Free Cloud Security Alliance CCSK Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 7

The shared responsibility model is a key concept in cloud security. According to the CSA Security Guidance v4.0, Domain 1, Section 1.2.1, the responsibility for security is shared between the cloud provider and the customer, depending on the service model (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS).

Specifically:

"Infrastructure as a Service: Just like PaaS, the provider is responsible for foundational security, while the cloud user is responsible for everything they build on the infrastructure."

"At a high level, security responsibility maps to the degree of control any given actor has over the architecture stack."

This means the cloud provider handles the physical security (data center, servers, etc.), while the customer is responsible for securing the workloads they deploy on the infrastructure, such as their applications, data, configurations, and access controls.

Incorrect Options:

B is incorrect because providers do not manage your workload or data security.

C is false – both parties share responsibilities.

D is incorrect because customers do not manage the cloud’s physical infrastructure.

Updating forensics tools for virtual machines (VMs) and containers is critical because cloud environments can differ significantly from traditional on-premises environments. As cloud technologies evolve, it is important to ensure that forensic tools are compatible with the latest cloud infrastructure, such as VMs, containers, and serverless architectures. Thisensures that the tools can effectively collect, analyze, and preserve evidence in the event of a security incident, allowing for accurate and efficient incident analysis.

Complying with cloud service level agreements (SLAs)) is not the primary reason for updating forensics tools, although some SLAs may require certain levels of incident response capabilities. Streamlining communication with cloud service providers and customers) is important, but the primary concern is the ability to analyze incidents, not just communication. Increasing the speed of incident response team deployments) is a consideration, but ensuring the tools are up to date and compatible is the main priority for effective incident analysis.

The management plane is used for governing and configuring cloud resources and is considered a top priority in cloud security programs. It provides the tools and interfaces for administrators to manage, configure, and control cloud resources, such as virtual machines, storage, and networking. It is critical to secure the management plane because it often has access to sensitive configurations and the ability to modify cloud environments, making it a prime target for attacks.

Management Console is an interface that interacts with the management plane, but it is not the underlying system for governance and configuration. Orchestrators are used to automate the management and deployment of cloud resources but are not the primary component for governing andsecuring cloud environments. Abstraction layer refers to the layer that hides the complexity of underlying infrastructure, but it does not directly govern or configure cloud resources.

Managing identities across multiple cloud providers is complex due to the need for scalability, interoperability, and consistent access control. Thefederationapproach is commonly used to address this challenge. Identity federation allows organizations to use a single set of credentials across different cloud providers by leveraging standards such as SAML, OAuth, or OpenID Connect. This enables seamless authentication and authorization without requiring separate identity management systems for each provider.

From theCCSK v5.0 Study Guide, Domain 6 (Identity, Entitlement, and Access Management), Section 6.3:

“Identity federation is a critical approach for managing identities in cloud environments, especially when scaling across multiple providers. Federation allows organizations to use a trusted identity provider (IdP) to authenticate users, enabling single sign-on (SSO) and consistent access control across disparate cloud services.”

Option C (Federation) is the correct answer.

Option A (Decentralization) is incorrect because decentralizing identity management increases complexity and reduces consistency across providers.

Option B (Centralization) is incorrect because, while centralized identity management may be used within a single organization, it does not scale effectively across multiple cloud providers without federation.

Option D (Outsourcing) is incorrect because outsourcing identity management does not inherently address the scalability and interoperability challenges of cloud environments.

In a cloud environment, orchestration automates the provisioning and management of various cloud resources, including virtual machines (VMs), networking, storage, and other infrastructure components. Cloud orchestration involves the use of software to coordinate and automate tasks that would otherwise require manual intervention, improving efficiency, scalability, and consistency across the environment.

Monitoring application performance is typically handled by monitoring tools, not orchestration. Manual configuration of security policies is something that can be automated through policy management but is not the focus of orchestration. Installation of operating systems is part of provisioning resources, but orchestration primarily focuses on automating the overall management of infrastructure and services, not just the installation of operating systems.

Cloud Infrastructure Entitlement Management (CIEM) is primarily designed togovern access to cloud resources. It addresses the challenges of managing user entitlements and permissions across multi-cloud and hybrid environments. CIEM solutions help organizations manageidentity and access rights, particularly in complex cloud infrastructures where multiple services and user roles are involved.

The primary functions of CIEM include:

Access Governance:Ensuring that the right users have the appropriate level of access to cloud resources.

Least Privilege Enforcement:Automatically identifying and eliminating excessive permissions.

Access Monitoring and Auditing:Continuously tracking permission usage to detect unusual patterns or risks.

Identity Lifecycle Management:Managing the creation, modification, and revocation of identities and their associated permissions.

Why CIEM is Important:

As cloud environments scale, manual management of user roles and permissions becomes unmanageable and prone to errors. CIEM tools automate this process, providingvisibility and control over cloud entitlementsto minimize the risk ofprivilege escalation and unauthorized access.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Monitoring network traffic:This falls under network security monitoring and is not related to entitlement management.

B. Deploying cloud services:This involves cloud orchestration and provisioning, not entitlement management.

D. Managing software licensing:CIEM is not concerned with license management, which is handled by software asset management tools.

A Service Registry lists approved services, making it easy for teams to find and integrate compliant services. Reference: [CCSK Knowledge Guide, Domain 3 - Risk and Compliance Tools]