CCZT Sample Questions Answers

SOAR is a collection of software programs developed to bolster an organization’s cybersecurity posture. SOAR tools can automate the response to security events and incidents by executing predefined workflows or playbooks, which can include tasks such as alert triage, threat detection, containment, mitigation, and remediation. SOAR tools can also orchestrate the integration of various security tools and data sources, and provide centralized dashboards and reporting for security operations.

References =

• Certificate of Competence in Zero Trust (CCZT) prepkit, page 23, section 3.2.2
• Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) - Gartner
• Security Automation: Tools, Process and Best Practices - Cynet, section “What are the different types of security automation tools?”
• Introduction to automation in Microsoft Sentinel

To ensure a successful ZT effort, it is important to engage stakeholders across the organization and at all levels, including functional areas. This helps to align the ZT vision and goals with the business priorities and needs, gain buy-in and support from the leadership and the users, and foster a culture of collaboration and trust. Engaging stakeholders also enables the identification and mapping of the critical assets, workflows, and dependencies, as well as the communication and feedback mechanisms for the ZT transformation.

References =

• Certificate of Competence in Zero Trust (CCZT) prepkit, page 7, section 1.3
• Zero Trust Planning - Cloud Security Alliance, section “Scope, Priority, & Business Case”
• The ‘Zero Trust’ Model in Cybersecurity: Towards understanding and …, section “3.1 Ensuring buy-in across the organization with tangible impact”

To ensure an acceptable user experience when implementing SDP, a security architect should collaborate with IT to model and plan the user experience, client software distribution, and device onboarding processes. This is because SDP requires users to install and use client software to access the protected resources, and the user experience may vary depending on the device type, operating system, network conditions, and security policies. By modeling and planning the user experience, the security architect and IT can ensure that the SDP implementation is user-friendly, consistent, and secure.

References = Certificate of Competence in Zero Trust (CCZT) - Cloud Security Alliance, Zero Trust Training (ZTT) - Module 7: Network Infrastructure and SDP

Optimal compliance posture in a Zero Trust environment is primarily achieved through rigorous authentication and authorization of all networked assets. Zero Trust operates on the principle of "never trust, always verify," which necessitates robust authentication mechanisms to verify the identity of users and devices. Following authentication, authorization ensures that each authenticated entity has explicit permission to access only the resources necessary for its function, aligning with the principle of least privilege. These practices ensure a secure and compliant posture by minimizing the attack surface and reducing the risk of unauthorized access.

One of the key purposes of leveraging visibility & analytics capabilities in a ZTA is to continually evaluate user behavior against a baseline to identify unusual actions. This helps to detect and respond to potential threats, anomalies, and deviations from the normal patterns of user activity. Visibility & analytics capabilities also enable the collection and analysis of telemetry data across all the core pillars of ZTA, such as user, device, network, application, and data, and provide insights for policy enforcement and improvement.

References =

• Certificate of Competence in Zero Trust (CCZT) prepkit, page 15, section 2.2.3
• Zero Trust for Government Networks: 4 Steps You Need to Know, section “Continuously verify trust with visibility & analytics”
• The role of visibility and analytics in zero trust architectures, section “The basic NIST tenets of this approach include”
• What is Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA)? | NextLabs, section “With real-time access control, users are reliably verified and authenticated before each session”

The first step that organizations should take to strengthen access requirements and protect their resources from unauthorized access by potential cyber threats is to understand and identify the data and assets that need to be protected. This step involves conducting a data and asset inventory and classification, which helps to determine the value, sensitivity, ownership, and location of the data and assets. By understanding and identifying the data and assets that need to be protected, organizations can define the appropriate access policies and controls based on the Zero Trust principles of never trust, always verify, and assume breach.

References = Certificate of Competence in Zero Trust (CCZT) - Cloud Security Alliance, Zero Trust Training (ZTT) - Module 2: Data and Asset Classification

Proper risk management should be a key component of any ZT project, especially during implementation and adjustments, because it helps to identify, analyze, evaluate, and treat the potential risks that may affect the ZT and ZTA objectives and outcomes. Proper risk management also helps to prioritize the ZT and ZTA activities and resources based on the risk level and impact, and to monitor and review the risk mitigation strategies and actions.

References = Certificate of Competence in Zero Trust (CCZT) - Cloud Security Alliance, Zero Trust Training (ZTT) - Module 9: Risk Management

Multifactor authentication is a method of validating the identity of an entity by requiring two or more factors, such as something the entity knows (e.g., password, PIN), something the entity has (e.g., token, smart card), or something the entity is (e.g., biometric, behavioral). Multifactor authentication enhances the security of Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) by reducing the risk of identity compromise and unauthorized access.

References = Certificate of Competence in Zero Trust (CCZT) - Cloud Security Alliance, Zero Trust Training (ZTT) - Module 4: Identity and Access Management

SPA is a security protocol that prevents device impersonation attacks in a ZTA by hiding the network infrastructure from unauthorized and unauthenticated users. SPA uses a single encrypted packet to convey the user’s identity and request access to a resource. The SPA packet must be digitally signed and authenticated by the SPA server before granting access. This ensures that only authorized devices can send valid SPA packets and prevents spoofing, replay, or brute-force attacks12.

References =

• Zero Trust: Single Packet Authorization | Passive authorization
• Single Packet Authorization | Linux Journal

Different SDP deployment models have different advantages and disadvantages depending on the organization’s use case, such as the type of resources to be protected, the location of the clients and servers, the network topology, the scalability, the performance, and the security requirements. Network architects should consider their use case before selecting an SDP model that best suits their needs and goals.

References =

• Certificate of Competence in Zero Trust (CCZT) prepkit, page 21, section 3.1.2
• 6 SDP Deployment Models to Achieve Zero Trust | CSA, section “Deployment Models Explained”
• Software-Defined Perimeter (SDP) and Zero Trust | CSA, page 7, section 3.1
• Why SDP Matters in Zero Trust | SonicWall, section “SDP Deployment Models”

ABAC is an access control method that uses attributes of the requester, the resource, the environment, and the action to evaluate and enforce policies. ABAC allows for fine-grained and dynamic access control based on the context of the request, rather than predefined roles or privileges. ABAC is suitable for SaaS and PaaS, where the features within a service may vary depending on the customer’s needs, preferences, and subscription level. ABAC can help implement ZT by enforcing the principle of least privilege and verifying every request based on multiple factors.

References =

• Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) Definition
• General Access Control Guidance for Cloud Systems
• A Guide to Secure SaaS Access Control Within an Organization

The policy engine (PE) is the component in a ZTA that is responsible for deciding whether to grant access to a resource. The PE evaluates the policies and the contextual data collected from various sources, such as the user identity, the device posture, the network location, the resource attributes, and the environmental factors, and then generates an access decision. The PE communicates the access decision to the policy enforcement point (PEP), which enforces the decision on the resource.

References =

• Certificate of Competence in Zero Trust (CCZT) prepkit, page 14, section 2.2.2
• What Is Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA)? - F5, section “Policy Engine”
• What is Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA)? | NextLabs, section “Core Components”
• [SP 800-207, Zero Trust Architecture], page 11, section 3.3.1

Asset owners are the ones who will determine valid users, roles, and privileges for accessing data as part of data governance. Asset owners are responsible for defining the data classification, sensitivity, and ownership of the data assets they own. They also have the authority to grant or revoke access to the data assets based on the business needs and the Zero Trust policies.

References = Certificate of Competence in Zero Trust (CCZT) - Cloud Security Alliance, Zero Trust Training (ZTT) - Module 2: Data and Asset Classification

ZTA uses micro-segmentation to divide the network into smaller, isolated segments that can prevent unauthorized access and contain lateral movement. ZTA also uses encryption to protect data in transit and at rest from eavesdropping and tampering.

Rigorous testing of Zero Trust and Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) implementations is crucial for validating their effectiveness. This testing should be an integrated part of the overall cybersecurity program. By incorporating ZT testing into the broader cybersecurity efforts, organizations can ensure a cohesive and comprehensive approach to security that encompasses all aspects of their network and systems. This integration facilitates continuous improvement, adherence to best practices, and alignment with organizational security objectives, thereby ensuring that the ZT implementation is robust, effective, and capable of protecting against evolving threats.