cloud Governance]

Privilege escalationis a majorcloud security riskbecause attackers can:

Gain administrative access to cloud environments.

Modify security configurations, disable logs, and exfiltrate sensitive data.

Expand the attack blast radius, compromising multiple cloud resources.

To mitigateidentity escalation threats, security teams must:

Implement strong IAM policies with least privilege access.

Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and Just-in-Time (JIT) access.

Monitor IAM logs for unusual privilege escalations and lateral movements.

This is detailed in:

CCSK v5 - Security Guidance v4.0, Domain 12 (Identity, Entitlement, and Access Management)

Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) - IAM Controls and Privilege Escalation Prevention​.