Useruser-cis showinganomalous behavior across multiple machines, attempting to run administrative tools such as cmd.exe and appwiz.CPL, which are commonly used by attackers for system modification. The activity pattern suggests a lateral movement attempt, potentially indicating a compromised account.
user-a (A)anduser-b (B)attempted to run applications but only on one machine, suggesting less likelihood of compromise.
user-d (D)was blocked running cmd.com, but user-c's pattern is more consistent with an attack technique.

Comprehensive and Detailed
Understanding the Security Event:
Unauthorized usersgained access from non-production to production.
IAM policies were weak, allowingbulk user creation.
Vulnerability assessments were disabled, andpatching was delayed.
Logs were unavailable, making incident response difficult.
Why Options A, D, and E areCorrect:
A (Disable bulk user creation by IAM team)→ Prevents unauthorized mass user account creation, which could beexploited by attackers.
D (Routine updates for endpoints & network devices)→ Patch management ensuresvulnerabilities are not left open for attackers.
E (Ensure all security/network devices send logs to SIEM)→ Helps withreal-time monitoring and detection of unauthorized activities.
Why Other Options Are Incorrect:
B (180-day log retention)→ While log retention is good,real-time monitoring is the priority.
C (Review application allow list daily)→ Reviewing itdaily is impractical. Regular audits are better.
F (Restrict production-to-non-production traffic)→ The issue isunauthorized access, not traffic routing.
Reference:
CompTIA SecurityX CAS-005 Official Study Guide:IAM, Patch Management & SIEM Logging Best Practices NIST 800-53 (AC-2, AU-12):Audit Logging & Access Control

Excessive MFA push notifications can be a sign of an attempted push notification attack, where attackers repeatedly send MFA prompts hoping the user will eventually approve one by mistake. To mitigate this:
A . Provisioning FIDO2 devices: While FIDO2 devices offer strong authentication, they may not be practical for all users and do not directly address the issue of excessive push notifications.
B . Deploying a text message-based MFA: SMS-based MFA can still be vulnerable to similar spamming attacks and phishing.
C . Enabling OTP via email: Email-based OTPs add another layer of security but do not directly solve the issue of excessive notifications.
D . Configuring prompt-driven MFA: This option allows users to respond to prompts in a secure manner, often including features like time-limited approval windows, additional verification steps, or requiring specific actions to approve. This can help prevent users from accidentally approving malicious attempts.
Configuring prompt-driven MFA is the best solution to restrict unnecessary MFA notifications and improve security.
Reference:
CompTIA Security+ Study Guide
NIST SP 800-63B, "Digital Identity Guidelines"
"Multi-Factor Authentication: Best Practices" by Microsoft

To improve the quality of code scanning results and reduce false positives, the best solution is to limit the tool to a specific coding language and fine-tune the rule set. By configuring the code scanning tool to focus on the specific language used in the application, the tool can more accurately identify relevant issues and reduce the number of false positives. Additionally, tuning the rule set ensures that the tool's checks are appropriate for the application's context, further improving the accuracy of the scan results.
Reference:
CompTIA SecurityX Study Guide: Discusses best practices for configuring code scanning tools, including language-specific tuning and rule set adjustments.
"Secure Coding: Principles and Practices" by Mark G. Graff and Kenneth R. van Wyk: Highlights the importance of customizing code analysis tools to reduce false positives.
OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project): Provides guidelines for configuring and tuning code scanning tools to improve accuracy.

The security diagram proposed by the security architect depicts a Zero Trust security model. Zero Trust is asecurity framework that assumes all entities, both inside and outside the network, cannot be trusted and must be verified before gaining access to resources.
Key Characteristics of Zero Trust in the Diagram:
Role-based Access Control: Ensures that users have access only to the resources necessary for their role.
Mandatory Access Control: Additional layer of security requiring authentication for access to sensitive areas.
Network Access Control: Ensures that devices meet security standards before accessing the network.
Multi-factor Authentication (MFA): Enhances security by requiring multiple forms of verification.
This model aligns with the Zero Trust principles of never trusting and always verifying access requests, regardless of their origin.
Reference:
CompTIA SecurityX Study Guide
NIST Special Publication 800-207, "Zero Trust Architecture"
"Implementing a Zero Trust Architecture," Forrester Research