The scenario describes a sophisticated attack where the threat actor used steganography within LDAP to exfiltrate data. Given that the hardware and OS firmware were validated and found uncompromised, the attack vector likely exploited a network communication channel. To mitigate such risks, enforcing allow lists for authorized network ports and protocols is the most effective strategy.
Here's why this option is optimal:
Port and Protocol Restrictions: By creating an allow list, the organization can restrict communications to only those ports and protocols that are necessary for legitimate business operations. This reduces the attack surface by preventing unauthorized or unusual traffic.
Network Segmentation: Enforcing such rules helps in segmenting the network and ensuring that only approved communications occur, which is critical in preventing data exfiltration methods like steganography.
Preventing Unauthorized Access: Allow lists ensure that only predefined, trusted connections are allowed, blocking potential paths that attackers could use to infiltrate or exfiltrate data.
Other options, while beneficial in different contexts, are not directly addressing the network communication threat:
B: Measuring and attesting to the entire boot chain: While this improves system integrity, it doesn't directly mitigate the risk of data exfiltration through network channels.
C: Rolling the cryptographic keys used for hardware security modules: This is useful for securing data and communications but doesn't directly address the specific method of exfiltration described.
D: Using code signing to verify the source of OS updates: Ensures updates are from legitimate sources, but it doesn't mitigate the risk of network-based data exfiltration.
References:
CompTIA SecurityX Study Guide
NIST Special Publication 800-41, "Guidelines on Firewalls and Firewall Policy" CIS Controls Version 8, Control 9: Limitation and Control of Network Ports, Protocols, and Services