ISC2 Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP) Practice Question
While designing firmware updates for smart door locks in a corporate campus, you must ensure the locks are fail safe. If the update process crashes mid-way, which behavior best embodies the fail-safe principle?
The lock disables all authentication checks and accepts any remote open command for troubleshooting.
The lock stays locked and can be opened only with a physical master key until the firmware is successfully restored.
The lock reboots every minute and retries the update, temporarily disabling normal lock functions.
The lock automatically unlocks so occupants and technicians can enter and fix the issue.
The fail-safe (or fail-secure) principle requires that when a component fails it defaults to the most secure state, preventing unauthorized access even if usability is reduced. Keeping the lock engaged and forcing users to rely on a physical override key maintains security despite the software failure. Automatically unlocking, disabling authentication checks, or repeatedly rebooting may expose the facility to unauthorized entry or create a denial-of-service condition, so they do not satisfy the fail-safe requirement.
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What does fail-safe mean in secure software design?
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Why is a physical master key necessary for fail-safe designs in smart locks?
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How does a fail-safe system differ from fail-open designs in security?
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ISC2 Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP)
Secure Software Concepts
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