CISSP Topic

Security Operations Practice Questions

Master Security Operations for the CISSP exam with comprehensive practice questions, detailed explanations, and proven study strategies.

1,200+

Practice Questions

89%

Pass Rate

65K+

Students Passed

13%

of Exam

What You'll Learn

Security Operations is a crucial topic for the CISSP exam, as it covers the processes and controls necessary to maintain the security of an organization's information systems and assets. This domain focuses on the day-to-day management and monitoring of security controls, as well as incident response and disaster recovery planning. Mastering Security Operations is essential for CISSP candidates, as it demonstrates their ability to ensure the ongoing protection and resilience of an organization's critical information and technology infrastructure.

Key Concepts

Security Monitoring and Logging

The processes and technologies used to collect, analyze, and respond to security-related events and activities within an organization's IT environment. This includes monitoring network traffic, system logs, and security alerts to detect and investigate potential security incidents.

Incident Response and Management

The coordinated approach to preparing for, identifying, containing, and recovering from security incidents or data breaches. This encompasses activities such as creating an incident response plan, establishing clear roles and responsibilities, and implementing effective communication and escalation procedures.

Change and Configuration Management

The processes and controls used to manage the changes and configurations of an organization's IT systems, applications, and infrastructure. This helps maintain the security, stability, and integrity of the computing environment by ensuring that all changes are authorized, documented, and tested before implementation.

Patch and Vulnerability Management

The systematic identification, assessment, and remediation of security vulnerabilities in software, systems, and applications. This includes monitoring for new vulnerabilities, prioritizing and applying patches and updates, and verifying the effectiveness of the remediation measures.

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity

The processes and plans to ensure the continuity of an organization's critical business functions and the recovery of its IT systems and data in the event of a disaster or significant disruption. This encompasses activities such as risk assessment, data backup and restoration, and the testing of recovery procedures.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Failing to establish and maintain comprehensive security monitoring and logging capabilities, leading to the inability to detect and investigate security incidents effectively.
  • Neglecting to have a well-defined and regularly tested incident response plan, which can result in a chaotic and ineffective response to security breaches.
  • Inadequate change and configuration management processes, leading to uncontrolled changes and the introduction of security vulnerabilities.
  • Ineffective patch and vulnerability management, leaving systems and applications exposed to known security risks for extended periods.
  • Inadequate disaster recovery and business continuity planning, resulting in the inability to recover from a major incident and maintain critical business operations.

Sample Security Operations Questions

Question 1

Johnson Computer Technologies and another company in a similar sector agree to help each other in case of emergency or unexpected situation. They have similar tech infrastructure to each other as well. What sort of agreement do they MOST likely possess?

A.

Reciprocal

(Correct)
B.

Service bureau

C.

Hot site

D.

Vendor hot site

Explanation:

Correct answer: ReciprocalA reciprocal agreement, also called a Mutual Assistance Agreement (MAA), is an agreement or a memorandum of understanding where two companies pledge the availability of their organization's data center during a disaster. This allows company A to utilize company B's data cen...

Question 2

Proper documentation and signatures, as part of change management, are crucial before a deployment of an update. Which of the following updates would MOST LIKELY necessitate formal change management documentation, signatures, and subsequent approval prior to its deployment?

A.

Server reconfiguration

(Correct)
B.

Monitoring service update

C.

Antivirus vulnerability database definition update

D.

Antivirus shell update

Explanation:

Correct answer: Server reconfiguration Server reconfigurations can significantly impact an organization. Change management procedures including documentation and signatures are needed to authorize any change, ensuring that testing and deployment procedures are appropriately followed. This process mi...

Question 3

After a data center fire, ACME Corporation has recovered its vital computer systems. However, the event has led to a substantial shift in how the organization will conduct business going forward. At this stage, which plan would be the MOST beneficial?

A.

Business Continuity Plan

(Correct)
B.

Disaster Recovery Plan

C.

Emergency Response Plan

D.

Contingency Plan

Explanation:

Correct answer: Business Continuity PlanA Business Continuity Plan (BCP) encompasses both preparation for a disaster and response activities after the disaster has taken place. The primary goal of a BCP is to reduce the disaster-related risks to an acceptable level. The BCP is wider in scope than a ...

Study Tips for Security Operations

Familiarize yourself with industry-standard security frameworks and best practices for security operations, such as NIST SP 800-61, SANS Institute's Critical Security Controls, and the ITIL framework.

Understand the key components and elements of an effective incident response plan, including preparation, identification, containment, eradication, and recovery.

Practice analyzing security logs and alerts to identify and investigate potential security incidents, and learn how to respond appropriately.

Study the CISSP exam's coverage of change management and configuration management best practices, and be prepared to apply them in various scenarios.

Familiarize yourself with the principles of disaster recovery and business continuity planning, including risk assessment, data backup and restoration, and plan testing.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Security Operations questions are on the CISSP?

Security Operations makes up approximately 13% of the CISSP exam. Upsero includes hundreds of practice questions covering all aspects of this topic.

How do I study for Security Operations?

Start with understanding the key concepts, then practice with realistic exam questions. Upsero's ReadyScore tracks your mastery of Security Operations so you know when you're ready for the real exam.

Are the practice questions similar to the real CISSP?

Yes! Our Security Operations questions are designed to match the exact format, difficulty, and style of the actual CISSP exam. Many students say our questions are even harder than the real exam.

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