Free WGU Secure-Software-Design Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 2

The secure coding best practice that requires authentication before allowing any files to be uploaded, and limits the types of files to only those needed for the business purpose, falls under the category of File Management. This practice is crucial for preventing unauthorized file uploads, which can be a common vector for attacks such as uploading malicious files or scripts. By enforcing authentication, the application ensures that only legitimate users can upload files. Additionally, restricting the file types to those necessary for business operations minimizes the risk of uploading potentially harmful files that could compromise the system.

References:

OWASP Secure Coding Practices1

File Upload Security Best Practices | CodeHandbook2

File Upload Protection – 10 Best Practices for Preventing … - OPSWAT3

Manual peer review refers to the systematic examination of software source code by developers other than the original author. This practice is recognized as a valuable tool for reducing software defects and improving the quality of software projects. It involves developers inspecting the code to find and fix mistakes overlooked in the initial development phase, which enhances both the overall quality of software and the developers’ skills. Peer code review is less formal and more “lightweight” than the code inspections performed in the past, and it provides benefits such as knowledge transfer, increased team awareness, and creation of alternative solutions to problems.

References:

Expectations, Outcomes, and Challenges Of Modern Code Review1

Introduction to Software Engineering/Quality/Code Review2

Software Security during Modern Code Review: The Developer’s Perspective3

A threat profile is a security assessment deliverable that identifies possible security vulnerabilities in a product. It involves a systematic examination of the product to uncover any weaknesses that could potentially be exploited by threats. The process typically includes identifying the assets that need protection, assessing the threats to those assets, and evaluating the vulnerabilities that could be exploited by those threats. This deliverable is crucial for understanding the security posture of a product and for prioritizing remediation efforts.

References: The importance of a threat profile in identifying security vulnerabilities is supported by various security resources. For instance, Future Processing’s blog on vulnerability assessments outlines the steps involved in identifying security vulnerabilities, which align with the creation of a threat profile1. Additionally, UpGuard’s article on conducting vulnerability assessments further emphasizes the role of identifying vulnerabilities as part of the security assessment process2.

The software control test that examines an application from a user perspective by providing a wide variety of input scenarios and inspecting the output is known as black box testing. This testing method focuses on the functionality of the application rather than its internal structures or workings. Testers provide inputs and examine outputs without knowing how and where the inputs are worked upon. It’s designed to test the system’s external behavior.

Black box testing is used to verify that the system meets the requirements and behaves as expected in various scenarios, including edge cases and incorrect input data. It helps in identifying discrepancies between the system’s actual functionality and its specified requirements.

This type of testing is applicable across various levels of software testing, including unit, integration, system, and acceptance testing. It is particularly useful for validating user stories and use cases during the software development process.

Since black box testing treats the software as a “black box”, it does not require the tester to have knowledge of the programming languages or the system’s implementation. This allows testers to objectively test the software’s behavior and performance.

References: The concept of black box testing is well-documented and is a standard practice in secure software design, as outlined by sources such as LambdaTest1 and other industry best practices.

The type of threat described is Tampering. This threat occurs when an attacker intercepts and manipulates data being sent from the client to the server, such as form data being submitted to an API. The attacker may alter the data to change the intended operation, inject malicious content, or compromise the integrity of the system. Tampering attacks are a significant concern in secure software design because they can lead to unauthorized changes and potentially harmful actions within the application.

References:

Understanding the different types of API attacks and their prevention1.

Comprehensive guide on API security and threat mitigation2.

Detailed analysis of Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks and their impact on API security3.

The issue described involves a PATCH request causing an unhandled server exception because the API does not support this method. The most direct and effective way to prevent such exceptions is to ensure that the API is configured to accept only the supported request methods: GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE. This can be achieved by implementing strict input validation to reject any requests that do not conform to the defined API specifications, including the request method. By doing so, any requests using unsupported methods like PATCH will be immediately rejected, thus preventing the server from reaching an exception state.

References:

OWASP’s guidance on error and exception handling emphasizes the importance of managing exceptions in a centralized manner and ensuring that all unexpected behavior is correctly handled within the application1.

Additional best practices for error handling in software development suggest the significance of input validation and the implementation of defensive programming techniques to prevent errors2.

The OWASP Foundation also highlights the principle that all security mechanisms should deny access until specifically granted, which supports the approach of configuring acceptable API requests3.

An intercept proxy, also known as a proxy server, sits between a web client (such as a browser) and an external server to filter, monitor, or manipulate the requests and responses passing through it. This can be used for legitimate purposes, such as security testing and user privacy, but it can also be exploited by attackers to alter web traffic in a way that the developer did not intend, potentially leading to security vulnerabilities.

References:

Understanding of HTTP and HTTPS protocols12.

Definition and role of proxy servers3.

Security testing reports are the most likely deliverables to contain detailed records of evaluations, their frequency, and re-evaluations. Here's why:

Purpose of Security Testing Reports: These reports document the results of security testing, including:

Types of tests: Vulnerability scans, penetration tests, code reviews, etc.

Frequency: How often tests were conducted (e.g., per build, per release cycle).

Re-evaluations: If vulnerabilities were discovered, these reports will track whether and how often those were retested after remediation.

Focus on Testing: The question specifically emphasizes evaluations, which aligns with the core content of security testing reports.