How much do you know about cloud risk assessment?

Going to the cloud is a little like going into battle. Before you march in, you need to come up with a strategy. You need to do reconnaissance. And you absolutely need to know where the threats and vulnerabilities are and the best way to protect yourself from attack.

Fortunately, the similarities end there, as moving to the cloud isn't a life-threatening situation (provided you don't have a lackadaisical approach to security and a short-fused CEO). However, the stakes are high in a different way. There is as much to gain in the cloud (cost savings, scalability and flexibility) as there is to lose (possibility of data theft, unauthorized access and lack of control). That's why it's so important to conduct a thorough cloud risk assessment before charging in -- and equally essential that you can analyze its findings in the context of your own resources and capabilities.

In order to make a cloud risk assessment actionable in this way, information security professionals need an astute understanding of all types of cloud infrastructure, cloud attack vectors, roles and responsibilities, and much more. This extends to not just the virtual environment hosting cloud services but also to the physical environment around them, including building security in the data center where the infrastructure resides.

The following multiple-choice practice quiz will help you prepare for Domain 3 of the CCSP exam, "Cloud Platform & Infrastructure Security," which requires candidates to prove their knowledge of cloud infrastructure components, threats from a cloud risk assessment, cloud security planning, business continuity in the cloud and more. After completing the practice test, you will be able to review your score and read additional information explaining the correct answers.

The following are exam practice questions from Domain 3 of The Official (ISC)² Guide to the CCSP CBK, Second Edition, by Adam Gordon, CISSP-ISSAP, ISSMP, SSCP.

CCSP® is a registered mark of (ISC)².