Ann was reviewing her company’s event logs and observed several instances of GUEST accessing the company print server, file server, and archive database. As she continued to investigate, Ann noticed that it seemed to happen at random intervals throughout the day, but mostly after the weekly automated patching and often logging in at the same time. Which of the following would BEST mitigate this issue?
A. Enabling time of day restrictions B. Disabling unnecessary services C. Disabling unnecessary accounts D. Rogue machine detection
Answer: C
Explanation: User account control is a very important part of operating system hardening. It is important that only active accounts be operational and that they be properly managed. This means disabling unnecessary accounts. Enabled accounts that are not needed on a system provide a door through which attackers can gain access. You should disable all accounts that are not needed immediately—on servers and workstations alike. Here are some types of accounts that you should disable: Employees Who Have Left the Company: Be sure to disable immediately accounts for any employee who has left the company. This should be done the minute employment is terminated. Temporary Employees: It is not uncommon to create short-term accounts for brief periods of time for access by temporary employees. These also need to be disabled the moment they are no longer needed. Default Guest Accounts: In many operating systems, a guest account is created during installation and intended for use by those needing only limited access and lacking their own account on the system. This account presents a door into the system that should not be there, and all who have worked with the operating system knows of its existence, thus making it a likely target for attackers.
A computer is suspected of being compromised by malware. The security analyst examines the computer and finds that a service called Telnet is running and connecting to an external website over port 443. This Telnet service was found by comparing the system’s services to the list of standard services on the company’s system image. This review process depends on:
A. MAC filtering. B. System hardening. C. Rogue machine detection. D. Baselining.
Answer: D
Explanation: Application baseline defines the level or standard of security that will be implemented and maintained for the application. It may include requirements of hardware components, operating system versions, patch levels, installed applications and their configurations, and available ports and services. Systems can be compared to the baseline to ensure that the required level of security is being maintained.
A Human Resources user is issued a virtual desktop typically assigned to Accounting employees. A system administrator wants to disable certain services and remove the local accounting groups installed by default on this virtual machine. The system administrator is adhering to which of the following security best practices?
A. Black listing applications B. Operating System hardening C. Mandatory Access Control D. Patch Management
Answer: B
Explanation: Operating System hardening is the process of securing the operating system by reducing its surface of vulnerability. Reducing the surface of vulnerability typically includes removing unnecessary functions and features, removing unnecessary usernames or logins and disabling unnecessary services.
The information security technician wants to ensure security controls are deployed and functioning as intended to be able to maintain an appropriate security posture. Which of the following security techniques is MOST appropriate to do this?
A. Log audits B. System hardening C. Use IPS/IDS D. Continuous security monitoring
Answer: D
Explanation: A security baseline is the security setting of a system that is known to be secure. This is the initial security setting of a system. Once the baseline has been applied, it must be maintained or improved. Maintaining the security baseline requires continuous monitoring.
Disabling unnecessary services, restricting administrative access, and enabling auditing controls on a server are forms of which of the following?
A. Application patch management B. Cross-site scripting prevention C. Creating a security baseline D. System hardening
Answer: D
Explanation: Hardening is the process of securing a system by reducing its surface of vulnerability. Reducing the surface of vulnerability typically includes removing or disabling unnecessary functions and features, removing or disabling unnecessary user accounts, disabling unnecessary protocols and ports, and disabling unnecessary services.