Free WGU Cybersecurity-Architecture-and-Engineering Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 7

Application Software:

Application software refers to programs that help end users perform specific tasks. Examples include email clients, word processors, and spreadsheet programs.

These are designed to be used by people to perform tasks such as writing documents, managing data, or communicating.

Operating Systems:

Operating systems (OS) manage the hardware and software resources of a computer system. They provide a platform for application software to run.

Examples include Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux. The OS handles system-level tasks like memory management, process scheduling, and hardware interaction.

Key Differences:

Application software (B, C) is user-oriented, aimed at helping users complete tasks.

Operating systems (A, D) manage the computer's hardware and system resources.

Anoperating system (OS)is a system software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs.

It serves as an intermediary between users and the computer hardware.

Key functionsof an OS include:

Managinghardware resourceslike the CPU, memory, and I/O devices.

Providing auser interface(UI) for interaction with the system.

File managementand handling file operations.

Process managementand multitasking.

Securityand access control.

Examples include Windows, Linux, and macOS.

Aproprietary software licensetypically grants a business or user theright to usethe software.

Unlike open-source licenses, proprietary licenses do not usually allow modification, redistribution, or reverse engineering.

The software remains the property of the company that created it, and the licensee is only granted specific, limited rights.

Examples:Many enterprise software applications come with proprietary licenses that specify the terms of use.

The correct answer is A — Homomorphic encryption.

According to WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488), homomorphic encryption allows computations to be performed directly on encrypted data without needing to decrypt it first. This ensures the confidentiality of the data even during processing.

SFE (B) allows two parties to jointly compute a function without revealing inputs but is not the same. SSL (C) secures communication channels. PIR (D) is for retrieving information privately, not computing on encrypted data.

Reference Extract from Study Guide:

"Homomorphic encryption allows operations on encrypted data, enabling secure processing by third parties without exposing underlying data."

— WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488), Advanced Encryption Techniques

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AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)is a symmetric block cipher approved by NIST for protecting sensitive data, includingelectronic protected health information (ePHI). It is the recommended encryption method underHIPAA compliance guidelines.

NIST FIPS 197 (Advanced Encryption Standard - AES):

“AES is a symmetric cipher used to protect sensitive electronic data and is approved for use in securing government and healthcare systems.”

WEP is outdated, SMTP is a protocol for email, and RSA is better suited for key exchange, not bulk data encryption.

????WGU Course Alignment:

Domain:Cryptography and Compliance

Topic:Use NIST-approved encryption (AES) for healthcare data under HIPAA

The correct answer is C — Obfuscating error messages on the site or within the uniform resource locator (URL).

WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488) states that minimizing the information revealed through error messages and URLs prevents attackers from gathering reconnaissance information that could be used to exploit vulnerabilities.

HTTPS (A and B) protects data in transit but does not conceal server details. PCI-DSS certification (D) improves overall security but is not focused specifically on information disclosure during a redesign.

Reference Extract from Study Guide:

"Obfuscating detailed error messages and removing revealing information in URLs help prevent attackers from gaining reconnaissance data that could be used in targeted attacks."

— WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488), Web Application Security

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The correct answer is D — Likelihood.

WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488) emphasizes that when evaluating the chance of future incidents, the focus should be on likelihood — the probability that a threat will exploit a vulnerability again. Given that a breach has already occurred, it is important to assess how likely another breach could happen without additional security measures.

Impact (A) measures consequences, not probability. Risk (B) is a combination of impact and likelihood, but to specifically focus on future potential, likelihood (D) is primary. Threat actors (C) describe adversaries, not probabilities.

Reference Extract from Study Guide:

"Likelihood refers to the probability that a specific threat will successfully exploit a vulnerability, and is a key consideration in predicting future incidents."

— WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488), Risk Assessment Concepts

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Arelational databaseis structured to recognize relations among stored items of information.

Multiple tablesin a relational database can have interrelated fields.

These relationships are often managed throughforeign keys, which reference the primary keys of other tables.

This relational model allows for complex queries and data integrity across the database.

Example:Tables such asCustomers,Orders, andProductsin a sales database, whereOrderstable may reference bothCustomersandProductstables to establish relationships.

The correct answer is D — Open Authorization (OAuth).

According to the WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488) Study Guide, OAuth is the standard protocol used for authorizing access to third-party applications without revealing user credentials. It allows users to log in using social identity providers like Google, Facebook, or LinkedIn, which is perfect for external customers and contractors accessing a mobile application. OAuth is designed for modern applications requiring delegated access.

SAML (A) is generally used for enterprise single sign-on (SSO) solutions, primarily for internal enterprise authentication, not social login. Kerberos (B) is used within controlled internalnetwork environments for authentication. LDAP (C) is a directory access protocol, not an authorization protocol for third-party sign-in.

Reference Extract from Study Guide:

"OAuth enables users to grant a third-party application limited access to their resources withoutexposing their credentials, making it ideal for mobile and web applications involving external users."

— WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488), Authentication and Authorization Concepts

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