Question

An architect was recently hired by a power utility to increase the security posture of the company's power generation and distribution sites. Upon review, the architect identifies legacy hardware with highly vulnerable and unsupported software driving critical operations. These systems must exchange data with each other, be highly synchronized, and pull from the Internet time sources.

Which of the following architectural decisions would BEST reduce the likelihood of a successful attack without harming operational capability? (Choose two.)

A. Isolate the systems on their own network
B. Install a firewall and IDS between systems and the LAN
C. Employ own stratum-0 and stratum-1 NTP servers
D. Upgrade the software on critical systems
E. Configure the systems to use government-hosted NTP servers

Answer 1

To increase the power utility's security without affecting operations, the architect should isolate the legacy systems on a separate network and implement dedicated NTP servers for precise time synchronization. Option A and C are correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

An architect was recently hired by a power utility to increase the security posture of the company's power generation and distribution sites. After assessing the existing systems, the architect must make decisions that enhance security without compromising operational capacity. The most effective options to reduce the likelihood of a successful attack include:

Isolating the systems on their own network, which minimizes the risk of external attacks infiltrating through the wider company network.Employing own stratum-0 and stratum-1 NTP servers to ensure synchronization without relying on external, potentially vulnerable time sources. These measures would help secure the legacy hardware and mitigate risks associated with unsupported software.