Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) preparation is critical to protect data against future quantum computing attacks that could break current cryptographic algorithms (e.g., RSA, ECC). According to the CompTIA SecurityX CAS-005 study guide (Domain 3: Cybersecurity Technology, 3.3), quantum computers with sufficient computational power could perform calculations (e.g., Shor's algorithm) to decrypt data protected by traditional algorithms. PQC focuses on developing algorithms resistant to such increases in computational resources, ensuring long-term data security.
Option B:Key stretching is a technique to strengthen passwords, not related to PQC.
Option C:PQC algorithms often have higher computational costs, not improved performance.
Option D:Asymmetric encryption is not ideal for large data sets, and PQC is not specifically about this use case.
Option A:This accurately describes PQC's purpose to safeguard data against quantum-driven decryption.
Reference:
CompTIA SecurityX CAS-005 Official Study Guide, Domain 3: Cybersecurity Technology, Section 3.3:
"Prepare for post-quantum cryptography challenges."
CAS-005 Exam Objectives, 3.3: "Evaluate the need for PQC in response to quantum computing advancements."

Load testing evaluates how a system performs under expected and peak utilization. It would have identified the memory leak during high traffic, preventing the web servers from crashing in production.

When the cost to mitigate certain risks is higher than the asset values, the best approach is to purchase insurance. This method allows the company to transfer the risk to an insurance provider, ensuring that financial losses are covered in the event of an incident. This approach is cost-effective and ensures that risks are prioritized appropriately without overspending on mitigation efforts.
References:
* CompTIA SecurityX Study Guide: Discusses risk management strategies, including risk transfer through insurance.
* NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF): Highlights the use of insurance as a risk mitigation strategy.
* "Information Security Risk Assessment Toolkit" by Mark Talabis and Jason Martin: Covers risk management practices, including the benefits of purchasing insurance.

The code snippet exposes a hardcoded access token in a public repository. According to SecurityX CAS-005 secure coding best practices, the immediate action must be to revoke the exposed secret to prevent unauthorized access.
* Removing the code from public view without revoking the token leaves the secret still usable by any attacker who has already seen or copied it.
* SAST scanning would detect the issue but not mitigate it immediately.
* Security awareness training is a long-term prevention measure but does not fix the immediate exposure.
Revoking the secret first stops ongoing exploitation, after which the code can be removed, and preventative measures can be implemented.

A . Creating a secondary, immutable storage array and updating it with live data on a continuous basis: An immutable storage array ensures that data, once written, cannot be altered or deleted. This greatly reduces the risk of backup compromise and provides resilience against ransomware attacks, as the ransomware cannot modify or delete the backup data. Maintaining multiple copies of production data with an immutable storage solution ensures data integrity and compliance with the requirement for multiple copies.
Other options:
B . Utilizing two connected storage arrays and ensuring the arrays constantly sync: While this ensures data redundancy, it does not provide protection against ransomware attacks, as both arrays could be compromised simultaneously.
C . Enabling remote journaling on the databases: This ensures real-time transaction mirroring but does not address the requirement for reducing the risk of backup compromise or resilience to ransomware.
D . Setting up anti-tampering on the databases: While this helps ensure data integrity, it does not provide a comprehensive backup solution that meets all the specified requirements.
Reference:
CompTIA Security+ Study Guide
NIST SP 800-209, "Security Guidelines for Storage Infrastructure"
"Immutable Backup Architecture" by Veeam