Develop Misuse and Abuse CSSLP Practice Questions (Page 3)

Questions 11–15

1. 11expert · hard

   A legacy enterprise application uses a shared database account with a hardcoded password. The team identified a misuse case where a disgruntled employee with network access connects directly to the database and exfiltrates data. The security architect must select a mitigating control that reduces the risk without requiring a full application rewrite. Which control is most effective?

   • ARotate the database password monthly and store it in a secrets manager.
   • BEnable database audit logging to track all queries.
   • CImplement network-level access control lists (ACLs) to restrict which IP addresses can connect to the database port.
   • DEncrypt the database files at rest.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
2. 12expert · hard

   A fintech startup is building a payment API. The team identified two misuse cases: (1) an attacker replays a captured payment request to charge a customer twice, and (2) an attacker modifies the amount field in transit. The team must select a single control that mitigates both cases without requiring the client to maintain server-side state. Which control satisfies both requirements?

   • ARequire the client to send the same request twice and compare responses.
   • BUse HTTPS to encrypt the request in transit.
   • CUse a digital signature over the entire request payload, including a timestamp and a unique transaction ID.
   • DUse a nonce (number used once) that the server stores in a database to detect replays.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
4. 13application · medium

   A collaboration tool supports real-time document editing. The team identified a misuse case where a malicious user sends a specially crafted message that causes the WebSocket connection to crash, denying service to other participants in the same document. Which mitigating control is most appropriate for this abuse case?

   • AImplement input validation and size limits on WebSocket messages.
   • BLog all WebSocket messages for post-incident analysis.
   • CUse a load balancer to distribute WebSocket connections across multiple servers.
   • DIncrease the WebSocket server's timeout value.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
5. 14expert · hard

   A mobile app allows users to log in with a PIN. The threat model identified a misuse case where an attacker with physical access to the device performs a brute-force attack by trying all possible PIN combinations. The team must select a control that prevents the attack while minimizing user friction. Which control is most appropriate?

   • ARequire the user to enter the PIN every time the app is opened.
   • BStore the PIN in plaintext on the device for fast verification.
   • CUse a 4-digit PIN with no lockout policy.
   • DImplement exponential backoff with a maximum of 5 attempts before requiring a full password.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
6. 15application · medium

   A customer support application allows agents to search for customer records by name. The threat model identified a misuse case where an agent uses a wildcard search (e.g., '*') to retrieve and export the entire customer database. Which mitigating control is most appropriate?

   • AEncrypt the customer database at rest.
   • BRequire the agent to select a customer from a dropdown list.
   • CLimit the maximum number of records returned by a single search query.
   • DAudit all search queries for later review.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first