Free Practice Questions for WGU Managing-Cloud-Security Exam

Persistent protection is the security strategy most closely associated with data rights management (DRM) solutions. Managing Cloud principles explain that DRM is designed to ensure that data remains protected throughout its entire lifecycle, regardless of where it is stored, shared, or accessed.

Persistent protection means that security controls such as access restrictions, usage limitations, and expiration rules stay attached to the data itself. Even if the data is copied, transferred, or moved outside the original system, DRM policies continue to enforce protection. This approach is critical in cloud environments where data frequently moves across platforms, users, and geographic regions.

The other options do not represent DRM strategies. Multilevel aggregation and enhanced detail relate to data processing or analytics concepts, while unexpired digital content describes a content state rather than a security strategy. Therefore, persistent protection correctly represents the security approach used by data rights management solutions.

Entity relationship and data flow diagrams can significantly speed up the process of identifying a suitable cloud service provider. Managing Cloud guidance explains that these diagrams document how applications, systems, and data interact across the enterprise.

By understanding data sensitivity, integration points, trust boundaries, and workloads, organizations can quickly determine which cloud service models, security controls, and compliance capabilities are required from a CSP. This enables efficient evaluation and comparison of providers.

Physical plant blueprints and egress safety designs are facilities-related documents, while BCDR plans focus on recovery strategies rather than provider selection. Therefore, entity relationship and data flow diagrams are the most useful documents for accelerating CSP identification.

Platform as a Service (PaaS) provides application development services in cloud environments. Managing Cloud documentation explains that PaaS delivers development frameworks, programming languages, libraries, databases, and testing tools required to build and deploy applications.

This model eliminates the need to manage infrastructure and operating systems, allowing developers to rapidly create, test, and deploy applications. PaaS also supports scalability and integration with other cloud services.

SaaS delivers completed applications, IaaS provides raw infrastructure, and SECaaS focuses on security services. Therefore, PaaS is the correct model for application development services.

Frequency analysis is the technique used to count source and destination IP addresses in incoming log flows across multiple log sources. Managing Cloud principles explain that frequency-based analysis evaluates how often specific events, IP addresses, or actions occur within collected log data.

By counting the number of times an IP address appears as a source or destination, security teams can identify anomalies such as distributed scanning, brute-force attacks, or denial-of-service activity. Frequency analysis is commonly used within SIEM platforms to correlate logs from firewalls, servers, applications, and network devices.

The other options do not perform this function. Software error refers to application faults, time-based analysis focuses on event duration or timestamps, and baseline establishes normal behavior patterns rather than counting occurrences. Therefore, frequency is the correct technique.

An Identity Provider (IdP) is a system that stores and manages identity information and validates authentication and authorization requests. IdPs are critical in cloud and hybrid environments, supporting protocols such as SAML, OAuth, and OpenID Connect for federated access.

An HSM manages encryption keys, not identities. Zero Trust is a security philosophy requiring continuous verification, but the system that enforces authentication is the IdP. A bastion host provides secure administrative access but does not manage identity.

By using an IdP, organizations centralize credential management, enforce multifactor authentication, and integrate with Single Sign-On (SSO). This reduces password fatigue, increases security, and ensures consistent access control policies across applications and services.

Access control is the SIEM-related concept that focuses on preventing and detecting account and service hijacking. Managing Cloud guidance explains that access control mechanisms define who can access systems, services, and data, and under what conditions.

SIEM solutions monitor access control events such as failed logins, privilege escalation, and abnormal authentication patterns. By analyzing these events, organizations can detect compromised accounts, stolen credentials, or unauthorized service access.

Digital forensics occurs after an incident, trust is a conceptual principle, and LDAP is a directory protocol rather than a SIEM focus area. Therefore, access control is the correct answer.

Agile is an iterative software development methodology designed to prioritize customer satisfaction, adaptability, and incremental delivery. Agile teams deliver small, working pieces of software frequently, ensuring feedback is incorporated throughout the process. This flexibility allows late-stage requirement changes to be accommodated without derailing the project.

Waterfall is a sequential approach with limited flexibility. Spiral combines iterative development with risk analysis, but it is not as customer-focused as Agile. Lean emphasizes efficiency and waste reduction but does not center on continuous delivery and adaptability.

Agile frameworks such as Scrum and Kanban embody this philosophy, supporting faster innovation, better collaboration, and responsiveness to evolving business needs.

Provisioning is the first phase of identity management used to assert a user’s identity. Managing Cloud documentation explains that identity management begins with establishing and registering a user within an identity system. Provisioning involves creating a digital identity, assigning unique identifiers, and associating credentials that allow the user to be recognized by systems and applications.

This phase forms the foundation for all subsequent identity and access management processes. Without proper provisioning, authentication and authorization cannot occur because the system has no trusted identity to evaluate. Provisioning also includes defining initial roles and access levels based on organizational policies.

Centralization and decentralization describe architectural approaches to managing identities rather than lifecycle phases. Deprovisioning occurs at the end of the lifecycle when access is revoked. Therefore, provisioning is correctly identified as the first phase where the user’s identity is established and asserted.

The most effective way to protect network traffic from interception is Transport Layer Security (TLS). TLS provides confidentiality, integrity, and authentication by encrypting data as it travels between client and server. Unlike older protocols like SSL, which is now deprecated due to vulnerabilities, TLS is the industry-standard protocol endorsed by modern security frameworks.

Compression and password protection through GZ is not a reliable method, as it does not offer strong encryption or resistance against sophisticated interception attacks. GRE is a tunneling protocol and does not inherently provide encryption.

By implementing TLS, organizations ensure protection against on-path attacks, replay attacks, and packet sniffing. TLS also supports features such as forward secrecy and certificate-based authentication, ensuring both secure data transmission and mutual trust between endpoints. In compliance-driven industries like healthcare and finance, TLS is explicitly mandated for protecting sensitive information in transit.