Geographic dispersion is the correct principle, as it specifically addresses the need to separate primary and recovery sites by a sufficient distance to avoid both being impacted by the same regional disaster. While redundancy (B) is related, it does not inherently address geographical separation. RTO (C) and RPO (D) are recovery metrics, not site selection principles.

The Principle of Least Privilege is violated because the service account is granted more access (powerful, omnipotent rights) than is necessary for the application’s functions. Each component or user should operate with the minimum set of privileges required. Separation of Duties (D) is more about dividing critical functions among different people or systems to prevent fraud or error.

In a standard cloud shared responsibility model, the customer is responsible for security ‘in’ the cloud, which includes managing data, identity and access management (IAM), application-level controls, and operating system configuration on provisioned instances. Items like physical security (B), host OS patching (C), and network infrastructure (D) are typically the provider’s responsibility (‘of’ the cloud).

The correct answer is A. A primary benefit of an HSM is performance for high-volume cryptographic operations. By offloading encryption/decryption tasks to dedicated, optimized hardware, the main server’s CPU is freed for database processing, minimizing performance impact. Software encryption (B) consumes server CPU cycles. Option C is incorrect as performance is a key benefit of HSMs. Option D is false; implementation (hardware vs. software) greatly impacts performance.

A unidirectional gateway, or data diode, is the most secure component for this scenario. It allows data to flow only in one direction (e.g., from the OT to the IT network). This prevents any possibility of threats originating from the IT network from reaching and disrupting the critical OT environment. A firewall (B) is bidirectional and can be misconfigured. A NIDS (C) only monitors traffic, and a VPN (D) creates a secure bidirectional tunnel, which is not the required control.

The RTO is the target time set for recovering a process after a disruption. The MTPD is the maximum time the business can tolerate the process being down before severe consequences occur. For a plan to be viable, the recovery target (RTO) must be faster than the maximum tolerable limit (MTPD). If RTO exceeds MTPD, the recovery process is too slow to prevent unacceptable business impact.

A true third factor must be a distinct type of authentication evidence. The existing factors are knowledge (password) and possession (app-based code). Adding an inherence factor, like a biometric fingerprint scan (something you are), introduces a third, independent factor. Adding another possession-based code (B) is still just a second factor (possession). Strengthening a knowledge factor (C) does not add a new factor type. Changing the app (D) is irrelevant to the factor type.

Micro-segmentation is a core technique in zero-trust for controlling east-west traffic. It involves creating granular, software-defined security zones around individual workloads or applications, allowing strict access controls between them regardless of their network location. This moves security away from the traditional perimeter (exemplified by a DMZ (C)) and embeds it throughout the data center. NAT (B) and BGP (D) are network routing/translation protocols, not zero-trust security controls.

Data whose unauthorized disclosure could cause severe damage to the organization, such as significant financial loss, legal implications, or severe reputational harm, is typically classified as Confidential (or Restricted/Proprietary). Pre-release financial data is a classic example. ‘Internal Use Only’ (C) is for data whose disclosure would cause only moderate inconvenience, while ‘Public’ (B) and ‘Unclassified’ (D) imply no damage from disclosure.

Geographic dispersion is the correct principle, as it specifically addresses the need to separate primary and recovery sites by a sufficient distance to avoid both being impacted by the same regional disaster. While redundancy (B) is related, it does not inherently address geographical separation. RTO (C) and RPO (D) are recovery metrics, not site selection principles.0