Which of the following are the most often associated with a security misconfiguration threat?

Which of the following are the most often associated with a security misconfiguration threat?

Security misconfigurations are security controls that are inaccurately configured or left insecure, putting your systems and data at risk. Basically, any poorly documented configuration changes, default settings, or a technical issue across any component in your endpoints could lead to a misconfiguration.

How to prevent security misconfigurations?

If vulnerabilities are the gateway to the network, it's the misconfigurations that attackers leverage to worm their way to the intended targets. Security misconfigurations are not hard to fix, but they are unavoidable in an enterprise operating at scale. Finding them is a needle in the haystack, as they can be located across any component in an organization’s systems, such as its servers, operating systems, applications, and browsers. Lack of visibility and centralized means to remediate misconfigurations makes organizations fall victim to misconfiguration attacks.

Watch the video below to learn how Vulnerability Manager Plus' comprehensive security configuration management feature helps continuously monitor, remediate, regulate, and report on security misconfigurations in your network.

Catalog of security misconfigurations that can be remediated with Vulnerability Manager Plus

Windows Firewall hardening

Share Permission Management

Chrome Security Hardening

Internet Explorer Hardening

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Frequently asked questions about security misconfigurations

Why do security misconfiguration occur?

A misconfiguration can occur for a myriad of reasons. Modern network infrastructures are exceedingly complex and characterized by constant change; organizations can easily overlook crucial security settings, including new network equipment that might retain default configurations. Even if you've provisioned secure configurations for your endpoints, you should still audit configurations and security controls frequently to identify the inevitable configuration drift. Systems change, new equipment is brought into the network, patches are applied—all contributing to misconfigurations.

Moreover, developers might write flexible firewall rules and create network shares for convenience while building software and leave them unchanged. Sometimes administrators allow configuration changes for testing or troubleshooting purposes and forget to revert to the original state. Also, it’s not uncommon for employees to temporarily disable their anti-virus when it overrides certain actions, like running installers, then forget to re-enable it later. In fact, 21 percent of endpoints have outdated anti-virus/anti-malware.

What are the impacts of security misconfiguration?

Are there users in your network who don't change their password? Do your users have administrative privileges by default? Have you enforced secure authentication protocols across your network systems yet? Are you aware of these and other security misconfigurations?

If you're not able to answer these questions, you should re-evaluate your cyberhygiene practices. A simple flaw, like a default password or an open share, can be leveraged by an attacker to thwart an organization's security efforts. High-profile vulnerabilities and zero-days will rear their ugly heads from time to time, so it's necessary to ensure your organization has a secure foundation so it doesn't fall apart from a single vulnerability. Take, for instance, the infamous WannaCry ransomware; it could've easily been prevented from spreading across a network before Microsoft came up with a fix, just by disabling the SMBv1 protocol and setting the firewall rule to block port 445. All this emphasizes the fact that you need to continually maintain secure configurations in your endpoints to ensure a secure foundation.

Last updated 4 Aug 11

Course Title: OWASP Top 10 Threats and Mitigation Exam Questions - Single Select

1) Which of the following consequences is most likely to occur due to an injection attack?

  1. Spoofing
  2. Cross-site request forgery
  3. Denial of service Correct
  4. Insecure direct object references

2) Your application is created using a language that does not support a clear distinction between code and data. Which vulnerability is most likely to occur in your application?

  1. Injection Correct
  2. Insecure direct object references
  3. Failure to restrict URL access
  4. Insufficient transport layer protection

3) Which of the following scenarios is most likely to cause an injection attack?

  1. Unvalidated input is embedded in an instruction stream. Correct
  2. Unvalidated input can be distinguished from valid instructions.
  3. A Web application does not validate a client’s access to a resource.
  4. A Web action performs an operation on behalf of the user without checking a shared secret.

4) A user is able to pass malicious input that invokes control codes in your Web application. Which vulnerability is most likely to occur in your Web application?

  1. Injection Correct
  2. Insecure direct object references
  3. Failure to restrict URL access
  4. Insufficient transport layer protection

5) Which of the following is the best way to protect against injection attacks?

  1. SQL queries based on user input
  2. Input validation using an allow list Correct
  3. Memory size checks
  4. Validate integer values before referencing arrays

6) Which of the following is most vulnerable to injection attacks?

  1. Session IDs
  2. Registry keys
  3. Regular expressions Correct
  4. Server configuration files

7) Which character is most likely to be used for an SQL injection attack?

  1. Single quote (') Correct
  2. Null (\0) byte
  3. Less than sign(<)
  4. Greater than sign(>)

8) Which mitigation technique can help you strictly define valid input?

  1. Allow list Correct
  2. Memory size checks
  3. Table indirection
  4. Escaping

9) Which of the following architecture-level techniques are the best approaches to prevent attacks based on malicious input?

  1. Allow list
  2. Table indirection Correct
  3. Escaping
  4. Memory size checks

10) Which mitigation technique helps you tell the parser that a specific character is a literal and not a control character?

  1. Table indirection
  2. Allow list
  3. Escaping Correct
  4. Block list

11) State whether the following statement is True or False. You should use a blacklist wherever possible; use whitelists only as a secondary defense.

  1. True
  2. False Correct

12) Which of the following is the best way to define disallowed inputs?

  1. Allow list
  2. Block list Correct
  3. Table indirection
  4. Escaping

13) Which of the following are injection attacks?

  1. Cross-site scripting Correct
  2. Cross-site request forgery
  3. Insecure direct object references
  4. Broken authentication and session management

14) Which of the following languages are the primary targets of cross-site scripting?

  1. HTML Correct
  2. SQL
  3. XSLT
  4. XPath

15) Which of the following attacks occurs when a malicious user convinces a victim to send a request to a server with malicious input and the server echoes the input back to client?

  1. Reflected XSS Correct
  2. Persistent XSS
  3. Insecure direct object references
  4. Failure to restrict URL access

16) Which of the following is the best way to prevent a DOM-based XSS attack?

  1. Set the HttpOnly flag in cookies
  2. Ensure that session IDs are not exposed in a URL
  3. Ensure that a different nonce is created for each request
  4. Validate any input that comes from another Web site Correct

17) How does malicious input flow in a DOM-based XSS?

  1. From server to client
  2. From client to itself Correct
  3. From attacker to server
  4. From victim to server

18) Which of the following is the best way to prevent malicious input exploiting your application?

  1. Input validation using an allow List Correct
  2. Using encryption
  3. Using table indirection
  4. Using GET/POST parameters

19) You should set the HttpOnly flag in a cookie to ensure that:

  1. The cookie is not available to client scripts. Correct
  2. The cookie is deleted when the user closes the browser.
  3. The cookie is sent over an encrypted channel.
  4. The cookie is a persistent cookie.

20) You should set a secure flag in a cookie to ensure that:

  1. The cookie is a persistent cookie.
  2. The cookie is not available to client script.
  3. The cookie is sent over an encrypted channel. Correct
  4. The cookie is deleted when the user closes the browser.

21) An attacker submits data to the server and the data is stored on the server. Which type of vulnerability is most likely to occur in your application?

  1. DOM-based XSS
  2. Reflected XSS
  3. Persistent XSS Correct
  4. Cross-site request forgery

22) Which of the following input sources can be directly controlled by a malicious user?

  1. GET/POST parameters Correct
  2. Server configuration files
  3. Ports
  4. Server code

23) Which of the following scenarios is most likely to result in broken authentication and session management vulnerabilities?

  1. Poorly implemented custom code is used. Correct
  2. Session-based indirection is used.
  3. Unused and unnecessary services, code, and DLLs are disabled.
  4. The HttpOnly flag is set in cookies.

24) Which of the following actions should you take before implementing a custom authentication and session management system?

  1. Find out if the HttpOnly flag is set in cookies.
  2. Find out if you can use a small extension to an existing component to implement the system. Correct
  3. Find out if form variables are available to store data.
  4. Find out if you need to use session-based indirection.

25) State whether the following statement is True or False. When implementing an authentication or session system, you should ensure that new session IDs are not created at login.

  1. True
  2. False Correct

26) Which of the following functionalities should you include in an authentication and session management system?

  1. Logout functionality Correct
  2. Regular expressions
  3. Escaping functionality
  4. Forwarding system functionality

27) Why should you use CAPTCHA?

  1. To create cryptographically random session IDs
  2. To protect credentials by using encryption or cryptographic salt and hash
  3. To protect authentication systems from automated or brute-force attacks Correct
  4. To ensure that authentication systems implement inactivity timeout functionality

28) What should you do before passing credentials over the network?

  1. Replace the credentials with a cryptographic salt and hash. Correct
  2. Accept session IDs from URLs.
  3. Share the credentials with the client.
  4. Use persistent cookies to manage session IDs.

29) Which location should you ideally use to store a session ID?

  1. URLs
  2. Form variables
  3. Persistent cookies
  4. Non-persistent cookies Correct

30) Which of the following is the best way to ensure that JavaScript cannot be used to access a cookie?

  1. Set the secure flag in the cookie
  2. Set the HttpOnly flag in the cookie Correct
  3. Use the CAPTCHA system
  4. Use non-persistent cookies

31) Which of the following is an authentication system mandatory requirement?

  1. Form variables are used for managing session IDs.
  2. Use a GOTCHA to prevent automated attacks.
  3. User logout and session inactivity controls. Correct
  4. Session IDs are only accepted from cookies and parameter variables.

32) A session-based system authenticates a user to a Web site to provide access to restricted resources. To increase security in this scenario, an authentication token should meet which of the following requirements?

  1. It should identify returning users to the site.
  2. It should be public information.
  3. It should always use a persistent cookie.
  4. It should always use a non-persistent cookie. Correct

33) State whether the following statement is True or False. An identification token is a replacement for a user’s credentials and should allow access to restricted resources of a Web site.

  1. True
  2. False Correct

34) Which of the following tasks is performed by a session-based system?

  1. Identifying returning users Correct
  2. Using form variables for managing session IDs
  3. Using the HTTP protocol
  4. Sending successful logins to a well-known location

35) Which threat is most likely to occur when a Web application fails to validate a client's access to a resource?

  1. Injection
  2. Cross-site scripting
  3. Insecure direct object reference Correct
  4. Cross-site request forgery

36) Which of the following objects is most susceptible to an insecure direct object reference attack?

  1. Nonpersistent cookies
  2. Registry keys Correct
  3. Conditional constructs
  4. GET/POST parameters

37) Which of the following vulnerabilities is most likely to occur due to an insecure direct object reference attack?

  1. Executing commands on the server.
  2. Impersonating any user on the system.
  3. Modifying SQL data pointed to by the query.
  4. Accessing a resource without authorization. Correct

38) Which of the following is the best way to mitigate the threat of an insecure direct object reference attack?

  1. Use session-based indirection. Correct
  2. Use POST parameters instead of GET parameters.
  3. Use a regular expression.
  4. Send successful logins to a well-known location instead of automatic redirection.

39) State whether the following statement is True or False. Time of Check Time of Use (TOCTOU) occurs if the authorization check is performed on one page of a Web site and the resource is used on a different page.

  1. True Correct
  2. False

40) Your Web application stores information about many accounts. Which threat is your Web application susceptible to if you can manipulate the URL of an account page to access all accounts?

  1. Cross-site request forgery
  2. Insecure direct object reference Correct
  3. Cross-site scripting
  4. Injection

41) Which of the following threats is most likely to be caused by poor input validation?

  1. Enabling of IPSec
  2. Insecure direct object reference Correct
  3. Insecure cryptographic storage
  4. Insufficient transport layer protection

42) Which threat is most likely to occur when a POST parameter performs an operation on behalf of a user without checking a shared secret?

  1. Cross-site request forgery Correct
  2. Insecure direct object reference
  3. Cross-site scripting
  4. Injection

43) Which of the following is the most common result of a cross-site request forgery?

  1. Elevation of privilege Correct
  2. Disabled security features
  3. Enabling of IPSec
  4. Misconfigured security features

44) An attacker lures a victim to malicious content on a Web site. A request is automatically sent to the vulnerable site which includes victim’s credentials. Which attack is most likely to occur in this scenario?

  1. Injection
  2. Cross-site scripting
  3. Insecure direct object reference
  4. Cross-site request forgery Correct

45) State whether the following statement is True or False. The downside of a nonce is that it needs to be stored on the client.

  1. True
  2. False Correct

46) What should you add to an HMAC to ensure that the secret value is unique for each request?

  1. Salt
  2. Nonce
  3. Session ID
  4. Timestamp Correct

47) Which of the following practices should you observe in order to implement defense-in-depth techniques against CSRF attacks?

  1. Use GET parameters
  2. Use automatic redirection.
  3. Don’t include secrets in the URL. Correct
  4. Resubmit POST parameters during redirection.

48) State whether the following statement is True or False. HTTP GET parameters limit the types of manipulation a malicious user can perform on the victim to forge a request.

  1. True
  2. False Correct

49) Which of the following mistakes is most often associated with a security misconfiguration threat?

  1. Cross-site request forgery
  2. Failure to disable default accounts Correct
  3. Bad cryptography
  4. Unsafe key storage

50) You have not yet applied some recent service packs and updates to your Web application. Which of the following threats is your Web server susceptible to?

  1. Injection
  2. Security misconfiguration Correct
  3. Insecure cryptographic storage
  4. Cross-site request forgery

51) Which of the following is the best way to reevaluate your environment and address new threats?

  1. Add or remove network segments. Correct
  2. Use the white-list validation of allowed input technique.
  3. Use custom cryptographic algorithms.
  4. Use your browser to forge unauthorized requests.

52) Which of the following procedures are involved in the hardening process?

  1. Disable unnecessary features. Correct
  2. Resubmit POST parameters during redirection.
  3. Repeat the process at random intervals.
  4. Update the environment with changes only when needed.

53) Which of the following consequence is most likely to result if your production environment does not match your development, testing, and staging environments?

  1. Your application may not work as expected. Correct
  2. Testing your application may take a long time.
  3. Your application may be expensive to administer.
  4. Your application may have too many configuration files.

54) Which of the following can result in insecure cryptography?

  1. Unsalted hash Correct
  2. Unused services
  3. Default accounts
  4. Rotating keys frequently

55) Which of the following is most likely to result in insecure cryptography?

  1. Unused services
  2. Unsalted hash Correct
  3. New products
  4. Missing patches

56) Which of the following may result in cryptographic weakness?

  1. Failure to restrict URL access
  2. Insufficient cryptographic protocols Correct
  3. Missing patches
  4. Unnecessary/unused services or features

57) Which of the following protocols is a network layer encryption protocol?

  1. HTTP
  2. EFS
  3. IPSec Correct
  4. Kerberos

58) Which of the following factors helps you secure keys?

  1. Complexity Correct
  2. Session-based indirection
  3. Escaping
  4. Encryption

59) Which of the following combines public-key cryptography with a cryptographic hash?

  1. Nonce
  2. Digital signature Correct
  3. SSL
  4. Salt

60) hich of the following depicts the typical impact of failure to restrict URL access?

  1. Attackers perform man-in-the-middle attacks.
  2. Attackers impersonate any user on the system.
  3. Attackers invoke functions and services they have no authorization for. Correct
  4. Attackers perform all actions that the victims themselves have permission to perform.

61) Which of the following actions should you take to test the security of your Web application?

  1. Use policy mechanisms.
  2. Use a simple and positive model at every layer.
  3. Set the secure flag on session ID cookies.
  4. Use your browser to forge unauthorized requests. Correct

62) Which of the following should you use to protect the connections between the physical tiers of your application?

  1. EFS
  2. SSL Correct
  3. HTTP
  4. Kerberos

63) Which of the following is the best way to implement transport layer protection?

  1. Install IDS
  2. Enable SSL Correct
  3. Set the HttpOnly flag on session ID cookies
  4. Perform client-side validation.

64) Which of the following is most likely to result from unvalidated redirects and forwards?

  1. Brute force attack
  2. Network sniffing
  3. Man-in-the-middle attack
  4. Bypassed authorization checks Correct

65) Which of the following is the best way to protect a Web application from unvalidated redirects and forwards?

  1. Validate the referrer header. Correct
  2. Use extended validation certificates.
  3. Use the escaping technique.
  4. Disallow requests to unauthorized file types.

66) Which of the following is the best way to detect unvalidated redirects and forwards?

  1. Use internal transfers without authorizing the user for target URL
  2. Use your browser to forge unauthorized requests
  3. Use weblogs to identify redirects and forwards Correct
  4. Use policy mechanisms

67) State whether the following statement is True or False. Most security issues are related to input and a user’s ability to interact with and control input.

  1. True Correct
  2. False

68) State whether the following statement is True or False. If user input can be confused for instructions in the language or the way the language is applied, then the language is vulnerable to an injection attack.

  1. True Correct
  2. False

69) In which of the following scenarios should you use the escaping technique?

  1. When user input is echoed back to the user in HTML Correct
  2. When you need to validate any input as valid input
  3. When you are trying to protect against regular expression injection
  4. When you need to tell the interpreter that input is code

70) Which of the following is the best way to prevent unvalidated redirect and forwards vulnerabilities?

  1. Use an allow list, such as table indirection. Correct
  2. Use client-side validation.
  3. Allow only absolute redirects.
  4. Use session-based indirection.

Which of the following are examples of security misconfiguration?

Some examples of security misconfigurations include insecure default configurations, incomplete or ad-hoc configurations, open cloud storage, misconfigured HTTP headers, unnecessary HTTP methods, overly permissive Cross-Origin resource sharing (CORS), and verbose error messages.

Which of the following can lead to security misconfiguration of the system?

Improper / poor application coding practices—Improper coding practices can lead to security misconfiguration attacks. For example, the lack of proper input/output data validation may lead to code injection attacks which work by injecting code that the application executes.

What is security misconfiguration vulnerabilities?

Security misconfiguration vulnerabilities take place when an application component is vulnerable to attack as a result of insecure configuration option or misconfiguration. Misconfiguration vulnerabilities are configuration weaknesses that might exist in software subsystems or components.

What are typical effects of security misconfiguration?

Security misconfiguration flaws give attackers unauthorized access to system data and functionality. Occasionally, such flaws can lead to severe consequences; for example, a complete system compromise. The business impact can be great or small depending on the protection needs of the application and data.