Exam CISSP topic 1 question 6 discussion

Answer D Security Kernal : In computer and communications security, the central part of a computer or communications system hardware, firmware, and software that implements the basic security procedures for controlling access to system resources. TCB : The trusted computing base (TCB) of a computer system is the set of all hardware, firmware, and/or software components that are critical to its security, in the sense that bugs or vulnerabilities occurring inside the TCB might jeopardize the security properties of the entire system. By contrast, parts of a computer system outside the TCB must not be able to misbehave in a way that would leak any more privileges than are granted to them in accordance to the security policy. Reference Monitor: reference monitor concept defines a set of design requirements on a reference validation mechanism, which enforces an access control policy over subjects' (e.g., processes and users) ability to perform operations (e.g., read and write) on objects (e.g., files and sockets) on a system. The properties of a reference monitor are captured by the acronym NEAT https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_kernel

Kernel relates to relationships between objects in the OS, the Refence Monitor refers to access rights subjects have to those objects so I'm going with D

Answer is D The security kernel is the part of the operating system responsible for enforcing security policies and providing secure interfaces among the hardware, operating system, and other parts of the computing system. It operates within the Trusted Computing Base (TCB) and implements the functionality of the reference monitor, which ensures that access control policies are consistently enforced. Other Options: A. Reference monitor: The reference monitor is a conceptual mechanism that enforces access controls. It is implemented as part of the security kernel but is not itself a specific component of the OS. B. Trusted Computing Base (TCB): The TCB includes all components (hardware, software, and firmware) critical to enforcing the system's security policy. The security kernel is a component of the TCB. C. Time separation: Time separation is a mechanism for allowing shared resources to be used securely by scheduling access at different times. It is not related to the core function of providing security interfaces.

The security kernel is the component within an operating system responsible for enforcing the security policies and providing security interfaces among the hardware, OS, and other parts of the computing system. It mediates access to all resources and ensures that all interactions comply with security policies. A. Reference monitor is a theoretical concept that enforces access control policies but is implemented by the security kernel in practice. B. Trusted Computing Base (TCB) includes all components (hardware, software, and firmware) that enforce security, but it is broader than just the interfaces. C. Time separation is not related to security interfaces; it refers to how an OS can manage resources over time for different processes.

i was actually looking for firmware cos it is part of the security kernel. D

D. Security kernel is the part of an operating system (OS) that is responsible for providing security interfaces among the hardware, OS, and other parts of the computing system. The security kernel is the core component of the Trusted Computing Base (TCB) and it enforces the security policy of the system by mediating all access to system resources. The reference monitor is a concept that describes the idealized functionality of the security kernel. Time separation refers to the practice of running different processes or applications at different times to prevent interference or data leakage.

The security kernel is responsible for providing security interfaces among the hardware, OS, and other parts of the computing system. It is a core component of the operating system that enforces security policies, controls access to system resources, and mediates interactions between different components of the system. The security kernel acts as a trusted boundary, ensuring that only authorized actions are performed and protecting the system from unauthorized access or malicious activities. It is designed to be highly reliable, tamper-proof, and resistant to attacks, making it a critical component for maintaining the security of the overall computing system.

The answer is D because the Security kernel is the part of an operating system responsible for providing security interfaces among the hardware, OS, and other parts of the computing system, not A.

The answer is A. A. The reference monitor validates access to every resource prior to granting the requested access. The other options are incorrect. Option D, the security kernel, is the collection of TCB components work together to implement the reference monitor functions. In other words, the security kernel is the implementation of the reference monitor concept. Option B, a TCB partition, and option C, a trusted library, are not valid TCB concept components.

C. The reference monitor validates access to every resource prior to granting the requested access. The other options are incorrect. Option D, the security kernel, is the collection of TCB components that work together to implement the reference monitor functions. In other words, the security kernel is the implementation of the reference monitor concept. Option A, a TCB partition, and option B, a trusted library, are not valid TCB concept components.

Please read what is refernce monitor properly, its an abstract, an idea, (as per CISSP official textbook) the outcome of that abstract is implemente as the security kernel.

D Security Kernel looks to be correct for reasons already listed. They're asking about a part of an OS.

Security Kernel: The collection of the TCB components that implment the functionality of the reference monitor. The central part of a computer system (hardware, software or firmware) that implements the fundamental security procedures for controlling access to system resources Reference Monitor: Logical part of the TCB that confirms whether a subject has the right to use a resource prior to granting access. Mediates all access between Subjects and Objects.

Is the answer a? It is marked as correct.

D - Reference Monitor is conceptual and TCB is an architecture This link does a nice job of explaining it in detail https://www.pearsonitcertification.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1998558&seqNum=3

Answer D) Security Kernel https://www.cse.psu.edu/~trj1/cse443-s12/docs/ch6.pdf

The key to the question is what part of the OS. D) Security Kernel is physically part of the OS and reference monitor is the theory of how it is supposed to do it's job. https://www.cm-alliance.com/cissp/trusted-computing-base/-tcec-itsec-and-common-criteria#:~:text=a%20computing%20device.-,Security%20Kernel,security%20policy%20(Reference%20Monitor).