Explanation: The longer an adversary has this level of access, the greater the impact.
Defenders must detect this stage as quickly as possible and deploy tools which can enable
them to gather forensic evidence. One example would come with network packet captures,
for damage assessment. Only now, after progressing through the primary six phases, can
intruders take actions to realize their original objectives. Typically, the target of knowledge
exfiltration involves collecting, encrypting and extracting information from the victim(s)
environment; violations of knowledge integrity or availability are potential objectives also .
Alternatively, and most ordinarily , the intruder may only desire access to the initial victim
box to be used as a hop point to compromise additional systems and move laterally inside
the network. Once this stage is identified within an environment, the implementation of
prepared reaction plans must be initiated. At a minimum, the plan should include a
comprehensive communication plan, detailed evidence must be elevated to the very best
ranking official or board , the deployment of end-point security tools to dam data loss and
preparation for briefing a CIRT Team. Having these resources well established beforehand
may be a “MUST” in today’s quickly evolving landscape of cybersecurity threats.
Explanation: The base metric represents the inherent qualities of a vulnerability, according to the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS). CVSS is a framework that numerically characterizes the severity of software vulnerabilities between the range of 0-10. CVSS consists of three metric groups: Base, Temporal, and Environmental. The base metric group captures the characteristics of a vulnerability that are constant over time and across user environments. The base metric group consists of six sub-metrics: Attack Vector, Attack Complexity, Privileges Required, User Interaction, Scope, and Impact. The impact sub-metric further consists of three sub-metrics: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. The base metric group produces a score ranging from 0 to 10, which reflects the intrinsic and fundamental properties of a vulnerability12.
The other options are not correct for the following reasons:
A. Temporal metric represents the inherent qualities of a vulnerability: This option is incorrect because the temporal metric group captures the characteristics of a vulnerability that change over time due to events external to the vulnerability. The temporal metric group consists of three sub-metrics: Exploit Code Maturity, Remediation Level, and Report Confidence. The temporal metric group modifies the base score to reflect the current state of the vulnerability, such as the availability of exploit code, the existence of patches or workarounds, and the degree of verification of the vulnerability report12.
C. Environmental metric involves the features that change during the lifetime of the vulnerability:
This option is incorrect because the environmental metric group captures the characteristics of a vulnerability that are relevant and unique to a user’s environment. The environmental metric group consists of three sub-metrics: Modified Attack Vector, Modified Attack Complexity, and Modified Privileges Required. The environmental metric group also allows the user to assign importance values to the impact sub-metrics: Confidentiality Requirement, Integrity Requirement, and Availability Requirement. The environmental metric group modifies the base and temporal scores to reflect the impact of the vulnerability on the user’s specific environment, such as the network configuration, the security objectives, and the asset value12.
D. Temporal metric involves measuring vulnerabilities based on a specific environment or implementation: This option is incorrect because the temporal metric group does not involve measuring vulnerabilities based on a specific environment or implementation, but rather on the factors that change over time due to events external to the vulnerability. The environmental metric group, not the temporal metric group, involves measuring vulnerabilities based on a specific environment or implementation, as explained in option C.
References:
1: What is CVSS - Common Vulnerability Scoring System - SANS Institute
2: Common Vulnerability Scoring System - Wikipedia
Explanation:
Using default settings on a web server is considered a security risk because it can reveal the server software type and version, which can help attackers identify potential vulnerabilities and launch targeted attacks. For example, if the default settings include a server signature that displays the name and version of the web server software, such as Apache 2.4.46, an attacker can search for known exploits or bugs that affect that specific software and version. Additionally, default settings may also include other insecure configurations, such as weak passwords, unnecessary services, or open ports, that can expose the web server to unauthorized access or compromise.
The best initial step to mitigate this risk is to change the default settings to hide or obscure the server software type and version, as well as to disable or remove any unnecessary or insecure features. For example, to hide the server signature, one can modify the ServerTokens and Server Signature directives in the Apache configuration file1. Alternatively, one can use a web application firewall or a reverse proxy to mask the server information from the client requests2. Changing the default settings can reduce the attack surface and make it harder for attackers to exploit the web server.
References:
How to Hide Apache Version Number and Other Sensitive Info
How to hide server information from HTTP headers? - Stack Overflow