350-201 Question 54
Select 3An organization is preparing to deploy a web application on a cloud-based infrastructure. To ensure the security of the deployment, the team opts to use hardened machine images. Which of the following actions should be taken to properly harden the machine images?
- A
Remove unused services and applications from the image.
- B
Disable unnecessary default user accounts in the image.
- C
Reduce the size of the image by compressing application files.
- D
Apply the latest security patches to the image before deployment.
- E
Include administrative credentials in the image for ease of access.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answers: A, B, D
Explanation
Hardening machine images involves securing them by disabling unnecessary services, accounts, and features, as well as applying updates to mitigate vulnerabilities. These actions help reduce the attack surface and improve the overall security posture of the deployed system. Actions like compressing files do not enhance security, and including credentials in the image is a significant security risk.
- A. Correct.
Removing unused services and applications minimizes attack surfaces and eliminates unnecessary vulnerabilities, which is a key hardening step.
- B. Correct.
Disabling unnecessary default user accounts prevents potential unauthorized access and ensures only required accounts are active.
- C. Incorrect.
Reducing the size of the image by compressing application files does not directly contribute to security hardening but is more related to storage efficiency.
- D. Correct.
Applying the latest security patches ensures that known vulnerabilities are mitigated before deployment, which is critical for a secure system.
- E. Incorrect.
Including administrative credentials in the image is a poor security practice as it increases the risk of credential exposure and compromise.