WGU C836 Complete Exam 2025

Bounds checking - -to set a limit on the amount of data we expect to receive to set aside storage for that data *required in most programming languages * prevents buffer overflows Race conditions - -a type of software development vulnerability that occurs when multiple processes or multiple threads within a process control or share access to a particular resource, and the correct handling of that resource depends on the proper ordering or timing of transactions Input validation - -a type of attack that can occur when we fail to validate the input to our applications or take steps to filter out unexpected or undesirable content Format string attack - -a type of input validation attacks in which certain print functions within a programming language can be used to manipulate or view the internal memory of an application Authentication attack - -a type of attack that can occur when we fail to use strong authentication mechanisms for our applications Authorization attack - -a type of attack that can occur when we fail to use authorization best practices for our applications Cryptographic attack - -a type of attack that can occur when we fail to properly design our security mechanisms when implementing cryptographic controls in our applications Client-side attack - -a type of attack that takes advantage of weaknesses in the software loaded on client machines or one that uses social engineering techniques to trick us into going along with the attack Xss (cross site scripting) - -an attack carried out by placing code in the form of a scripting language into a web page or other media that is interpreted by a client browser Xsrf (cross-site request forgery) - -an attack in which the attacker places a link on a web page in such a way that it will be automatically executed to initiate a particular activity on another web page or application where the user is currently authenticated Sql injection attack - -attacks against a web site that take advantage of vulnerabilities in poorly coded sql (a standard and common database software application) applications in order to introduce malicious program code into a company's systems and networks. WGU C836 WGU C836 Clickjacking - -an attack that takes advantage of the graphical display capabilities of our browser to trick us into clicking on something we might not otherwise Server-side attack - -a type of attack on the web server that can target vulnerabilities such as lack of input validation, improper or inadequate permissions, or extraneous files left on the server from the development process Protocol issues, unauthenticated access, arbitrary code execution, and privilege escalation - -name the 4 main categories of database security issues Web application analysis tool - -a type of tool that analyzes web pages or web-based applications and searches for common flaws such as xss or sql injection flaws, and improperly set permissions, extraneous files, outdated software versions, and many more such items Protocol issues - -unauthenticated flaws in network protocols, authenticated flaws in network protocols, flaws in authentication protocols Arbitrary code execution - -an attack that exploits an applications vulnerability into allowing the attacker to execute commands on a user's computer. * arbitrary code execution in intrinsic or securable sql elements Privilege escalation - -an attack that exploits a vulnerability in software to gain access to resources that the user normally would be restricted from accessing. * via sql injection or local issues Validating user inputs - -a security best practice for all software * the most effective way of mitigating sql injection attacks Nikto (and wikto) - -a web server analysis tool that performs checks for many common server-side vulnerabilities & creates an index of all the files and directories it can see on the target web server (a process known as spidering) Burp suite - -a well-known gui web analysis tool that offers a free and professional version; the pro version includes advanced tools for conducting more in-depth attacks Fuzzer - -a type of tool that works by bombarding our applications with all manner of data and inputs from a wide variety of sources, in the hope that we can cause the application to fail or to perform in unexpected ways Minifuzz file fuzzer - -a tool developed by microsoft to find flaws in file-handling source code WGU C836 WGU C836 Binscope binary analyzer - -a tool developed by microsoft to examine source code for general good practices Sdl regex fuzzer - -a tool developed by microsoft for testing certain pattern-matching expressions for potential vulnerabilities Good sources of secure coding guidelines - -cert, nist 800, bsi, an organization's internal coding guidelines Os hardening - -the process of reducing the number of available avenues through which our os might be attacked Attack surface - -the total of the areas through which our operating system might be attacked 6 main hardening categories - -1. Removing unnecessary software 2. Removing or turning off unessential services 3. Making alterations to common accounts 4. Applying the principle of least privilege 5. Applying software updates in a timely manner 6. Making use of logging and auditing functions Principle of least privilege - -states we should only allow a party the absolute minimum permission needed for it to carry out its function Stuxnet - -a particularly complex and impactful item of malware that targeted the supervisory control and data acquisition (scada) systems that run various industrial processes; this piece of malware raised the bar for malware from largely being a virtual based attack to actually being physically destructive Anti-malware tool - -a type of tool that uses signature matching or anomaly detection (heuristics) to detect malware threats, either in real-time or by performing scans of files and processes Heuristics - -the process of anomaly detection used by anti-malware tools to detect malware without signatures Executable space protection - -a hardware and software-based technology that prevents certain portions of the memory used by the operating system and applications from being used to execute code Buffer overflow (overrun) - -the act of inputting more data than an application is expecting from a particular input, creating the possibility of executing commands by specifically crafting the excess data WGU C836 WGU C836 Aslr (address space layout randomization) - -a security method that involves shifting the contents of memory around to make tampering difficult Software firewall - -this type of firewall generally contains a subset of the features on a large firewall appliance but is often capable of similar packet filtering and stateful packet inspection activities Hids (host-based intrusion detection system) - -a system used to analyze the activities on or directed at the network interface of a particular host. * may communicate with management device by sending regular beacons Scanner - -a type of tool that can detect various security flaws when examining hosts Vulnerability assessment tool - -a tool that is aimed specifically at the task of finding and reporting network services on hosts that have known vulnerabilities Nessus - -a well-known vulnerability assessment tool that includes a port scanner Exploit framework - -a group of tools that can include network mapping tools, sniffers, and exploits Exploits - -small bits of software that take advantage of flaws in software/applications in order to cause them to behave in ways that were not intended by their creators Metasploit, immunity canvas, core impact - -name 3 examples of exploit frameworks