100-150 Question 281
Select 4An organization is experiencing an increase in phishing emails targeting employees. Upon investigation, it is discovered that attackers are leveraging weak passwords to compromise accounts stored in the company's Active Directory. Which of the following actions would best mitigate this threat?
- A
Implement a password complexity policy in Active Directory requiring a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters.
- B
Enable account lockout after multiple failed login attempts in Active Directory.
- C
Deploy a spam filter to detect and block phishing emails from reaching employees' inboxes.
- D
Reduce password expiration policies to require users to change their passwords every 10 days.
- E
Conduct regular phishing awareness training for employees.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answers: A, B, C, E
Explanation
The organization is dealing with phishing emails and weak passwords leading to compromised accounts. To mitigate this, a combination of technical controls (password complexity, account lockout policies, and spam filtering) and user education (phishing awareness training) is required. Reducing password expiration to very short periods is not effective and can lead to poor password practices.
- A. Correct.
Implementing a password complexity policy in Active Directory strengthens passwords and makes it harder for attackers to guess or brute-force them.
- B. Correct.
Enabling account lockout after multiple failed login attempts helps prevent attackers from successfully brute-forcing passwords.
- C. Correct.
Deploying a spam filter can block phishing emails before they reach employees, reducing the likelihood of successful phishing attempts.
- D. Incorrect.
While reducing password expiration policies might seem like a good idea, it can create user frustration and encourage insecure practices like reusing similar passwords. This is not a recommended approach.
- E. Correct.
Phishing awareness training helps employees recognize and avoid phishing attempts, adding an additional layer of protection against these threats.