WGU D487 OA SECURE SOFTWARE DESIGN EXAM BANK | ACCURATE
AND VERIFIED WITH RATIONALES FOR GUARANTEED PASS | LATEST
UPDATE
Question 1
What are the three core principles of the information security model known as the CIA Triad?
A) Control, Integrity, Authentication
B) Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
C) Certification, Authorization, Auditing
D) Confidentiality, Inspection, Access
E) Control, Integrity, Availability
Correct Answer: B) Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
Rationale: The CIA Triad is the foundational model for information security.
Confidentiality ensures that data is accessible only to authorized users. Integrity ensures
that data is accurate and has not been tampered with. Availability ensures that authorized
users can access the data and systems when needed.
Question 2
A developer designs a user account for a background service so that it only has the permission to
read from one specific database table and has no other system rights. This is an application of
which secure design principle?
A) Defense in Depth
B) Principle of Least Privilege
C) Fail-Secure
D) Open Design
E) Separation of Duties
Correct Answer: B) Principle of Least Privilege
Rationale: The Principle of Least Privilege dictates that any entity (a user, a service, a
process) must be granted only the minimum permissions necessary to perform its intended
function. This limits the potential damage that can be caused if the entity is compromised.
Question 3
What is the primary advantage of integrating security activities throughout the entire Software
,[Type here]
Development Lifecycle (SSDLC) rather than only in the testing phase?
A) It eliminates the need for any manual security testing.
B) It makes the overall development process faster.
C) It identifies and mitigates vulnerabilities earlier, significantly reducing the cost and
complexity of remediation.
D) It guarantees that the final software will be completely free of all security bugs.
E) It focuses security efforts on the deployment phase.
Correct Answer: C) It identifies and mitigates vulnerabilities earlier, significantly reducing
the cost and complexity of remediation.
Rationale: The "shift left" philosophy of an SSDLC is based on the fact that the later a
vulnerability is discovered, the more expensive it is to fix. By incorporating security into
the requirements, design, and coding phases, issues can be found and fixed when they are
cheapest and easiest to address, long before the software reaches production.
Question 4
During which phase of the Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC) is threat modeling
most effectively performed?
A) Requirements
B) Design
C) Implementation (Coding)
D) Testing
E) Maintenance
Correct Answer: B) A design
Rationale: Threat modeling is a proactive process of identifying potential threats and
vulnerabilities from an attacker's perspective. It is most effective during the design phase,
before any code is written. This allows the system's architecture to be designed with
security in mind, rather than trying to add security as an afterthought.
Question 5
A threat modeling exercise identifies a risk where an attacker could alter data in transit without
authorization. According to the STRIDE threat model, this falls under which category?
A) Spoofing
,[Type here]
B) Tampering
C) Repudiation
D) Information Disclosure
E) Denial of Service
Correct Answer: B) Tampering
Rationale: The STRIDE model categorizes threats. Tampering specifically refers to the
unauthorized modification of data. Altering data as it travels across a network is a classic
example of a tampering threat. Spoofing is faking an identity, Repudiation is denying an
action, and so on.
Question 6
Which of the following is the most effective way to prevent SQL Injection vulnerabilities?
A) Using an Intrusion Detection System (IDS).
B) Encrypting the database.
C) Using parameterized queries (prepared statements).
D) Hashing all user passwords.
E) Disabling JavaScript in the user's browser.
Correct Answer: C) Using parameterized queries (prepared statements).
Rationale: SQL Injection occurs when user input is concatenated directly into a SQL query,
allowing the user to alter the query's logic. Parameterized queries are a defense mechanism
that separates the SQL command from the user-supplied data. The database is told what
the query structure is first, and then the user input is treated strictly as data, not as
executable code.
Question 7
A website allows users to post comments. An attacker posts a comment containing a malicious
script. When other users view the comment, the script executes in their browsers. This is an
example of which type of attack?
A) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
B) Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
C) DOM-based Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
, [Type here]
D) SQL Injection
E) Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
Correct Answer: A) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Rationale: This is a Stored (or Persistent) XSS attack because the malicious script is
permanently stored on the target server (in the database of comments). The script is then
served to every user who views that page, executing in their browser.
Question 8
What is the primary defense against Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities?
A) Validating input on the client-side only.
B) Encrypting all data transmitted between the client and server.
C) Hashing user input before storing it in the database.
D) Implementing strong output encoding for all user-supplied data before rendering it in a
browser.
E) Using multi-factor authentication.
Correct Answer: D) Implementing strong output encoding for all user-supplied data before
rendering it in a browser.
Rationale: While input validation is important, the most robust defense against XSS is
context-aware output encoding. This process involves converting special characters
(like <, >, ", ') into their HTML entity equivalents (e.g., <, >). This ensures that the
browser renders the user's input as text to be displayed, not as code to be executed.
Question 9
A user is logged into their online banking website. An attacker tricks them into clicking a
malicious link that sends a request to the banking website to transfer money to the attacker's
account. This is an example of which type of attack?
A) Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
B) Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
C) SQL Injection
D) Man-in-the-Middle
E) Brute Force
AND VERIFIED WITH RATIONALES FOR GUARANTEED PASS | LATEST
UPDATE
Question 1
What are the three core principles of the information security model known as the CIA Triad?
A) Control, Integrity, Authentication
B) Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
C) Certification, Authorization, Auditing
D) Confidentiality, Inspection, Access
E) Control, Integrity, Availability
Correct Answer: B) Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
Rationale: The CIA Triad is the foundational model for information security.
Confidentiality ensures that data is accessible only to authorized users. Integrity ensures
that data is accurate and has not been tampered with. Availability ensures that authorized
users can access the data and systems when needed.
Question 2
A developer designs a user account for a background service so that it only has the permission to
read from one specific database table and has no other system rights. This is an application of
which secure design principle?
A) Defense in Depth
B) Principle of Least Privilege
C) Fail-Secure
D) Open Design
E) Separation of Duties
Correct Answer: B) Principle of Least Privilege
Rationale: The Principle of Least Privilege dictates that any entity (a user, a service, a
process) must be granted only the minimum permissions necessary to perform its intended
function. This limits the potential damage that can be caused if the entity is compromised.
Question 3
What is the primary advantage of integrating security activities throughout the entire Software
,[Type here]
Development Lifecycle (SSDLC) rather than only in the testing phase?
A) It eliminates the need for any manual security testing.
B) It makes the overall development process faster.
C) It identifies and mitigates vulnerabilities earlier, significantly reducing the cost and
complexity of remediation.
D) It guarantees that the final software will be completely free of all security bugs.
E) It focuses security efforts on the deployment phase.
Correct Answer: C) It identifies and mitigates vulnerabilities earlier, significantly reducing
the cost and complexity of remediation.
Rationale: The "shift left" philosophy of an SSDLC is based on the fact that the later a
vulnerability is discovered, the more expensive it is to fix. By incorporating security into
the requirements, design, and coding phases, issues can be found and fixed when they are
cheapest and easiest to address, long before the software reaches production.
Question 4
During which phase of the Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC) is threat modeling
most effectively performed?
A) Requirements
B) Design
C) Implementation (Coding)
D) Testing
E) Maintenance
Correct Answer: B) A design
Rationale: Threat modeling is a proactive process of identifying potential threats and
vulnerabilities from an attacker's perspective. It is most effective during the design phase,
before any code is written. This allows the system's architecture to be designed with
security in mind, rather than trying to add security as an afterthought.
Question 5
A threat modeling exercise identifies a risk where an attacker could alter data in transit without
authorization. According to the STRIDE threat model, this falls under which category?
A) Spoofing
,[Type here]
B) Tampering
C) Repudiation
D) Information Disclosure
E) Denial of Service
Correct Answer: B) Tampering
Rationale: The STRIDE model categorizes threats. Tampering specifically refers to the
unauthorized modification of data. Altering data as it travels across a network is a classic
example of a tampering threat. Spoofing is faking an identity, Repudiation is denying an
action, and so on.
Question 6
Which of the following is the most effective way to prevent SQL Injection vulnerabilities?
A) Using an Intrusion Detection System (IDS).
B) Encrypting the database.
C) Using parameterized queries (prepared statements).
D) Hashing all user passwords.
E) Disabling JavaScript in the user's browser.
Correct Answer: C) Using parameterized queries (prepared statements).
Rationale: SQL Injection occurs when user input is concatenated directly into a SQL query,
allowing the user to alter the query's logic. Parameterized queries are a defense mechanism
that separates the SQL command from the user-supplied data. The database is told what
the query structure is first, and then the user input is treated strictly as data, not as
executable code.
Question 7
A website allows users to post comments. An attacker posts a comment containing a malicious
script. When other users view the comment, the script executes in their browsers. This is an
example of which type of attack?
A) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
B) Reflected Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
C) DOM-based Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
, [Type here]
D) SQL Injection
E) Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
Correct Answer: A) Stored Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Rationale: This is a Stored (or Persistent) XSS attack because the malicious script is
permanently stored on the target server (in the database of comments). The script is then
served to every user who views that page, executing in their browser.
Question 8
What is the primary defense against Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities?
A) Validating input on the client-side only.
B) Encrypting all data transmitted between the client and server.
C) Hashing user input before storing it in the database.
D) Implementing strong output encoding for all user-supplied data before rendering it in a
browser.
E) Using multi-factor authentication.
Correct Answer: D) Implementing strong output encoding for all user-supplied data before
rendering it in a browser.
Rationale: While input validation is important, the most robust defense against XSS is
context-aware output encoding. This process involves converting special characters
(like <, >, ", ') into their HTML entity equivalents (e.g., <, >). This ensures that the
browser renders the user's input as text to be displayed, not as code to be executed.
Question 9
A user is logged into their online banking website. An attacker tricks them into clicking a
malicious link that sends a request to the banking website to transfer money to the attacker's
account. This is an example of which type of attack?
A) Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
B) Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF)
C) SQL Injection
D) Man-in-the-Middle
E) Brute Force
