Chapter 2 of 4 · CompTIA SecurityX CAS-005
Security Architecture
Resilience, secure life cycle, layered controls, data protection, identity, cloud and Zero Trust.
- 12topics
- 59 minfast track
- 5diagrams and exhibits
- 27%of the exam
Topics in this chapter
Take them in order, or jump to the one you need.
- 1Resilient Design and High AvailabilityDesign for availability with redundancy, clustering, load balancing, failover, geographic spread, diversity, scaling and fail…5 min
- 2Backup, Recovery and ContinuityMatch backup types, replication, immutable copies, recovery sites and recovery testing to RTO and RPO targets and to ransomware…5 min
- 3Secure SDLC and Security TestingBuild security into each life cycle phase, from requirements and threat modeling to SAST, DAST, IAST, SCA, fuzzing and CI/CD…4 min
- 4Software Supply Chain and End of LifeControl software supply chain risk with SBOMs, signing and provenance, then manage patching, end of life, decommissioning and…5 min
- 5Defense in Depth and SegmentationApply control types, layered defenses, security zones, device placement, microsegmentation, network access control, VPN and SASE…Diagram5 min
- 6Data Protection and CryptographyProtect data at rest, in transit and in use with encryption, DLP, tokenization, hashing, signatures, PKI, key management and post…Diagram5 min
- 7Authentication and Federation DesignDesign authentication with MFA, passkeys, SSO and federation using SAML, OAuth and OpenID Connect, plus conditional access and…5 min
- 8Authorization and Privileged AccessCompare DAC, MAC, RBAC and ABAC, apply least privilege and separation of duties, and secure privileged accounts with PAM and just…4 min
- 9Cloud Security DesignSecure enterprise cloud use with shared responsibility, CASB, CSPM, identity federation, key control, containers, serverless and…Diagram6 min
- 10Zero Trust ArchitectureApply Zero Trust principles with policy decision and enforcement points, microsegmentation, ZTNA, device posture, continuous…Diagram5 min
- 11Advanced Cryptographic ConceptsKey splitting, homomorphic encryption, secure multiparty computation, AEAD, mutual authentication and hardware acceleration, with…5 min
- 12Cryptographic Use Cases and TechniquesChoose the right cryptographic use case or technique: secure email, blockchain, anonymization, serialization, one-time pad and…5 min
About this chapter
What this chapter covers
Security architecture is the design stage: choosing structures and controls so that systems stay available, resist attack and can be recovered. It covers resilience, building security into the life cycle, layered controls, identity design, cloud and Zero Trust.
It follows Domain 2 of the CompTIA SecurityX CAS-005 outline. The domain has six syllabus topics, and ten pages cover them because several topics are broad.
How the topics fit together
Every design starts with requirements for availability and recovery, then adds controls, identity and a trust model.
- Resilient design and recovery set the targets that the rest of the design must meet.
- Secure development and supply chain keep flaws and tampering out of what you build and buy.
- Layered controls and cryptography limit the attack surface and protect data.
- Authentication, federation and privileged access decide who can do what.
- Cloud and Zero Trust apply the same ideas to rented infrastructure and to an environment with no implicit trust.
Architecture questions usually ask for the best design given a constraint such as cost, recovery time or compliance. Find the constraint first, then choose.
How to use these pages
Each topic page has the same shape, so you can skim for what you need.
- What it is: the idea in plain words.
- How it works: the mechanism, with diagrams and tables.
- What to remember for the exam: the facts to memorize.
- Common mistakes: the classic traps.
- Check yourself: three questions to test your understanding.
Compare similar choices side by side, such as active active and active passive, static and dynamic application testing, or role based and attribute based access control. For each, ask which design wins under which constraint.
Ready for more practice?
The full CompTIA SecurityX CAS-005 question bank has 654 questions, with timed practice exams and an explanation for every answer.
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