Secure DevOps: DevSecOps Essentials Quiz Quiz

Explore core DevSecOps concepts and best practices with this quiz designed to assess your understanding of secure DevOps, automation, and risk management within modern software pipelines. Strengthen your knowledge of integrating security seamlessly throughout the development lifecycle.

1. Integrating Security in CI/CD

   Which approach best describes how security should be integrated into a DevOps CI/CD pipeline to achieve effective DevSecOps?

   1. Run security tools only during major releases
   2. Automate security checks within the pipeline from the earliest stages
   3. Schedule manual security reviews only after deployment
   4. Document vulnerabilities but defer fixes until maintenance windows

   Explanation: Automating security checks early in the pipeline ensures that vulnerabilities are caught rapidly and do not propagate further down the process. Relying solely on manual reviews after deployment or running tools only during major releases can delay vulnerability detection, increasing risk. Deferring fixes until scheduled maintenance can expose the system to threats for longer periods. Early and automated security integration aligns with DevSecOps' focus on continuous, proactive risk mitigation.

2. Principle of Least Privilege

   In a DevSecOps workflow, what does implementing the principle of least privilege mean for user and system permissions?

   1. Allowing all developers administrative access for faster troubleshooting
   2. Disabling permission controls to reduce deployment complexity
   3. Granting users and systems only the minimum permissions necessary to perform their tasks
   4. Assigning read-only access to all resources for everyone

   Explanation: Granting minimum necessary permissions helps reduce the potential damage from compromised accounts and accidental misconfigurations. Giving all developers administrative access, even for convenience, greatly increases risk and goes against DevSecOps principles. Assigning only read-only access may prevent some essential actions, while disabling permission controls removes a key security measure. Least privilege is about precise, need-based access.

3. Static Application Security Testing (SAST)

   Why is integrating Static Application Security Testing (SAST) early in the software development lifecycle important in DevSecOps?

   1. It checks network firewalls for misconfigurations
   2. It detects code vulnerabilities before code is executed or deployed
   3. It tracks user activity logs post-deployment
   4. It verifies runtime behavior under production load

   Explanation: SAST analyzes code for vulnerabilities before it is run or released, enabling teams to address security risks early and efficiently. Tracking user activity and verifying runtime behavior are important but not the purpose of SAST, which is source code–oriented. Checking network firewalls is a separate security control and not related to SAST. Early SAST integration aligns with the proactive security posture of DevSecOps.

4. Infrastructure as Code (IaC) Security

   What is a primary security benefit of using Infrastructure as Code (IaC) in a DevSecOps environment?

   1. Developers can bypass change management for faster deployments
   2. Changes to infrastructure are hidden from version control
   3. Configuration changes are reproducible and easier to audit for security issues
   4. Manual system configuration is simplified for new environments

   Explanation: IaC enables all changes to be tracked, versioned, and reproduced, making it easier to identify security problems and ensure consistency. Allowing developers to bypass controls or using manual configuration introduces risks and undermines security goals. Hiding changes from version control defeats auditability and transparency. Auditable, reproducible configurations are core to secure IaC practices.

5. Threat Modeling in DevSecOps

   Which statement best explains the role of threat modeling within a DevSecOps process?

   1. It is only relevant after a breach has occurred
   2. It proactively identifies potential security weaknesses before coding begins
   3. It replaces the need for security testing
   4. It focuses solely on compliance documentation

   Explanation: Threat modeling is used to anticipate and address vulnerabilities early, helping teams design more secure systems. Waiting until after a breach or limiting modeling to compliance tasks fails to address early risk mitigation. Threat modeling supplements—not replaces—security testing; both are needed for robust security. Its proactive nature is fundamental for secure DevOps workflows.