200-201 Question 386
Single answerYour organization recently deployed a new web application to handle sensitive customer data. The application is hosted on a cloud-based infrastructure. During a routine security assessment, the cybersecurity operations team identified that the application is transmitting data in plain text over the network. Which action should the team take to mitigate the risk associated with this issue?
- A
Implement HTTPS by configuring an SSL/TLS certificate for the application.
- B
Disable all user authentication mechanisms in the application.
- C
Increase the application’s CPU and memory resources to handle the additional traffic.
- D
Redirect all traffic from the application to a third-party content delivery network (CDN).
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The issue of transmitting sensitive data in plain text over the network is a critical security vulnerability that could lead to data breaches if intercepted by malicious actors. Implementing HTTPS with an SSL/TLS certificate is the appropriate solution as it encrypts data in transit, ensuring confidentiality and integrity. Other options fail to address the core problem of data encryption.
- A. Correct.
Implementing HTTPS with an SSL/TLS certificate ensures that data transmitted between the client and the application is encrypted, mitigating the risk of data being intercepted in plain text.
- B. Incorrect.
Disabling user authentication mechanisms would increase security risks as it removes protections for user accounts and sensitive data.
- C. Incorrect.
Increasing CPU and memory resources might improve application performance but does nothing to address the security issue of transmitting data in plain text.
- D. Incorrect.
Redirecting traffic to a third-party CDN could improve performance and availability but does not inherently encrypt data or resolve the issue of plain text transmission.