Security Configuration Management

5 minutes 5 Questions

Security Configuration Management involves maintaining, monitoring, and analyzing systems, applications, and network configurations to ensure an optimum security posture. It includes setting up and maintaining the security baseline, monitoring changes to the configurations, and assessing the impact of any modifications. Security configuration management tools help automate the process and provide real-time visibility into configuration changes, comparisons with baseline settings, and enforcement of security policies. The primary goal is to minimize the risk of security breaches resulting from misconfigurations or unauthorized changes.

Guide: Security Configuration Management

What it is: Security Configuration Management is the process of maintaining an up-to-date and secure state of systems through tracking changes in configurations. It's part of a comprehensive Security Operations program, and a critical component of good information security.
Why it is important: It helps in preventing unauthorized access, maintaining system functionality and identifying issues quickly. Furthermore, it is a requirement for many compliance regulations.
How it works: It follows an identifiable process: Planning and Policy Development, Implementation and Activation, Operation and maintenance, and Training and Education. Changes are tracked and managed to ensure they are beneficial and don't introduce vulnerabilities.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Security Configuration Management
1. Remember the process: The process of SCM always starts with planning and policy development, then goes through implementation/activation, operation/maintenance and finally training/education.
2. Understand the impact: In the exam, pay attention to questions that concern the impact of a poor SCM. Remember, SCM helps prevent unauthorized access and can identify issues quickly.
3. Pay attention to scenarios: Scenario-based questions might ask what could happen if certain steps of the SCM process weren't followed, or what security measures could be put in place.
4. Know the importance: If a question asks why SCM is important, remember it's critical to maintaining system functionality and preventing unauthorized access.
5. Regulations and compliance: Know the role SCM plays in remaining compliant with various regulations. A lot of industries must abide by certain security standards and SCM is often a requirement.

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Question 1

After a system upgrade, some users complain about performance issues. What should a system administrator do to mitigate these issues?

Ignore user complaints Automatically apply new configuration changes Optimize and fine-tune the configuration Increase storage capacity and memory

Correct Answer: Optimize and fine-tune the configuration

Optimizing and fine-tuning the configuration will address the performance issues directly. Other options may provide temporary relief but do not target the underlying cause.

Question 2

A server administrator makes a configuration change at 3:00 PM. At 4:00 PM, users are unable to access the server. What should the server administrator do to resolve this issue?

Wait for the issue to resolve itself Contact all users to identify the specific problem Revert the configuration change Restart the entire server infrastructure

Correct Answer: Revert the configuration change

Rolling back the recent configuration change is the most appropriate step to take, as it will most likely undo the cause of the problem. The other options are either inefficient or do not target the root cause.

Question 3

A company has recently implemented two-factor authentication for its remote access. After implementation, some users cannot access the system. What should the system administrator do to fix this issue?

Wait for the issues to resolve themselves Check user accounts for password expiration Verify user enrollment to the two-factor authentication service Temporarily disable two-factor authentication

Correct Answer: Verify user enrollment to the two-factor authentication service

Verifying user enrollment will ensure users have properly registered with the two-factor authentication service. Other options may provide temporary relief but do not directly address the issue.

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