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Difficulty: MediumCloud Architecture and Deployment Models

An enterprise digital publishing company is migrating its core subscription portal and web application servers to an Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) environment hosted by a public cloud provider. Under the cloud shared responsibility model, which of the following security operations remains the sole responsibility of the enterprise security team?

  1. Configuring guest operating system patches and host-based firewalls on deployed virtual machinesAnswer
  2. B
    Updating hypervisor firmware and maintaining physical server rack security inside the data center
  3. C
    Replacing failed physical storage arrays and sanitizing decommissioned disk drives
  4. D
    Establishing physical perimeter access controls and environmental cooling for server facilities

Answer

Configuring guest operating system patches and host-based firewalls on deployed virtual machines is the responsibility of the enterprise security team.
In Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), the cloud service provider abstracts and manages the physical data center, hardware, network infrastructure, and virtualization layer (hypervisor). The customer retains operational control over the virtual machine instances, including installing, patching, and configuring guest operating systems, middleware, applications, network security rules, and host-based firewalls.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the cloud service model referenced in the scenario.
The scenario explicitly specifies Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).
Security boundaries and operational responsibilities depend directly on whether the service model is IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS.
2
Apply the Cloud Shared Responsibility Model rules for IaaS.
The provider secures the infrastructure (hardware, hypervisor, data center physical security), whereas the customer secures everything operating on top of the hypervisor (guest OS, applications, configurations, data).
Customers maintain administrator access to virtual instances in IaaS, making OS patching and local security controls their responsibility.
3
Evaluate the options against customer responsibilities.
Guest operating system patching and local host firewall configuration correctly reflect customer duties under IaaS.
Physical security, hypervisor updates, and physical disk destruction belong strictly to the cloud provider.

Key Concept

Shared Responsibility Model in Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
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Topics

Cloud Architecture and Deployment Models

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