AP Cybersecurity Unit 2 Lesson 3 Exercise 1
Exercise 1 — Physical Security Assessment
6 questions — Evaluate physical security controls and identify vulnerabilities
Pinnacle Wealth Advisors occupies floors 14-16 of a downtown office tower shared with other tenants. The firm stores sensitive client financial data on servers in a dedicated server room on floor 15. A physical security audit has identified six concerns. Evaluate each finding.
(A) Incorrect — while locks can be picked, the primary risk here is the unretrieved key granting ongoing authorized-level access.
(C) Incorrect — the remaining staff still have their copies; the issue is unauthorized access, not lost access.
(D) Incorrect — physical keys are a well-known weakness precisely because they cannot be audited or remotely revoked.
(A) Incorrect — pretexting involves a fabricated scenario; tailgating exploits courtesy without any story.
(C) Incorrect — shoulder surfing involves observing credential entry, not following through doors.
(D) Incorrect — dumpster diving involves searching trash for information, not physical entry.
(A) Incorrect — physical threats (fire, flood, theft, unauthorized access) are significant risks to server infrastructure.
(B) Incorrect — unauthorized access (no camera, no log) is also a major vulnerability, not just environmental threats.
(D) Incorrect — the surveillance gap is one of several vulnerabilities, not the only one.
(A) Incorrect — acceptable use policies govern digital behavior, not physical workspace security.
(C) Incorrect — password complexity does not prevent employees from writing passwords on sticky notes.
(D) Incorrect — data retention governs storage duration, not physical workspace hygiene.
I. Requiring all visitors to present photo ID and sign a visitor log before entry.
II. Requiring escorts for all visitors in restricted areas like the server room.
III. Maintaining a delivery schedule so reception can verify expected deliveries against a list.
(A) Incomplete — ID verification alone does not prevent unescorted server room access.
(B) Incomplete — delivery schedule verification (III) would have flagged the unexpected “delivery” immediately.
(C) Incomplete — ID verification (I) is also a necessary control.
(A) Incorrect — this scenario directly proves the opposite; physical and cyber security are deeply interconnected.
(C) Incorrect — network monitoring tools can detect unauthorized devices through MAC address alerts, traffic anomalies, and port security features.
(D) Incorrect — firewall rules are irrelevant when the attacker has physical access to the switch behind the firewall.
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