100+ Security Engineer Interview Questions and Answers

Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for securing information and communication.

• Cryptography is used to protect data from unauthorized access.

• It involves techniques such as encryption and decryption.

• Common encryption algorithms include DES, 3DES, AES, and RC4.

• Asymmetric encryption uses different keys for encryption and decryption, while symmetric encryption uses the same key.

• Cryptography is essential for ensuring data confidentiality and integrity.

Broken authentication & authorization is when an attacker gains access to a user's account or system without proper credentials.

• An attacker can exploit this by guessing or stealing a user's login credentials.

• They can also use brute force attacks to crack weak passwords.

• Another way is to exploit vulnerabilities in the authentication process, such as session hijacking or cookie theft.

• Once the attacker gains access, they can steal sensitive data, modify or delete data, or perfor...read more

End goal is more important as it drives the overall direction and success of a project.

• End goal provides a clear vision and purpose for the project

• Procedures are important for achieving the end goal efficiently

• Flexibility in procedures may be necessary to adapt to changing circumstances

• Examples: In cybersecurity, the end goal of protecting sensitive data may require constantly evolving procedures to combat new threats

OWASP is a standard used for security testing of APIs and Web Applications

• OWASP Top 10 is a widely recognized standard for web application security

• OWASP API Security Top 10 provides guidelines for securing APIs

• OWASP ZAP (Zed Attack Proxy) is a popular tool for testing web application security

Vulnerabilities in web application penetration testing

• Injection flaws (SQL, LDAP, etc.)

• Cross-site scripting (XSS)

• Broken authentication and session management

• Insecure direct object references

• Security misconfiguration

• Sensitive data exposure

• Insufficient logging and monitoring

Our WAPT approach involves a comprehensive testing methodology to identify and address vulnerabilities in web applications.

• We use a combination of automated and manual testing techniques

• We prioritize vulnerabilities based on their severity and potential impact

• We work closely with development teams to ensure timely remediation

• We conduct regular retesting to ensure vulnerabilities have been properly addressed

CSRF vulnerability allows attackers to perform actions on behalf of a user without their consent.

• CSRF attacks can be prevented by implementing CSRF tokens

• The token is generated by the server and included in the form or URL

• When the form is submitted, the token is verified to ensure it matches the one generated by the server

• If the token is invalid, the request is rejected

• CSRF vulnerabilities can be exploited to perform actions such as changing passwords, making purchases, or de...read more

Broken authorization vulnerability can be extended by exploiting other vulnerabilities or by using stolen credentials.

• Exploiting other vulnerabilities such as SQL injection or cross-site scripting to gain unauthorized access

• Using stolen credentials to bypass authorization checks

• Exploiting misconfigured access controls to gain elevated privileges

• Using brute force attacks to guess valid credentials

• Exploiting session management vulnerabilities to hijack user sessions

Hard-coded secrets in code pose security threats such as exposure of sensitive information, potential unauthorized access, and difficulty in rotating credentials.

• Exposure of sensitive information: Hard-coded secrets can be easily accessed by anyone with access to the code, leading to potential data breaches.

• Potential unauthorized access: If hard-coded secrets are compromised, attackers can gain unauthorized access to systems, databases, or other sensitive resources.

• Difficulty...read more

Some python libraries used for excel file handling are openpyxl, pandas, xlrd, xlwt.

• openpyxl is a library to read/write Excel 2010 xlsx/xlsm/xltx/xltm files.

• pandas provides data structures and functions to work with structured data, including Excel files.

• xlrd is used for reading data and formatting information from Excel files.

• xlwt is used for writing data and formatting information to Excel files.

I once encountered an XSS attack on a web application I was working on.

• Identified the attack through unusual script tags in user input fields

• Fixed the issue by implementing input validation and encoding user input

• Learned the importance of sanitizing user input to prevent XSS attacks

• Took action by conducting a security audit of the entire application

• Implemented security best practices to prevent future attacks

Mitigations for SQL injection include input validation, parameterized queries, stored procedures, and least privilege access.

• Implement input validation to ensure only expected data is accepted

• Use parameterized queries to separate SQL code from user input

• Utilize stored procedures to encapsulate SQL logic and prevent direct user input execution

• Follow the principle of least privilege to restrict database access rights

I have tested various types of mobile applications including social media, e-commerce, and banking apps.

• I have tested social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

• I have tested e-commerce apps like Amazon, Flipkart, and eBay

• I have tested banking apps like Chase, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo

Vulnerability assessment identifies vulnerabilities, while penetration testing exploits them to determine the impact.

• Vulnerability assessment is a non-intrusive process that identifies vulnerabilities in a system or network.

• Penetration testing is an intrusive process that exploits vulnerabilities to determine the impact on the system or network.

• Vulnerability assessment is usually automated and performed regularly to identify new vulnerabilities.

• Penetration testing is usually ...read more

My forte in security lies in network security, penetration testing, and incident response.

• Specialize in network security protocols and technologies

• Skilled in conducting penetration tests to identify vulnerabilities

• Experienced in responding to security incidents and mitigating risks

• Certifications such as CISSP, CEH, or OSCP demonstrate expertise

Secure software development frameworks are methodologies used to develop software with security in mind.

• Secure software development frameworks are designed to integrate security into the software development process

• They provide guidelines and best practices for secure coding, testing, and deployment

• Examples include Microsoft's Security Development Lifecycle (SDL), OWASP's Software Assurance Maturity Model (SAMM), and NIST's Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF)

Broken Object Level Authorization (BOLA) is a vulnerability where an attacker can access unauthorized data by manipulating object references.

• BOLA occurs when an application fails to enforce proper access controls on object references.

• Attackers can exploit BOLA to access sensitive data or functionality by manipulating object references.

• Examples of BOLA include accessing other users' data, modifying data that should be read-only, and accessing administrative functions without p...read more

SQL Payload to extract sensitive data from a database

• Use UNION SELECT to combine data from different tables

• Use subqueries to extract specific data

• Use SQL injection to bypass authentication and access data

• Use ORDER BY to sort data in a specific way and extract specific data

• Use GROUP BY to group data and extract specific data

I have tested various kinds of APIs including REST, SOAP, GraphQL, and more.

• I have experience testing REST APIs which use HTTP methods like GET, POST, PUT, DELETE.

• I have also tested SOAP APIs which use XML for data exchange.

• I have worked with GraphQL APIs which allow clients to specify the data they need.

• I am familiar with testing APIs that use authentication and authorization mechanisms.

• I have tested APIs that integrate with third-party services like payment gateways, social...read more

Implement account lockout, use strong passwords, and implement CAPTCHA

• Implement account lockout after a certain number of failed login attempts

• Encourage users to use strong passwords with a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters

• Implement CAPTCHA to prevent automated brute force attacks

• Consider implementing rate limiting to restrict the number of login attempts within a certain time frame

Blind based SQL injection is a type of SQL injection attack where the attacker sends SQL queries to the database and observes the result without actually seeing the output.

• Attacker sends SQL queries to the database and observes the behavior of the application to determine if the query was successful or not.

• No error messages are displayed to the attacker, making it harder to detect.

• Time-based blind SQL injection involves sending queries that cause delays in the response time, ...read more

Blue team focuses on defense and prevention, while red team simulates attacks to test defenses.

• Blue team is responsible for defending against cyber threats and implementing security measures.

• Red team simulates real-world attacks to test the effectiveness of the blue team's defenses.

• Blue team works proactively to prevent security breaches, while red team works reactively to identify vulnerabilities.

• Blue team focuses on monitoring, incident response, and threat intelligence, wh...read more

XSS stands for Cross-Site Scripting. It is a type of security vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.

• XSS attacks can be classified into three types: Stored, Reflected, and DOM-based.

• Attackers can use XSS to steal sensitive information, such as login credentials or session tokens.

• Preventing XSS requires input validation, output encoding, and proper use of security headers.

• Example of an XSS attack:

Questions on JavaScript concepts like hoisting, closure, arrays, string manipulation, and connecting dots.

• Hoisting refers to the behavior of moving declarations to the top of the scope.

• Closures are functions that have access to variables in their outer scope.

• Arrays are used to store multiple values in a single variable.

• To duplicate a string, use the 'repeat' method or concatenate the string with itself.

• To add to a number, use the '+' operator.

• To add three numbers, use the '+'...read more

Implemented various security measures in API development and testing.

• Implemented authentication and authorization mechanisms such as OAuth2 and JWT.

• Implemented rate limiting and throttling to prevent DDoS attacks.

• Implemented input validation and output encoding to prevent injection attacks.

• Conducted API penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities and remediate them.

• Implemented encryption and decryption mechanisms to protect sensitive data in transit and at rest.

DoS zone protection and DoS attack rule are two different methods to prevent DoS attacks.

• DoS zone protection is a feature that blocks traffic from a specific IP address or subnet if it exceeds a certain threshold.

• DoS attack rule is a security policy that identifies and blocks traffic patterns that are indicative of a DoS attack.

• DoS zone protection is a proactive measure that prevents traffic from reaching the target, while DoS attack rule is a reactive measure that blocks tra...read more

I would mitigate a DDoS attack on an Apache server in AWS by implementing various security measures and utilizing AWS services.

• Implementing rate limiting and access control lists to filter out malicious traffic

• Utilizing AWS Shield for DDoS protection

• Scaling up the server capacity to handle the increased traffic

• Monitoring server logs and traffic patterns to identify and block suspicious activity

• Utilizing AWS WAF (Web Application Firewall) to filter out malicious requests