Creating secure baseline images ensures consistent, repeatable deployment aligned with hardening standards. These images can be used across on-premises and cloud environments, ensuring compliance and reducing misconfigurations.
* Vulnerability alerts (A) are reactive, not preventive.
* Building images from scratch (C) is time-consuming and unnecessary if baselines exist.
* Scripts for cleanup (D) are useful but do not prevent initial insecure configurations.

Implementing digital signatures ensures the integrity and authenticity of software binaries. When a binary is digitally signed, any tampering with the file (e.g., replacing it with amalicious version) would invalidate the signature. This allows systems to verify the origin and integrity of binaries before execution, preventing the execution of unauthorized or compromised binaries.
A . Improving patching processes: While important, this does not directly address the issue of verifying the integrity of binaries.
B . Implementing digital signatures: This ensures that only valid, untampered binaries are executed, preventing attackers from substituting legitimate binaries with malicious ones.
C . Performing manual updates via USB ports: This is not practical and does not scale well, especially in large environments.
D . Allowing only files from internal sources: This reduces the risk but does not provide a mechanism to verify the integrity of binaries.
Reference:
CompTIA Security+ Study Guide
NIST SP 800-57, "Recommendation for Key Management"
OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) guidelines on code signing

The output shows that multiple systems have outdated or vulnerable software versions (OpenSSL 1.01 and Java 11 runtime). This suggests that the systems are not being patched regularly or effectively.
A . Automating the patching system to update base images: Automating the patching process ensures that the latest security updates and patches are applied to all systems, including newly deployed ones. This addresses the root cause by ensuring that base images used for deployment are always up-to-date with the latest security patches.
B . Recompiling the affected programs with the most current patches: While this can fix the immediate vulnerabilities, it does not address the root cause of the problem, which is the lack of regular updates.
C . Disabling unused/unneeded ports on all servers: This improves security but does not address the specific issue of outdated software.
D . Deploying a WAF with virtual patching upstream of the affected systems: This can provide a temporary shield but does not resolve the underlying issue of outdated software.
Automating the patching system to update base images ensures that all deployed systems are using the latest, most secure versions of software, addressing the root cause of the vulnerability trend.
Reference:
CompTIA Security+ Study Guide
NIST SP 800-40 Rev. 3, "Guide to Enterprise Patch Management Technologies" CIS Controls, "Control 7: Continuous Vulnerability Management"

See the solution below in Explanation
Explanation:
Code Snippet 1
Vulnerability 1: SQL injection
SQL injection is a type of attack that exploits a vulnerability in the code that interacts with a database. An attacker can inject malicious SQL commands into the input fields, such as username or password, and execute them on the database server. This can result in data theft, data corruption, or unauthorized access.
Fix 1: Perform input sanitization of the userid field.
Input sanitization is a technique that prevents SQL injection byvalidating and filtering the user input values before passing them to the database. The input sanitization should remove any special characters, such as quotes, semicolons, or dashes, that can alter the intended SQL query. Alternatively, the input sanitization can use a whitelist of allowed values and reject any other values.
Code Snippet 2
Vulnerability 2: Cross-site request forgery
Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) is a type of attack that exploits a vulnerability in the code that handles web requests. An attacker can trick a user into sending a malicious web request to a server that performs an action on behalf of the user, such as changing their password, transferring funds, or deleting dat a. This can result in unauthorized actions, data loss, or account compromise.
Fix 2: Implement anti-forgery tokens.
Anti-forgery tokens are techniques that prevent CSRF by adding a unique and secret value to each web request that is generated by the server and verified by the server before performing the action. The anti-forgery token should be different for each user and each session, and should not be predictable or reusable by an attacker. This way, only legitimate web requests from the user's browser can be accepted by the server.

The first immediate action in an active incident iscontainment.Blocking the IP address (40.90.23.154)at the network edge prevents further communication with the malicious external server. Disabling PowerShell or removing local admin privileges are valid hardening steps, but containment by network control is the highest priority during an active compromise to stop data exfiltration or further command and control activity.