WGU D487 Secure Software Design
ACTUAL EXAM 2026/2027 | Secure
Software Design | Verified Q&A | Pass
Guaranteed - A+ Graded
Section 1: Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) (12 questions)
Q1: A software development team is integrating security activities into their existing Agile development
process. Which framework provides prescriptive security practices organized by maturity levels that can
be mapped to Agile iterations?
A. Microsoft SDL
B. OWASP ASVS
C. BSIMM (Building Security In Maturity Model). [CORRECT]
D. ISO/IEC 27001
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: BSIMM is an observational framework that measures and organizes software security
activities into maturity levels based on real-world practices. It enables organizations to assess current
capabilities and plan incremental improvements aligned with their existing development methodologies.
Q2: During which SDLC phase should security requirements, including regulatory compliance needs and
abuse cases, be formally defined?
A. Design phase
B. Implementation phase
C. Requirements phase. [CORRECT]
D. Testing phase
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Security requirements must be established during the requirements phase alongside
functional requirements. This ensures security is built in from inception rather than retrofitted, enabling
threat-driven design decisions and compliance planning throughout development.
,Q3: Which NIST publication provides a framework for integrating security activities into the software
development lifecycle?
A. NIST SP 800-53
B. NIST SP 800-171
C. NIST SSDF (Secure Software Development Framework). [CORRECT]
D. NIST SP 800-61
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The NIST Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) organizes security practices into
four groups: Prepare the Organization, Protect the Software, Produce Well-Secured Software, and
Respond to Vulnerabilities. It provides flexible guidance adaptable to various development
methodologies.
Q4: A development team conducts security architecture reviews and creates threat models during the
design phase. This represents which Microsoft SDL practice?
A. Phase 1: Training
B. Phase 3: Architecture review and threat modeling. [CORRECT]
C. Phase 5: Security testing
D. Phase 7: Response planning
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Microsoft SDL Phase 3 requires architecture analysis and threat modeling during design to
identify security flaws before implementation. This "shift-left" approach is significantly more cost-
effective than discovering vulnerabilities during testing or production.
Q5: Which activity involves analyzing how an attacker might abuse system functionality in ways not
intended by designers?
A. Functional testing
B. Abuse case development. [CORRECT]
C. Performance testing
D. Usability testing
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Abuse cases extend use case modeling by identifying how attackers might misuse features or
combine legitimate functions for malicious purposes. This adversarial thinking helps identify security
requirements and design countermeasures early in development.
, Q6: A security team is conducting a final security review before product release. Which Microsoft SDL
phase does this represent?
A. Phase 4: Design review
B. Phase 5: Implementation review
C. Phase 6: Verification and validation. [CORRECT]
D. Phase 2: Requirements analysis
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Phase 6 of Microsoft SDL involves comprehensive verification including code review, security
testing, and penetration testing to validate that security requirements have been met and threats have
been adequately mitigated before release authorization.
Q7: Which secure SDLC approach emphasizes continuous security feedback loops integrated throughout
development rather than sequential phases?
A. Waterfall SDL
B. DevSecOps. [CORRECT]
C. Spiral model only
D. V-model
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: DevSecOps embeds security practices into continuous integration/continuous deployment
(CI/CD) pipelines, providing automated security feedback throughout development. This approach
enables rapid iteration while maintaining security assurance through automation.
Q8: A development team is categorizing data processed by their application to determine appropriate
protection controls. This activity is part of:
A. Threat modeling
B. Data classification and privacy requirements. [CORRECT]
C. Penetration testing
D. Fuzzing
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Data classification identifies sensitivity levels (public, internal, confidential, restricted) that
drive security control selection. Understanding data types and protection requirements is foundational
to secure design, ensuring proportional safeguards for high-value assets.
ACTUAL EXAM 2026/2027 | Secure
Software Design | Verified Q&A | Pass
Guaranteed - A+ Graded
Section 1: Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) (12 questions)
Q1: A software development team is integrating security activities into their existing Agile development
process. Which framework provides prescriptive security practices organized by maturity levels that can
be mapped to Agile iterations?
A. Microsoft SDL
B. OWASP ASVS
C. BSIMM (Building Security In Maturity Model). [CORRECT]
D. ISO/IEC 27001
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: BSIMM is an observational framework that measures and organizes software security
activities into maturity levels based on real-world practices. It enables organizations to assess current
capabilities and plan incremental improvements aligned with their existing development methodologies.
Q2: During which SDLC phase should security requirements, including regulatory compliance needs and
abuse cases, be formally defined?
A. Design phase
B. Implementation phase
C. Requirements phase. [CORRECT]
D. Testing phase
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Security requirements must be established during the requirements phase alongside
functional requirements. This ensures security is built in from inception rather than retrofitted, enabling
threat-driven design decisions and compliance planning throughout development.
,Q3: Which NIST publication provides a framework for integrating security activities into the software
development lifecycle?
A. NIST SP 800-53
B. NIST SP 800-171
C. NIST SSDF (Secure Software Development Framework). [CORRECT]
D. NIST SP 800-61
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The NIST Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) organizes security practices into
four groups: Prepare the Organization, Protect the Software, Produce Well-Secured Software, and
Respond to Vulnerabilities. It provides flexible guidance adaptable to various development
methodologies.
Q4: A development team conducts security architecture reviews and creates threat models during the
design phase. This represents which Microsoft SDL practice?
A. Phase 1: Training
B. Phase 3: Architecture review and threat modeling. [CORRECT]
C. Phase 5: Security testing
D. Phase 7: Response planning
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Microsoft SDL Phase 3 requires architecture analysis and threat modeling during design to
identify security flaws before implementation. This "shift-left" approach is significantly more cost-
effective than discovering vulnerabilities during testing or production.
Q5: Which activity involves analyzing how an attacker might abuse system functionality in ways not
intended by designers?
A. Functional testing
B. Abuse case development. [CORRECT]
C. Performance testing
D. Usability testing
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Abuse cases extend use case modeling by identifying how attackers might misuse features or
combine legitimate functions for malicious purposes. This adversarial thinking helps identify security
requirements and design countermeasures early in development.
, Q6: A security team is conducting a final security review before product release. Which Microsoft SDL
phase does this represent?
A. Phase 4: Design review
B. Phase 5: Implementation review
C. Phase 6: Verification and validation. [CORRECT]
D. Phase 2: Requirements analysis
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Phase 6 of Microsoft SDL involves comprehensive verification including code review, security
testing, and penetration testing to validate that security requirements have been met and threats have
been adequately mitigated before release authorization.
Q7: Which secure SDLC approach emphasizes continuous security feedback loops integrated throughout
development rather than sequential phases?
A. Waterfall SDL
B. DevSecOps. [CORRECT]
C. Spiral model only
D. V-model
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: DevSecOps embeds security practices into continuous integration/continuous deployment
(CI/CD) pipelines, providing automated security feedback throughout development. This approach
enables rapid iteration while maintaining security assurance through automation.
Q8: A development team is categorizing data processed by their application to determine appropriate
protection controls. This activity is part of:
A. Threat modeling
B. Data classification and privacy requirements. [CORRECT]
C. Penetration testing
D. Fuzzing
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Data classification identifies sensitivity levels (public, internal, confidential, restricted) that
drive security control selection. Understanding data types and protection requirements is foundational
to secure design, ensuring proportional safeguards for high-value assets.
