Supply chain agreements between a cloud service provider and cloud customers should, at a
minimum, include:
B
Explanation:
Supply chain agreements between a cloud service provider and cloud customers should, at a
minimum, include audits, assessments, and independent verification of compliance certifications
with agreement terms. This is because cloud services involve multiple parties in the supply chain,
such as cloud providers, sub-providers, brokers, carriers, and auditors. Each party may have different
roles and responsibilities in delivering the cloud services and ensuring their quality, security, and
compliance. Therefore, it is important for the cloud customers to have visibility and assurance of the
performance and compliance of the cloud providers and their sub-providers. Audits, assessments,
and independent verification of compliance certifications are methods to evaluate the effectiveness
of the controls and processes implemented by the cloud providers and their sub-providers to meet
the agreement terms. These methods can help the cloud customers to identify any gaps or risks in
the supply chain and to take corrective actions if needed.
This is part of the Cloud Control Matrix
(CCM) domain COM-04: Audit Assurance & Compliance, which states that "The organization should
have a policy and procedures to conduct audits and assessments of cloud services and data to verify
compliance with applicable regulatory frameworks, contractual obligations, and industry
standards."12 Reference := CCAK Study Guide, Chapter 3: Cloud Compliance Program, page 551;
Practical Guide to Cloud Service Agreements Version 2.02
Which of the following is the reason for designing the Consensus Assessments Initiative
Questionnaire (CAIQ)?
B
Explanation:
The reason for designing the Consensus Assessments Initiative Questionnaire (CAIQ) is to enable
cloud service providers to document their security and compliance controls in a standardized and
transparent way. The CAIQ is a set of yes/no questions that correspond to the controls of the Cloud
Security Alliance (CSA) Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM), which is a framework of best practices for cloud
security. The CAIQ helps cloud service providers to demonstrate their adherence to the CCM and to
provide evidence of their security posture to potential customers, auditors, and regulators. The CAIQ
also helps cloud customers and auditors to assess the security capabilities of cloud service providers
and to compare different providers based on their responses.
The CAIQ is part of the CSA STAR
program, which is a cloud security assurance program that offers various levels of certification and
attestation for cloud service providers.12
Reference := What is CAIQ?
| CSA - Cloud Security
Alliance3; Consensus Assessment Initiative Questionnaire (CAIQ) v3.1 [No | CSA4
An organization employing the Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) to perform a compliance assessment
leverages the Scope Applicability direct mapping to:
C
Explanation:
An organization employing the Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) to perform a compliance assessment
leverages the Scope Applicability direct mapping to understand which controls encompassed by the
CCM may already be partially or fully implemented because of the compliance with other standards.
The Scope Applicability direct mapping is a worksheet within the CCM that maps the CCM control
specifications to several standards within the ISO/IEC 27000 series, such as ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC
27002, ISO/IEC 27017, and ISO/IEC 27018. The mapping helps the organization to identify the
commonalities and differences between the CCM and the ISO/IEC standards, and to determine the
level of compliance with each standard based on the implementation of the CCM controls.
The
mapping also helps the organization to avoid duplication of work and to streamline the compliance
assessment process.12 Reference := What you need to know: Transitioning CSA STAR for Cloud
Controls Matrix …1; Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) - CSA3
Which of the following are the three MAIN phases of the Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) mapping
methodology?
C
Explanation:
The three main phases of the Cloud Controls Matrix (CCM) mapping methodology are preparation,
execution, and peer review and publication. The CCM mapping methodology is a process to map the
CCM controls to other standards, regulations, or frameworks that are relevant for cloud security. The
mapping helps to identify the commonalities and differences between the CCM and the other
standards, regulations, or frameworks, and to provide guidance for cloud service providers and
customers on how to achieve compliance with multiple requirements using the CCM.
The mapping
methodology consists of the following phases1
:
Preparation: This phase involves defining the scope, objectives, and deliverables of the mapping
project, as well as identifying the stakeholders, resources, and tools needed. This phase also includes
conducting a preliminary analysis of the CCM and the other standard, regulation, or framework to be
mapped, and establishing the mapping criteria and rules.
Execution: This phase involves performing the actual mapping of the CCM controls to the other
standard, regulation, or framework using a spreadsheet template. This phase also includes
documenting the mapping results, providing explanations and justifications for each mapping
decision, and resolving any issues or conflicts that may arise during the mapping process.
Peer Review and Publication: This phase involves validating and verifying the quality and accuracy of
the mapping results by conducting a peer review with subject matter experts from both the CCM
working group and the other standard, regulation, or framework organization. This phase also
includes finalizing and publishing the mapping document as a CSA artifact, and communicating and
promoting the mapping to the relevant audiences.
Reference := Methodology for the Mapping of the Cloud Controls Matrix1
When applying the Top Threats Analysis methodology following an incident, what is the scope of the
technical impact identification step?
A
Explanation:
When applying the Top Threats Analysis methodology following an incident, the scope of the
technical impact identification step is to determine the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and
availability of the information system. The Top Threats Analysis methodology is a process developed
by the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) to help organizations identify, analyze, and mitigate the top
threats to cloud computing, as defined in the CSA Top Threats reports.
The methodology consists of
six steps1
:
Scope definition: Define the scope of the analysis, such as the cloud service model, deployment
model, and business context.
Threat identification: Identify the relevant threats from the CSA Top Threats reports that may affect
the scope of the analysis.
Technical impact identification: Determine the impact on confidentiality, integrity, and availability of
the information system caused by each threat. Confidentiality refers to the protection of data from
unauthorized access or disclosure. Integrity refers to the protection of data from unauthorized
modification or deletion. Availability refers to the protection of data and services from disruption or
denial.
Business impact identification: Determine the impact on the business objectives and operations
caused by each threat, such as financial loss, reputational damage, legal liability, or regulatory
compliance.
Risk assessment: Assess the likelihood and severity of each threat based on the technical and
business impacts, and prioritize the threats according to their risk level.
Risk treatment: Select and implement appropriate risk treatment options for each threat, such as
avoidance, mitigation, transfer, or acceptance.
The technical impact identification step is important because it helps to measure the extent of
damage or harm that each threat can cause to the information system and its components. This step
also helps to align the technical impacts with the business impacts and to support the risk
assessment and treatment steps.
Reference := CCAK Study Guide, Chapter 4: A Threat Analysis Methodology for Cloud Using CCM,
page 81
Which of the following is an example of availability technical impact?
C
Explanation:
A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack renders the customer’s cloud inaccessible for 24 hours is
an example of availability technical impact. Availability is the protection of data and services from
disruption or denial, and it is one of the three dimensions of information security, along with
confidentiality and integrity. Availability technical impact refers to the extent of damage or harm that
a threat can cause to the availability of the information system and its components, such as servers,
networks, applications, and data. A DDoS attack is a malicious attempt to overwhelm a target system
with a large volume of traffic or requests from multiple sources, making it unable to respond to
legitimate requests or perform its normal functions. A DDoS attack can cause a significant availability
technical impact by rendering the customer’s cloud inaccessible for a prolonged period of time,
resulting in loss of productivity, revenue, customer satisfaction, and reputation. Reference := CCAK
Study Guide, Chapter 4: A Threat Analysis Methodology for Cloud Using CCM, page 81; What is a
DDoS Attack? | Cloudflare
Which of the following is an example of financial business impact?
A
Explanation:
A DDoS attack renders the customer’s cloud inaccessible for 24 hours, resulting in millions in lost
sales is an example of financial business impact. Financial business impact refers to the extent of
damage or harm that a threat can cause to the financial objectives and performance of the
organization, such as revenue, profit, cash flow, or market share. A DDoS attack can cause a
significant financial business impact by disrupting the normal operations and transactions of the
organization, leading to loss of sales, customers, contracts, or opportunities. According to a report
by
Kaspersky, the average cost of a DDoS attack for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) was
$123,000 in 2019, while for enterprises it was $2.3 million.1 Therefore, it is important for
organizations to implement appropriate security measures and contingency plans to prevent or
mitigate the effects of a DDoS attack. Reference := The Future of Finance and the Global Economy:
Facing Global … - IMF2; Kaspersky: Cost of a DDoS Attack1
After finding a vulnerability in an Internet-facing server of an organization, a cybersecurity criminal is
able to access an encrypted file system and successfully manages to overwrite parts of some files
with random dat
a. In reference to the Top Threats Analysis methodology, how would the technical impact of this
incident be categorized?
D
Explanation:
The technical impact of this incident would be categorized as an integrity breach in reference to the
Top Threats Analysis methodology. The Top Threats Analysis methodology is a process developed by
the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) to help organizations identify, analyze, and mitigate the top threats
to cloud computing, as defined in the CSA Top Threats reports. The methodology consists of six steps:
scope definition, threat identification, technical impact identification, business impact identification,
risk assessment, and risk treatment.
Each of these provides different insights and visibility into the
organization’s security posture.1
The technical impact identification step involves determining the impact on confidentiality, integrity,
and availability of the information system caused by each threat. Confidentiality refers to the
protection of data from unauthorized access or disclosure. Integrity refers to the protection of data
from unauthorized modification or deletion.
Availability refers to the protection of data and services
from disruption or denial.2
An integrity breach occurs when a threat compromises the accuracy and consistency of the data or
system. An integrity breach can result in data corruption, falsification, or manipulation, which can
affect the reliability and trustworthiness of the data or system.
An integrity breach can also have
serious consequences for the business operations and decisions that depend on the data or system.3
In this case, the cybersecurity criminal was able to access an encrypted file system and overwrite
parts of some files with random data. This means that the data in those files was altered without
authorization and became unusable or invalid.
This is a clear example of an integrity breach, as it
violated the principle of ensuring that data is accurate and consistent throughout its lifecycle.4
Reference := CCAK Study Guide, Chapter 4: A Threat Analysis Methodology for Cloud Using CCM,
page 811
; What is CIA Triad?
Definition and Examples2; Data Integrity vs Data Security: What’s The
Difference?3; Data Integrity: Definition & Examples
Which of the following is the GREATEST risk associated with hidden interdependencies between
cloud services?
B
Explanation:
The greatest risk associated with hidden interdependencies between cloud services is the lack of
visibility over the cloud service providers’ supply chain. Hidden interdependencies are the complex
and often unknown relationships and dependencies between different cloud services, providers, sub-
providers, and customers. These interdependencies can create challenges and risks for the security,
availability, performance, and compliance of the cloud services and data.
For example, a failure or
breach in one cloud service can affect other cloud services that depend on it, or a change in one
cloud provider’s policy or contract can impact other cloud providers or customers that rely on it.12
The lack of visibility over the cloud service providers’ supply chain means that the customers do not
have enough information or control over how their cloud services and data are delivered, managed,
and protected by the providers and their sub-providers. This can expose the customers to various
threats and vulnerabilities, such as data breaches, data loss, service outages, compliance violations,
legal disputes, or contractual conflicts. The customers may also face difficulties in monitoring,
auditing, or verifying the security and compliance status of their cloud services and data across the
supply chain.
Therefore, it is important for the customers to understand the hidden
interdependencies between cloud services and to establish clear and transparent agreements with
their cloud providers and sub-providers regarding their roles, responsibilities, expectations, and
obligations.3
Reference := How to identify and map service dependencies - Gremlin1; Mitigate Risk for Data Center
Network Migration - Cisco2; Practical Guide to Cloud Service Agreements Version 2.03
; HIDDEN
INTERDEPENDENCIES BETWEEN INFORMATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL …
It is MOST important for an auditor to be aware that an inventory of assets within a cloud
environment:
D
Explanation:
It is most important for an auditor to be aware that an inventory of assets within a cloud
environment is fundamental for the security management program. An inventory of assets is a list of
all the hardware, software, data, and services that are owned, used, or managed by an organization
in the cloud. An inventory of assets helps the organization to identify, classify, and prioritize its cloud
resources and to implement appropriate security controls and policies to protect them.
An inventory
of assets also helps the organization to comply with relevant regulations, standards, and contracts
that may apply to its cloud environment.12
An auditor should be aware of the importance of an inventory of assets in the cloud because it
provides a baseline for assessing the security posture and compliance status of the organization’s
cloud environment. An auditor can use the inventory of assets to verify that the organization has a
clear and accurate understanding of its cloud resources and their characteristics, such as location,
ownership, configuration, dependencies, vulnerabilities, and risks. An auditor can also use the
inventory of assets to evaluate whether the organization has implemented adequate security
measures and processes to protect its cloud resources from threats and incidents.
An auditor can
also use the inventory of assets to identify any gaps or weaknesses in the organization’s security
management program and to provide recommendations for improvement.34
Reference := Why is IT Asset Inventory Management Critical?
- Fresh Security1; Use asset inventory
to manage your resources’ security posture2; The importance of asset inventory in cybersecurity3;
The Importance Of Asset Inventory In Cyber Security And CMDB - Visore4