CCSK · Question #35
What is true of security as it relates to cloud network infrastructure?
The correct answer is E. You should implement a default deny with cloud firewalls. Cloud firewalls should enforce a default deny posture, allowing only explicitly permitted traffic to minimize attack surface.
Question
What is true of security as it relates to cloud network infrastructure?
Options
- AYou should apply cloud firewalls on a per-network basis.
- BYou should deploy your cloud firewalls identical to the existing firewalls.
- CYou should always open traffic between workloads in the same virtual subnet for better visibility.
- DYou should implement a default allow with cloud firewalls and then restrict as necessary.
- EYou should implement a default deny with cloud firewalls.
How the community answered
(19 responses)- A5% (1)
- B11% (2)
- E84% (16)
Why each option
Cloud firewalls should enforce a default deny posture, allowing only explicitly permitted traffic to minimize attack surface.
Applying firewalls per-network is too coarse-grained and does not provide workload-level segmentation, leaving lateral movement paths open within a network.
Cloud firewalls operate differently from on-premises firewalls, and replicating on-prem rules ignores cloud-native capabilities and the shared responsibility model.
Opening all traffic within a subnet reduces security by enabling unchecked lateral movement and violates least-privilege principles if one workload is compromised.
A default allow posture exposes all workloads to unnecessary traffic by default - the correct approach is default deny with explicit allow rules.
A default deny policy ensures that all traffic is blocked unless explicitly permitted, which aligns with the principle of least privilege. This prevents unauthorized lateral movement and limits the blast radius of a compromise. Cloud-native firewall rules should begin from a zero-trust baseline and explicitly allow only required traffic flows.
Concept tested: Cloud firewall default deny security posture
Source: https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-144/final
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