Serverless Security Best Practices Quick Quiz Quiz

Challenge your understanding of serverless security best practices with these essential questions. This quiz focuses on critical strategies, potential risks, and recommended measures for safeguarding serverless applications, enhancing your knowledge of secure cloud-native deployments.

1. Principle of Least Privilege

   Which approach best applies the principle of least privilege to a serverless function that reads user profiles?

   1. Assign the function administrative permissions
   2. Allow the function full access to all system resources
   3. Grant access only to user profile data sources
   4. Permit access to unrelated external APIs

   Explanation: Granting access only to user profile data sources limits potential damage if the function is compromised and aligns with the principle of least privilege. Granting full access or administrative permissions gives unnecessary rights, increasing risk. Permitting access to unrelated external APIs is excessive and exposes your system to additional vulnerabilities.

2. Function Timeouts

   Why is it important to set appropriate timeouts for your serverless functions, such as a function that processes uploads?

   1. To prevent functions from being triggered
   2. To avoid infinite loops and resource exhaustion
   3. So it always processes data instantly
   4. To improve disk storage capacity

   Explanation: Setting appropriate timeouts prevents functions from running indefinitely, which could lead to resource exhaustion or unexpected costs. Instant processing cannot always be guaranteed due to varying input sizes. Preventing triggers is not correct as it halts function operation entirely. Timeouts do not directly relate to disk storage capacity.

3. Input Validation

   What is a key reason to validate all input data when using serverless functions handling form submissions?

   1. To allow all client data through without checks
   2. To prevent injection attacks and ensure data integrity
   3. To avoid using authentication controls
   4. To increase function memory usage

   Explanation: Validating all input helps prevent malicious data, such as injection attacks, from affecting your application and maintains data integrity. Increasing function memory is unrelated to input validation. Allowing all client data through is insecure and exposes vulnerabilities. Skipping authentication is a separate issue and does not relate to input validation.

4. Environment Variables

   Why should sensitive data like API secrets be securely stored in environment variables rather than directly in code?

   1. To minimize exposure if code is shared or leaked
   2. So the code runs slower
   3. To increase complexity for developers
   4. To store secrets in plain text only

   Explanation: Storing secrets in environment variables reduces the risk of accidental exposure if code is shared or compromised, providing better separation of secrets from application logic. Running slower is not a benefit and is not linked to security. Increasing developer complexity is not a valid security justification. Storing secrets in plain text is unsafe and not a good practice.

5. Event Source Security

   When configuring triggers for serverless functions, why should you carefully restrict event sources, such as queues or APIs?

   1. To prevent unauthorized or unexpected function invocations
   2. To eliminate the need for monitoring
   3. To allow the function to run continuously
   4. To enable function sharing with all users

   Explanation: Restricting event sources helps ensure only trusted events can trigger your function, reducing risk of abuse and accidental exposure. Enabling function sharing with everyone increases attack surface. Running a function continuously is not the purpose of serverless event triggers. Eliminating monitoring is not a security measure; monitoring complements event source restrictions.

6. Logging Considerations

   Which logging practice should you follow to protect user privacy in serverless applications that track user activity?

   1. Avoid logging sensitive personal information
   2. Include full credit card numbers in every log
   3. Log all user credentials for easier debugging
   4. Share logs publicly for transparency

   Explanation: Avoiding the logging of personal information reduces risk in case logs are accessed by unauthorized parties. Logging credentials or credit card numbers presents serious security risks and privacy violations. Sharing logs publicly exposes private data and violates user trust and compliance requirements.

7. Dependencies and Packages

   What is a safe strategy when managing third-party libraries in serverless functions?

   1. Use outdated versions for stability
   2. Regularly update and audit dependencies for vulnerabilities
   3. Install all available packages for future use
   4. Avoid dependency management entirely

   Explanation: Regularly updating and auditing dependencies helps you identify and patch vulnerabilities, reducing your application's exposure. Using outdated versions increases risk of exploitation. Installing all packages increases attack surface unnecessarily. Skipping dependency management exposes functions to hidden threats.

8. Denial-of-Service (DoS) Protection

   How can you help prevent denial-of-service (DoS) attacks on a serverless application that processes web requests?

   1. Allow unlimited triggers and open access
   2. Set invocation limits and use throttling controls
   3. Disable all security features for speed
   4. Ignore monitoring alerts about traffic spikes

   Explanation: Limiting invocations and applying throttles helps prevent resource abuse by attackers performing DoS attacks. Allowing unlimited triggers increases vulnerability to such attacks. Disabling security features sacrifices protection for minimal performance gain. Ignoring monitoring alerts lets issues go unnoticed, compounding risks.

9. Temporary Credentials

   Why are temporary credentials preferred over long-lived credentials for serverless functions accessing resources?

   1. They reduce the risk if credentials are leaked
   2. They complicate logging user actions
   3. They make the function always use the same token
   4. They require manual credential rotation

   Explanation: Temporary credentials minimize exposure since they expire quickly, reducing risk if compromised. Manual rotation is not necessary with temporary credentials as they are issued dynamically. Always using the same token is a long-lived credentials problem. Complicated logging is unrelated to credential lifespans.

10. Serverless Resource Segmentation

    What is an effective way to limit the impact of a compromised serverless function?

    1. Assign every function the same broad role
    2. Combine all functions in a single group with shared permissions
    3. Ignore network segmentation best practices
    4. Deploy functions in separate resource or security boundaries

    Explanation: Segregating functions using separate boundaries limits damage if one is compromised, applying the defense-in-depth principle. Grouping all functions increases risk of privilege escalation. Ignoring segmentation contradicts best practices. Broad roles violate least privilege and expand potential attack vectors.