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Difficulty: MediumCloud Architecture and Deployment Models

A regional utility provider migrates its customer telemetry analytics application to a cloud provider's Platform as a Service (PaaS) solution. During a routine vulnerability scan, an auditor discovers an unpatched kernel vulnerability in the underlying host operating system powering the database runtime. Under the cloud shared responsibility model, which of the following parties is responsible for patching this host operating system vulnerability?

  1. The Cloud Service Provider, because PaaS abstracts host infrastructure and operating systems, placing host management solely under provider responsibility.Answer
  2. B
    The utility provider's IT operations team, because customer organizations maintain full OS patching obligations across all cloud deployment models.
  3. C
    The utility provider's network engineering team, because perimeter network firewalls must be adjusted to shield vulnerable hosts rather than updating OS software.
  4. D
    The utility provider's compliance officer, because identifying security responsibilities is categorized as a administrative governance task rather than an operational security control.

Answer

The Cloud Service Provider is responsible because PaaS abstracts host infrastructure and operating systems, placing host management solely under provider responsibility.
In Platform as a Service (PaaS), the Cloud Service Provider (CSP) manages the infrastructure layer including physical facilities, server hardware, virtualization, and host operating system maintenance. Tenants in PaaS environments are responsible for application code, user permissions, and customer data configuration.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the cloud service model referenced in the scenario.
The organization is utilizing a Platform as a Service (PaaS) architecture.
Responsibilities vary significantly depending on whether the service model is IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS.
2
Determine the boundary of responsibility for host operating system management in PaaS.
In PaaS, the provider manages physical hardware, network infrastructure, hypervisors, OS patching, and middleware runtimes.
The customer is only responsible for managing application code, data, and access configurations.
3
Assign patch management duty for the host OS kernel vulnerability.
Remediating the host OS vulnerability falls strictly on the Cloud Service Provider.
Customers do not have direct root or admin access to host operating systems supporting PaaS platforms.

Key Concept

Shared Responsibility Model in Platform as a Service (PaaS)
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Topics

Cloud Architecture and Deployment Models

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