Quid pro quo is the social engineering technique that Johnson employed in the above scenario. Social engineering is a technique that involves manipulating or deceiving people into performing actions or revealing information that can be used for malicious purposes. Social engineering can be performed through various methods, such as phone calls, emails, websites, etc. Quid pro quo is a social engineering method that involves offering a service or a benefit in exchange for information or access. Quid pro quo can be used to trick victims into believing that they are receiving help or assistance from a legitimate source, while in fact they are compromising their security or privacy . In the scenario, Johnson performed quid pro quo by claiming himself to represent a technical support team from a vendor and offering to help sibertech.org with a server issue, while in fact he prompted the victim to execute unusual commands and install malicious files, which were then used to collect and pass critical information to Johnson’s machine. Diversion theft is a social engineering method that involves diverting the delivery or shipment of goods or assets to a different location or destination. Elicitation is a social engineering method that involves extracting information from a target by engaging them in a conversation or an interaction. Phishing is a social engineering method that involves sending fraudulent emails or messages that appear to come from a trusted source, such as a bank, a company, or a person, and asking the recipient to click on a link, open an attachment, or provide personal or financial information.

 It identifies the type of physical lock used by the organization in the above scenario. A physical lock is a device that prevents unauthorized access to a door, gate, cabinet, or other enclosure by using a mechanism that requires a key, code, or biometric factor to open or close it. There are different types of physical locks, such as:

Combination lock: This type of lock requires typing a sequence of numbers and letters by using a rotating dial that intermingles with several other rotating discs. This type of lock is suitable for securing safes, lockers, or cabinets that store valuable items or documents.

Digital lock: This type of lock requires entering a numeric or alphanumeric code by using a keypad or touchscreen. This type of lock is suitable for securing doors or gates that require frequent access or multiple users.

Mechanical lock: This type of lock requires inserting and turning a metal key that matches the shape and size of the lock. This type of lock is suitable for securing doors or gates that require simple and reliable access or single users.

Electromagnetic lock: This type of lock requires applying an electric current to a magnet that attracts a metal plate attached to the door or gate. This type of lock is suitable for securing doors or gates that require remote control or integration with other security systems.

In the above scenario, the organization used a combination lock that requires typing a sequence of numbers and letters by using a rotating dial that intermingles with several other rotating discs. Option A is incorrect, as it does not identify the type of physical lock used by the organization in the above scenario. A digital lock requires entering a numeric or alphanumeric code by using a keypad or touchscreen. In the above scenario, the organization did not use a digital lock, but a combination lock. Option C is incorrect, as it does not identify the type of physical lock used by the organization in the above scenario. A mechanical lock requires inserting and turning a metal key that matches the shape and size of the lock. In the above scenario, the organization did not use a mechanical lock, but a combination lock. Option D is incorrect, as it does not identify the type of physical lock used by the organization in the above scenario. An electromagnetic lock requires applying an electric current to a magnet that attracts a metal plate attached to the door or gate. In the above scenario, the organization did not use an electromagnetic lock, but a combination lock. References: , Section 7.2

Permissive policy is the type of Internet access policy implemented by George in this scenario. An Internet access policy is a policy that defines the rules and guidelines for accessing the Internet from a system or network. An Internet access policy can be based on various factors, such as security, productivity, bandwidth, etc. An Internet access policy can have different types based on its level of restriction or control. A permissive policy is a type of Internet access policy that allows users to access any site, download any application, and access any computer or network without any restrictions. A permissive policy can be used to provide maximum flexibility and freedom to users, but it can also pose significant security risks and challenges. In the scenario, George implemented an Internet access policy that allowed employees working from a remote location to access any site, download any application, and access any computer or network without any restrictions. This means that he implemented a permissive policy for those employees. A paranoid policy is a type of Internet access policy that blocks or denies all Internet access by default and only allows specific sites, applications, or computers that are explicitly authorized. A prudent policy is a type of Internet access policy that allows most Internet access but blocks or restricts some sites, applications, or computers that are deemed inappropriate, malicious, or unnecessary. A promiscuous policy is not a type of Internet access policy, but a term that describes a network mode that allows a network interface card (NIC) to capture all packets on a network segment, regardless of their destination address. 

20.20.10.19 is the source IP address of the SYN flooding attack in the above scenario. SYN flooding is a type of denial-of-service (DoS) attack that exploits the TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) three-way handshake process to disrupt the network and gain advantage over the network to bypass the firewall. SYN flooding sends a large number of SYN packets with spoofed source IP addresses to a target server, causing it to allocate resources and wait for the corresponding ACK packets that never arrive. This exhausts the server’s resources and prevents it from accepting legitimate requests . To determine the source IP address of the SYN flooding attack, one has to follow these steps:

Navigate to the Documents folder of Attacker-1 machine.

Double-click on Synflood.pcapng file to open it with Wireshark.

Click on Statistics menu and select Conversations option.

Click on TCP tab and sort the list by Bytes column in descending order.

Observe the IP address that has sent the most bytes to 20.20.10.26 (target server).

The IP address that has sent the most bytes to 20.20.10.26 is 20.20.10.19 , which is the source IP address of the SYN flooding attack.

Risk treatment is the risk management phase that Cassius was instructed to perform in the above scenario. Risk management is a process that involves identifying, analyzing, evaluating, treating, monitoring, and reviewing risks that can affect an organization’s objectives, assets, or operations. Risk management phases can be summarized as follows: risk identification, risk analysis, risk prioritization, risk treatment, and risk monitoring . Risk identification is the risk management phase that involves identifying and documenting potential sources, causes, events, and impacts of risks. Risk analysis is the risk management phase that involves assessing and quantifying the likelihood and consequences of risks. Risk prioritization is the risk management phase that involves ranking risks based on their severity level and determining which risks need immediate attention or action. Risk treatment is the risk management phase that involves selecting and implementing appropriate controls or strategies to address risks based on their severity level . Risk treatment can include avoiding, transferring, reducing, or accepting risks. Risk monitoring is the risk management phase that involves tracking and reviewing the performance and effectiveness of risk controls or strategies over time.

Testing is the tier of the secure application development lifecycle that involves checking the application performance in the above scenario. Secure application development is a process that involves designing, developing, deploying, and maintaining software applications that are secure and resilient to threats and attacks. Secure application development can be based on various models or frameworks, such as SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle), OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project), etc. Secure application development consists of various tiers or stages that perform different tasks or roles. Testing is a tier of the secure application development lifecycle that involves verifying and validating the functionality and security of software applications before releasing them to end users. Testing can include various types of tests, such as unit testing, integration testing, system testing, performance testing, security testing, etc. Testing can be used to check the application performance and identify any errors, bugs, or vulnerabilities in the software applications. In the scenario, a software company develops new software products by following the best practices for secure application development. Dawson, a software analyst, is responsible for checking the performance of applications in the client’s network to determine any issue faced by end users while accessing the application. This means that he performs testing for this purpose. Development is a tier of the secure application development lifecycle that involves creating and coding software applications according to the design and specifications. Staging is a tier of the secure application development lifecycle that involves deploying software applications to a simulated or pre-production environment for testing or evaluation purposes. Quality assurance (QA) is a tier of the secure application development lifecycle that involves ensuring that software applications meet the quality standards and expectations of end users and stakeholders 

TCP Timestamps is the vulnerability with a severity score of 8.0. This can be verified by performing a vulnerability assessment of the web server located at IP address 20.20.10.26 using the OpenVAS vulnerability scanner, available with the Parrot Security machine, with credentials admin/password. To perform the vulnerability assessment, one can follow these steps:

Launch the Parrot Security machine and open a terminal.

Enter the command sudo openvas-start to start the OpenVAS service and wait for a few minutes until it is ready.

Open a web browser and navigate to https://127.0.0.1:9392 to access the OpenVAS web interface.

Enter the credentials admin/password to log in to OpenVAS.

Click on Scans - > Tasks from the left menu and then click on the blue icon with a star to create a new task.

Enter a name and a comment for the task, such as “Web Server Scan”.

Select “Full and fast” as the scan config from the drop-down menu.

Click on the icon with a star next to Target to create a new target.

Enter a name and a comment for the target, such as “Web Server”.

Enter 20.20.10.26 as the host in the text box and click on Save.

Select “Web Server” as the target from the drop-down menu and click on Save.

Click on the green icon with a play button next to the task name to start the scan and wait for it to finish.

Click on the task name to view the scan report and click on Results from the left menu to see the list of vulnerabilities found.

Sort the list by Severity in descending order and look for the vulnerability with a severity score of 8.0. The screenshot below shows an example of performing these steps: The vulnerability with a severity score of 8.0 is TCP Timestamps, which is an option in TCP packets that can be used to measure round-trip time and improve performance, but it can also reveal information about the system’s uptime, clock skew, or TCP sequence numbers, which can be used by attackers to launch various attacks, such as idle scanning, OS fingerprinting, or TCP hijacking1. The vulnerability report provides more details about this vulnerability, such as its description, impact, solution, references, and CVSS score2. References: Screenshot of OpenVAS showing TCP Timestamps vulnerability, TCP Timestamps Vulnerability, Vulnerability Report

The correct answer is C, as it identifies the PCI-DSS requirement followed by Myles in the above scenario. PCI-DSS is a set of standards that aims to protect cardholder data and ensure secure payment transactions. PCI-DSS has 12 requirements that cover various aspects of security such as network configuration, data encryption, access control, vulnerability management, monitoring, and testing. PCI-DSS requirement no 5.1 states that “Protect all systems against malware and regularly update anti-virus software or programs”. In the above scenario, Myles followed this requirement by installing antivirus software on each laptop to detect and protect the machines from external malicious events over the Internet. Option A is incorrect, as it does not identify the PCI-DSS requirement followed by Myles in the above scenario. PCI-DSS requirement no 1.3.2 states that “Do not allow unauthorized outbound traffic from the cardholder data environment to the Internet”. In the above scenario, Myles did not follow this requirement, as there was no mention of outbound traffic or cardholder data environment. Option B is incorrect, as it does not identify the PCI-DSS requirement followed by Myles in the above scenario. PCI-DSS requirement no 1.3.5 states that “Restrict inbound and outbound traffic to that which is necessary for the cardholder data environment”. In the above scenario, Myles did not follow this requirement, as there was no mention of inbound or outbound traffic or cardholder data environment. Option D is incorrect, as it does not identify the PCI-DSS requirement followed by Myles in the above scenario. PCI-DSS requirement no 1.3.1 states that “Implement a firewall configuration that restricts connections between publicly accessible servers and any system component storing cardholder data”. In the above scenario, Myles did not follow this requirement, as there was no mention of firewall configuration or publicly accessible servers or system components storing cardholder data.

References: Section 5.2

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is the wireless technology that the software company has implemented in the above scenario.  RFID uses radio-frequency electromagnetic waves to transfer data for automatic identification and for tracking tags attached to objects 11 12 .  WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) is a wireless technology that provides high-speed broadband access over long distances 13 .  Bluetooth is a wireless technology that enables short-range data communication between devices, such as phones, laptops, printers, etc. 14 .  Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) is a wireless technology that allows devices to connect to a local area network or the internet using radio waves

Lightweight cryptography is an algorithm that is designed for low-complexity applications such as RFID tags, sensor-based applications, and other IoT-based applications. Lightweight cryptography uses less power and resources without compromising device security. Lightweight cryptography can be implemented using symmetric-key algorithms, asymmetric-key algorithms, or hash functions1.

References: Lightweight Cryptography