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Identity and Access Management

5 minutes 5 Questions

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is an essential aspect of cloud security, ensuring that the right users have access to the appropriate resources within the cloud environment. IAM policies and tools manage, monitor, and control user access to reduce the risk of unauthorized access, data breaches, and potential fraud. Implementing IAM includes authentication, authorization, and user provisioning processes, often incorporating multi-factor authentication (MFA), single sign-on (SSO), and role-based access control (RBAC), minimizing the risk of security incidents and enabling organizations to maintain compliance with various security standards and regulations.

Guide on Identity and Access Management (IAM) for CISSP

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is essential to the implementation and maintenance of security in the cloud.
Why it is important: IAM ensures that the appropriate individuals are able to access the right resources at the right times and for the right reasons. It helps in managing the increasing volume, variety, and velocity of digital identities that enterprises need to handle.
What it is: IAM is a framework of policies and technologies ensuring that the proper people in an enterprise have appropriate access to technology resources. It provides tools for enterprises to modify, monitor, and manage access rights to network applications and data.
How it works: IAM verifies the user identities through password-based, digital certificate-based and biometrics-based techniques. Once the identities are validated, IAM systems set up the right accesses to the systems.
Exam Tips – Answering Questions on IAM:

  • Understand the concepts and the importance of IAM.
  • Be prepared to explain how IAM works in the real-world scenarios.
  • Know the implications of not having appropriate IAM.

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CISSP - Security in the cloud Example Questions

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Question 1

A company maintains a web application used by employees and customers. The company wants to use the same web portal for both groups but maintain separate access control levels. Which IAM system should be used?

Correct Answer: Federated Identity Management

Federated Identity Management allows separate identity management systems to be used together, enabling users from different domains to access resources using their native authentication methods. Single Sign-On simplifies authentication, Role-Based, Attribute-Based, and Mandatory Access Controls manage permissions, and User Account Provisioning creates and manages user accounts but doesn't support different systems sharing access.

Question 2

An employee leaves a company, and their access privileges need to be removed. Which process in Identity and Access Management is responsible for this?

Correct Answer: Deprovisioning

Deprovisioning is the process of removing a user's access privileges when they no longer need them, such as when an employee leaves a company. Authentication and Authorization are related to user access, but don't involve removal. Password Management handles password changes and resets, Federation shares authentication information, and Audit involves tracking and verifying access.

Question 3

A company is implementing a centralized Identity and Access Management system for better access control and management. A new employee has joined the team, and they require access to several different systems. What is the most appropriate IAM process to grant the employee access?

Correct Answer: Provisioning

Provisioning is the process of creating and managing user accounts and their access to various systems and resources. Authentication establishes a user's identity, while authorization determines what the user is allowed to do. Federation allows sharing of authentication information across systems, Single Sign-On simplifies access by allowing a single login for multiple services, and Password Management is used to handle password changes and resets.

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