ISA Cybersecurity Fundamentals Specialist Exam Prep
Cybersecurity Fundamentals Specialist (Page 7 )

• Elasticity: Automatically increases or decreases resources based on demand.
• Scalability: The ability to increase capacity to handle more workload.
• Low latency: Minimizes network response time; it does not provide protection from failures.

• A. Periodically rotate responsibilities: May reduce some risks, but it does not directly detect unauthorized changes.
• B. Review segregation-of-duties conflicts: Identifies incompatible access combinations, not whether a specific data change was unauthorized.
• C. Log changes in an outside application: Logs provide evidence, but someone must review and analyze them. Logging alone does not detect misuse.
• D. Independent review: Directly detects unauthorized changes and reduces the risk that the person making the change can conceal it.

• Deterrent control: The signs warning people they may be filmed discourage unauthorized or malicious behavior. They may prevent incidents by influencing behavior, but their primary purpose is to deter.
• Detective control: The CCTV system monitors and records activity so security personnel can identify suspicious or unauthorized actions.

• Preventive: Blocks or prevents an incident, such as a lock or access-control system.
• Corrective: Fixes or restores systems after an incident.
• Directive: Tells people what they must do, typically through policies or procedures.
• Compensating: Provides an alternative control when the preferred control cannot be used.

• Insert is used when you are creating a new record. It saves the record to the table and then leaves the form.
• Update is used when editing an existing record. It saves the modifications and then leaves the form.

• Vulnerability scanner: Finds known technical weaknesses in systems or applications, but does not provide complete supply-chain visibility.
• Penetration test: Simulates attacks against defined targets; it is narrower than a full supply-chain analysis.
• SCAP: A set of standards and protocols for automated security configuration and vulnerability assessment, not a comprehensive supply-chain mapping tool.

• B — Incorporate contextual output encoding/escaping: Encode untrusted data based on its context—HTML, attribute, JavaScript, or URL—so the browser treats it as data rather than executable code.
• D — Run untrusted HTML input through an HTML sanitization engine: Sanitization removes or neutralizes dangerous elements and attributes, such as script-related content, while preserving safe HTML where needed.

• A: Enabling client-side scripts does not prevent XSS. Script restrictions may reduce risk in some environments, but “enable” is not a general XSS control.
• C: Cookie inspection is unrelated to preventing injected scripts.
• E: The SameSite cookie attribute primarily helps mitigate CSRF, not XSS. It should not generally be described as an XSS prevention measure.

• A. Remove rows where Sales[Status] is Canceled

• E. Remove Sales[Canceled Date]

• B: Removing Sales_Date would remove information users need—the date portion.
• C: Changing Delivery_Time to Integer could alter its meaning or precision and is not necessarily safe.
• D: Splitting the date/time column creates additional columns rather than simply removing unnecessary data.

• Lead investigator: Coordinates the investigation and directs the response.
• Information security representative: Provides security expertise and helps assess the incident.
• Technical representative: Preserves system evidence, takes forensic backups, and supports technical analysis.
• Legal representative: Advises on legal, regulatory, privacy, and evidence-handling requirements.

• VPC: A logically isolated virtual network within a public cloud.
• NFV: Replaces dedicated network appliances with virtualized network functions.
• SaaS: Software delivered over the internet as a service. This application could be delivered as SaaS, but the key detail in the question is that it serves multiple user groups or tenants.

1. Open Notepad as Administrator.
2. Open:

1. Remove or correct the line mapping the website to the wrong IP address.
2. Save the file.
3. Optionally run:

cmd 
   ipconfig /flushdns

• The table is large.
• Queries frequently filter or join on particular columns.
• The table’s natural data order does not support good micro-partition pruning.
• Clustering improves performance enough to justify its maintenance cost.

• The connected switch
• The switch’s port/interface
• Device and port descriptions
• Sometimes VLAN or management information

• IKE: Establishes security associations for IPsec VPNs.
• VLAN: Defines logical network segmentation; it does not identify a physical switch port.
• netstat: Displays local network connections and statistics, not the upstream switch and port.

• Virus signatures: Associated primarily with antivirus or antimalware tools.
• Security agent deployment: Usually handled by endpoint-management or endpoint-detection-and-response tools.
• Vulnerability scanning: Performed by vulnerability-management or vulnerability-scanning tools.

• Limiting the number of MAC addresses allowed on a switch port
• Restricting ports to specific known MAC addresses
• Taking an action—such as dropping frames or shutting down the port—when the limit is exceeded

• Load balancer: Distributes application traffic; it does not protect switch MAC tables.
• IPS: May detect some attack traffic, but is not the primary control for switch-port MAC limits.
• NGFW: Filters network traffic at the firewall, but does not directly control MAC addresses learned by a switch.

• RTO is how quickly service must be restored.
• RPO is how much data loss is acceptable.

• Snapshots: Restore points may be older and require restoration time.
• On-site backups: Usually require rebuilding or restoring systems, producing higher RTO/RPO.
• Journaling: Records database changes and can reduce data loss, but it still generally requires recovery or replay operations; it does not by itself provide the fastest service restoration.
• Hot site: Designed for rapid failover and minimal data loss.

• Future costs — Only costs occurring in the future can be affected by the investment decision. Past costs are sunk and irrelevant.
• Incremental costs — These are additional costs caused by choosing the investment. They are relevant because they differ between alternatives.
• Cash flows — Capital investment decisions are based on future cash inflows and outflows, usually discounted to present value.

• Committed costs have already been agreed or incurred and generally cannot be changed by the decision.
• Unavoidable costs will arise regardless of which option is selected, so they do not affect the choice.

• The job keeps 31 days of regular restore points. A backup from the week of January 1 is older than 31 days by March 20, so it is no longer expected to remain on the performance tier.
• It is also a weekly GFS full backup, retained for 14 weeks. Therefore, it is still protected and has not been deleted.
• In a Scale-out Backup Repository, older backups can be moved from the performance tier to the capacity tier—typically object storage—according to the configured offload policy.
• The archive tier is not selected because the question’s configuration does not indicate that the backup has been archived there.

• Azure DevOps Analytics views are accessed through the Power BI Azure DevOps (Boards only) connector.
• This connector authenticates directly to Azure DevOps Services and lets you select an Analytics view.
• Analytics views allow filtering and shaping data in the cloud before Power BI loads it.
• Azure DevOps Server (Boards only) is for an on-premises Azure DevOps Server instance, not Azure DevOps cloud.
• A generic OData Feed connection can access OData endpoints, but it is not the purpose-built connector for Azure DevOps Analytics views.
• “OData queries” describes the underlying technology or query approach, not the most appropriate Azure DevOps connector choice here.

• The load balancer provides the listener’s frontend IP address.
• The active SQL Server node must also respond to that same listener IP.
• Enabling Floating IP allows the listener IP to be preserved and handled correctly by the active replica.
• Without it, SQL connections may be sent to a node that cannot correctly claim the listener address.

• A health probe for the SQL Server port
• A load-balancing rule using the listener port
• Floating IP enabled on that rule

• Row counts
• Minimum and maximum values for columns
• Distinct-value information
• Other characteristics used for optimization

• miami.weyland.com requires a custom domain, which is not available in the Free tier.
• Two instances require a tier that supports scaling out. Standard supports multiple instances.
• SSL support is available in Standard.
• 12 GB of storage exceeds the storage limit of the Basic tier in the older Azure pricing model used by this question.
• Standard provides sufficient storage and features while being cheaper than higher tiers—though higher tiers are not listed here.

• Free/Shared: insufficient features for custom domains, SSL, and multiple instances.
• Basic: supports some production features, but its storage capacity is insufficient for the required 12 GB.

text 
roles/owner

bash 
gcloud projects get-iam-policy PROJECT_ID

yaml 
bindings: 

members:

  - user:admin@example.com 
  role: roles/owner

• Project-wide SSH keys control VM SSH access, not IAM ownership.
• Identity-Aware Proxy permissions apply to IAP-protected applications, not the complete project IAM policy.
• Audit Logs record activity; they do not directly show the current set of role assignments.

• Authentication: Verifies who the user is.
• Authorization: Determines what the authenticated user is allowed to access.
• Accounting: Records activity such as login times and resource usage.

• CIA: Confidentiality, integrity, and availability—the three core security goals.
• ACL: Access Control List, which defines permitted or denied traffic or access.
• PEM: A certificate and key encoding format, not the primary function of RADIUS.

• Root path cost
• Port priority
• Port ID

text 
interface GigabitEthernet0/1 
 spanning-tree vlan 10 port-priority 64

• Interface number: Helps form the port ID but is not normally configured as the preference value.
• VLAN priority: Not used to select a preferred forwarding interface.
• Hello time: Controls how often BPDUs are sent; it does not select a preferred port.

• A — Improved management of storage space: Correct.

• B — Improved supplier relationships: Correct.

• C — Improved pricing decisions: Correct.

• D — Non-product-specific costs must be apportioned: Incorrect.

• E — Profitability of each customer group: Incorrect.

• Employees can work from any location, including remote sites and offices worldwide.
• Login can be relatively seamless after the device is registered.
• It does not require distributing additional physical authentication equipment.

• Geotagging: Identifies location, but location alone is not a strong authentication method and may prevent legitimate remote access.
• Smart cards: Provide strong authentication but require card readers and physical cards, increasing equipment and management requirements.
• Time-based logins: Typically involve one-time codes that users must enter, making the experience less seamless and potentially requiring a token or authenticator app.

• Dark web: A place where leaked credentials may be sold or shared, not usually the original source.
• Threat feeds: Collections of intelligence about threats, not a typical leakage source.
• State actors: A type of attacker, not an accidental corporate disclosure source.
• Vulnerability databases: Track known vulnerabilities, rather than leaked credentials.

• Reconnaissance: Gathering information about the target.
• Weaponization: Creating or combining a malicious payload with a delivery method.
• Delivery: Sending the payload, such as through phishing.
• Exploitation: Triggering a vulnerability or weakness to gain execution or access.

• Install unauthorized or unsupported software
• Access features blocked by the manufacturer or operating system
• Customize system behavior beyond normal settings

• Virus signatures: Primarily associated with antivirus or antimalware tools.
• Security agent deployment: Usually handled by endpoint-management or endpoint-security platforms.
• Vulnerability scanning: Performed by vulnerability-assessment tools, although a SIEM may ingest their results.

• Penetration test: Tests for exploitable vulnerabilities; it does not provide a broad opinion on whether security controls operate effectively.
• Annual self-assessment: Not independent, so it provides less assurance.
• Allow each client the right to audit: Inefficient because every customer may conduct a separate audit, creating duplicated effort and disruption.

• Complex inputs: A queueable job can accept and retain complex data such as Map<Id, Project__c> and List<Account>.
• Callouts: The class should implement both:

apex 
  public class ProjectJob implements Queueable, Database.AllowsCallouts { 
      // execute method 
  }

• Execution confirmation: System.enqueueJob() returns an AsyncApexJob ID. You can use that ID to query job status and confirm whether the job completed successfully.

• @future(callout=true) supports callouts, but future methods have more restrictive parameter types and return no job ID for tracking.
• Database.AllowsCallouts is only an interface that permits callouts; it is not an asynchronous mechanism by itself.
• Schedulable is intended for jobs that run at a scheduled time, not primarily for submitting a long-running asynchronous operation.

• A: CEO-sponsored formal policy — demonstrates executive support, but sponsorship at one point in time may not sustain commitment.
• B: Security awareness training — primarily improves employee behavior, not senior management commitment.
• C: Periodic alignment reviews — ongoing reviews show that security remains relevant, supports business priorities, and uses resources appropriately.
• D: Senior management signoff on the strategy — useful for governance and accountability, but signoff is generally a one-time event.

• A — Tables
• B — Named file formats
• C — Schemas
• E — Databases

Why these are correct

• Tables: Can be cloned using CREATE TABLE ... CLONE. The clone initially uses zero-copy cloning, so storage is shared until changes are made.
• Named file formats: Can be cloned as database objects, preserving the file-format definition.
• Schemas: A schema and its eligible objects can be cloned.
• Databases: A database and its eligible schemas and objects can be cloned.

Why the others are incorrect

• Shares: A share is an account-level data-sharing object, not a normal cloneable database object.
• Users: Users are security principals and cannot be cloned with CLONE.

• Render thousands of animation frames
• Generate product images in multiple sizes
• Apply filters or transformations to a large image collection
• Produce visual effects for a video

• Initial Intrusion: The compromised VPN account and stolen phishing credentials describe how the attacker first gained access, but that happened months earlier.
• Persistence: The scheduled tasks and recurring C2 connections show how the attacker maintained and automated continued access.
• Search and Exfiltration: This would involve locating and transferring data. The scenario does not primarily describe data discovery or theft.
• Cleanup: Cleanup involves removing evidence or covering tracks. Obfuscated scripts may make detection harder, but the main behavior here is maintaining access.

• Configure row-level security (RLS) using the sales region and the HR manager’s identity.
• Publish the reports and datasets through a Power BI app.
• Grant the HR managers permission to use the app, but do not add them as workspace members.
• App users can view and interact with reports while RLS limits them to their region.
• They cannot modify the report layout because they do not have workspace editing permissions.

• Adding them to the workspace gives them workspace permissions that may allow report or dataset changes, depending on the assigned role.
• Creating copies is unnecessary and creates maintenance and security problems.
• Hosting datasets and reports in different workspaces does not, by itself, provide the required controlled access.

• Rights issue: Raises new equity from existing shareholders. It does not increase debt or gearing, so it is least likely to breach the covenant.
• Retained earnings: Also equity finance, but the amount available may be insufficient for the required $800 million.
• Private placement of a bond: Creates additional debt and would worsen gearing, increasing the risk of breaching the covenant.
• Bank overdraft: Also debt finance, usually short-term and potentially expensive; it would still increase financial risk and gearing.

• Match found: ServiceNow updates the existing target record.
• No match found: ServiceNow normally creates a new target record.
• No Transform Map is created or deleted based on whether a match is found.

• IDS attack signatures: Primarily detects suspicious network activity; it is not the best control for scanning uploaded documents.
• Load balancer: Distributes traffic and can improve availability, but does not inspect files for malware.
• WAF: Helps block web attacks such as command injection and SQL injection, but it is not primarily a malware-scanning solution.

1. Start with the number of devices: 260 usable addresses.
2. Use the formula:

1. Test the host-bit values:

1. IPv4 has 32 total bits:

• /24: 254 usable — too small
• /23: 510 usable — sufficient
• /22: 1,022 usable — more waste
• /21: 2,046 usable — even more waste

• Sustainability
• Performance efficiency
• Reliability

• 25 – Traditional SMTP server-to-server mail transfer; often blocked for client submission and not inherently secure.
• 110 – POP3 for receiving email; unencrypted by default.
• 143 – IMAP for accessing email; unencrypted by default.
• 587 – Authenticated email submission and commonly secured with TLS.

• User2 is in Group1, so CA2 applies.
• CA2 targets Office 365.
• CA2 requires MFA OR an app protection policy.
• User2 has no app protection policy, but if User2 successfully completes MFA, the OR condition is satisfied.
• The device being noncompliant does not matter because CA2 does not require device compliance.
• CA1 applies only to Global Administrators. Unless User2 is also a Global Administrator, CA1 does not apply.

DAX 
Previous Year Sales = 
CALCULATE( 
    [Total Sales], 
    PARALLELPERIOD('DATE'[Month], -1, YEAR) 
)

• CALCULATE evaluates [Total Sales] after modifying the filter context.
• PARALLELPERIOD shifts the current date period. -1 moves it backward, and YEAR specifies a one-year shift.
• 'DATE'[Month] is the date column used for the time calculation. In a proper date table, this should be a real date column or an appropriate calendar column—not merely text such as "January".

• Note the question number before leaving—for example, Question 38.
• Use the exam’s question navigator or Back/Previous button to return to that number.
• If you close or refresh the page, your position may not be saved, depending on the site. Reopen the page and select the question number again.
• Avoid using the browser’s Back button if it causes the exam page to reload; use the exam’s built-in navigation instead.

• 2018-12-31 — the date
• 08:59 — the time

• Changing the original column to Date may fail because it still contains the text at and a time.
• Extracting the last 11 characters does not isolate the date.
• Extracting the first 11 characters gets the date plus a space, but the option does not specify changing the result to the Date type.

• Matching hashes: The software likely has not changed.
• Different hashes: The software was modified or corrupted.

• Encryption: Protects confidentiality by making data unreadable; it does not primarily detect changes.
• Baselines: Define an approved system or configuration state, but they are not the specific integrity mechanism here.
• Tokenization: Replaces sensitive data with substitute values.