Ace Your Cybersecurity-Architecture-and-Engineering Courses and Certificates Exam

The correct answer is D — Federated authentication.

WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488) explains that federated authentication allows two or more organizations to share identity information securely withoutneeding to maintain separate user accounts for external users. It supports cross-organizational access based on trusted identity providers.

Cloud identity providers (A) offer centralized authentication but don't address federation directly. SSO (B) simplifies authentication within an organization. MFA (C) adds security but does not enable cross-organization authentication.

Reference Extract from Study Guide:

"Federated authentication enables organizations to share identity information and trust external credentials without the need to manage separate accounts for external users."

— WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488), Identity Federation and Single Sign-On Concepts

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The correct answer is D — Measured boot.

WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488) explains that Measured Boot, often implemented with Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs), ensures that each component of theboot process is verified for integrity. It provides cryptographic evidence that the system's startup sequence has not been tampered with.

Two-factor authentication (A) secures user logins but does not verify boot integrity. IDS (B) monitors network or host behavior but does not protect the boot process. HSM (C) secures cryptographic operations, not the system boot.

Reference Extract from Study Guide:

"Measured Boot verifies the integrity of the boot process, providing assurance that the system has not been compromised during startup."

— WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488), System Hardening and Trusted Computing

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The correct answer is C — Competitor.

According to WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488), competitors often attempt to steal intellectual property to gain a business advantage. Given the theft of valuable business assets (e-books and videos), the most likely actor is a competitor motivated by financial or market advantage, not ideology or random hacking.

An APT (A) is usually nation-state-sponsored and targets critical infrastructure. A novice hacker (B) might deface or cause damage but is less likely focused on IP theft. Hacktivists (D) are politically motivated, not financially.

Reference Extract from Study Guide:

"Competitors may engage in cyber espionage to steal intellectual property and gain market advantage, representing a significant threat to business assets."

— WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488), Threat Actor Categories

The correct answer is A — Mandatory access control (MAC).

Per WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488) coursework, MAC is a strict access control model where access to resources is based on information labels (such as classified, secret, top secret) and user clearances. Only administrators define and control the policy rules, and users cannot alter access settings, making it ideal for environments where classification labels determine access rights, such as government systems.

ABAC (B) focuses on attributes but is more dynamic rather than based purely on rigid classifications. DAC (C) gives data owners control over access permissions, unsuitable for classified government environments. RBAC (D) assigns permissions based on roles, but not necessarily aligned with security labels.

Reference Extract from Study Guide:

"Mandatory access control (MAC) enforces access policies based on fixed labels and security classifications, making it the preferred model for high-security environments like government agencies handling classified data."

— WGU Cybersecurity Architecture and Engineering (KFO1 / D488), Access Control Models

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