Managing-Cloud-Security Exam Dumps - WGU Courses and Certificates Questions and Answers

Tabletop testing is the disaster recovery testing method with the least impact on production systems. Managing Cloud guidance explains that tabletop exercises are discussion-based scenarios where stakeholders walk through response procedures without executing actual system changes.

This approach allows teams to validate roles, responsibilities, communication paths, and decision-making processes. Tabletop testing is cost-effective, low-risk, and ideal for early validation of disaster recovery and business continuity plans.

Dry runs and full tests involve actual system actions and can impact production. Unit testing focuses on individual components. Therefore, tabletop testing is the correct answer.

During the create phase of the cloud data life cycle, data is first generated or collected by an organization. At this stage, it is essential to apply security controls before the data is transferred to the cloud environment. The most effective control during this phase is encryption. Encrypting data ensures that the information is transformed into an unreadable format, protecting it from unauthorized access while it is being transmitted and stored in the cloud.

Managing Cloud principles emphasize that security must be applied as early as possible in the data life cycle to minimize exposure and reduce risk. If data is encrypted prior to upload, even if interception or unauthorized access occurs, the data remains protected and unusable without the appropriate decryption keys. This approach also supports data confidentiality requirements and aligns with security best practices for handling sensitive and regulated information.

The other options do not provide adequate protection during the create phase. Storing or archiving data refers to later life cycle stages, while sharing data increases exposure rather than securing it. Therefore, encrypting data before uploading it to the cloud is a critical safeguard that ensures data confidentiality, supports compliance requirements, and strengthens overall cloud security posture.

The correct approach for sanitizing a USB thumb drive while preserving its usability is overwriting. Overwriting involves replacing the existing data on the device with random data or specific patterns to ensure that the original information cannot be recovered. This process leaves the physical device intact, allowing it to be reused securely.

Physical destruction, such as shredding, renders the device unusable. Degaussing only works on magnetic media like hard disks or tapes, not on solid-state or flash-based USB drives. Key revocation applies to cryptographic keys and not to physical devices.

By using overwriting, organizations comply with data sanitization standards while balancing operational efficiency. Many tools exist that perform multi-pass overwrites to meet regulatory requirements such as those from NIST or ISO. This ensures that sensitive data is removed while allowing the device to remain in circulation for continued use.

NIST SP 800-37 provides a detailed guide for implementing the Risk Management Framework (RMF). Managing Cloud documentation explains that this framework offers a structured process for integrating security and risk management into system development and operational activities.

NIST SP 800-37 outlines steps such as categorizing systems, selecting and implementing security controls, assessing effectiveness, authorizing systems, and continuous monitoring. This lifecycle-based approach helps organizations manage risk in cloud and traditional environments consistently.

ISO 31000 provides general risk management principles, ISO 27001 focuses on information security management systems, and PCI DSS is a compliance standard. Therefore, NIST SP 800-37 is the correct guide for implementing the RMF.

The Store phase of the cloud data lifecycle is responsible for maintaining data in cloud storage systems and is where file, block, and object storage architectures are implemented. Managing Cloud documentation explains that once data is created and prepared, it must be stored using appropriate storage technologies that support availability, durability, scalability, and performance requirements.

File storage is commonly used for shared access and hierarchical file systems, block storage supports high-performance workloads such as databases and virtual machines, and object storage is optimized for scalability and unstructured data. All these storage models fall under the Store phase because they represent how data is retained and managed at rest within the cloud environment.

The Archive phase focuses on long-term retention and cost optimization, often using cold or infrequent access storage. The Create phase is concerned with generating data, and the Share phase involves distributing data to other users or systems. None of these phases define the architectural storage models used to hold data. Therefore, the Store phase is the correct answer, as it directly implements the underlying cloud storage architectures required to securely and efficiently manage data.

During the preparation phase of the incident response lifecycle, organizations focus on establishing readiness before any incident occurs. Managing Cloud principles explain that preparation includes identifying potential threats, evaluating vulnerabilities, and assessing risks that could impact cloud operations.

Risk assessments are a core activity in this phase because they help organizations understand which assets are most critical, what threats are likely, and where controls must be strengthened. Performing risk assessments allows security teams to define incident response procedures, allocate resources, establish escalation paths, and ensure tools and personnel are prepared.

The other options occur in later phases. Taking systems offline is part of containment, estimating the scope of the incident occurs during detection and analysis, and building a timeline of attack supports post-incident analysis. Therefore, performing risk assessments is the correct countermeasure during the preparation phase.

Before transmitting sensitive financial data to the cloud, the best defense against interception threats like packet capture and man-in-the-middle attacks is encryption. Encryption protects data in transit by converting plain text into cipher text, which can only be deciphered with the correct keys.

Hashing provides integrity verification but does not secure confidentiality. Change tracking monitors modifications but does not prevent interception. Metadata labeling adds context but does not protect against on-path attackers.

Using strong encryption protocols (e.g., TLS) ensures that even if traffic is intercepted, the attacker cannot read the data. Encryption also aligns with compliance requirements such as PCI DSS, which mandates encryption for financial data during transmission. By encrypting before upload, the user ensures end-to-end confidentiality across potentially insecure networks.

Rapid elasticity is the design principle that ensures cloud resources can grow or shrink dynamically based on user demand. Managing Cloud principles explain that rapid elasticity allows cloud systems to automatically scale resources such as compute, storage, and bandwidth in near real time.

This capability ensures that users experience consistent performance even during sudden increases in workload. Resources are provisioned when needed and released when demand decreases, enabling efficient utilization and cost control. From a security perspective, elasticity also supports resilience and availability by preventing resource exhaustion.

Resource pooling enables shared infrastructure, virtualization enables abstraction, and collaboration is not a cloud design principle. Therefore, rapid elasticity is the correct answer.

When evaluating the risks of a new Software as a Service (SaaS) solution, the historical availability of services must be examined in detail. Managing Cloud principles explain that availability is a critical risk factor because customers rely entirely on the provider to deliver uninterrupted access to applications and data.

Reviewing historical uptime, outage frequency, and incident response performance provides insight into the provider’s operational maturity and resilience. Past availability metrics help organizations assess whether the SaaS provider can meet business continuity, disaster recovery, and service level expectations.

The other options represent security controls or operational activities but are not primary risk indicators during SaaS evaluation. Administrative account usage and multi-factor authentication relate to access controls, while patching is managed by the provider in SaaS environments. Therefore, historical availability is the most relevant item to assess.

The Information Security Plan is a key requirement of the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) designed to protect private customer data. Managing Cloud guidance explains that GLBA requires financial institutions to develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive written information security program.

This plan must describe administrative, technical, and physical safeguards used to protect customer information. It includes risk assessment, security controls, monitoring, and incident response procedures. The objective is to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive financial data throughout its lifecycle.

The other options are not explicit GLBA requirements. Independent audits and gap analyses may support compliance efforts but are not mandated components. Limited scope definition is not a GLBA safeguard. Therefore, the information security plan is the correct requirement.