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Difficulty: MediumCryptographic and Security Control Weaknesses

An organization is updating its internal web application architecture to prevent eavesdropping and data tampering across internal subnets. A network team member suggests omitting TLS encryption for internal microservice communications, arguing that existing perimeter firewalls and isolated VLANs make the internal network inherently safe from interception. Which security control weakness is demonstrated by this proposed architecture?

  1. Implicit trust based on network perimeter boundaryAnswer
  2. B
    Selection of asymmetric algorithms for high-throughput bulk encryption
  3. C
    Incorrect ordering of steps in the certificate signing request workflow
  4. D
    Misclassification of a detective control as a corrective control

Answer

Implicit trust based on network perimeter boundary
The correct answer accurately identifies the design weakness of trusting traffic based on network location. Modern security principles mandate that data in transit be protected with encryption regardless of whether it originates inside or outside a network boundary.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the scenario proposed by the network team member
The proposal advocates omitting end-to-end transport layer encryption (TLS) internally because perimeter firewalls and VLANs exist.
Identifying the root assumption reveals where the security model fails.
2
Evaluate the architectural assumption against security control standards
Assuming internal networks are secure solely because of physical or logical network boundaries creates an unencrypted internal environment vulnerable to lateral movement and packet sniffing.
Effective security controls require continuous verification and encryption regardless of network location.

Key Concept

Perimeter Reliance vs. Zero Trust Architecture
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Cryptographic and Security Control Weaknesses

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