ISC2 CISSP Practice Question

The correct answer is To identify all potential paths an attacker might use to gain unauthorized access. Attack surface analysis focuses on systematically identifying and documenting all the potential entry points and exposure areas in an application that could be exploited by attackers. This includes APIs, services, protocols, ports, interfaces, and other elements that are accessible to users or other systems. This analysis helps teams understand where their application is most vulnerable to attack and prioritize security efforts accordingly.

To calculate the total lines of code is incorrect because calculating lines of code is a code complexity metric, not an attack surface measurement. While larger codebases may correlate with larger attack surfaces, line count alone doesn't identify specific attack vectors or entry points.

To estimate the time required for penetration testing is incorrect because while attack surface analysis may inform penetration testing scope, its primary purpose is not to estimate testing time. Penetration testing time estimation depends on many factors beyond just the attack surface size.

To determine which components should be tested first is incorrect because although attack surface analysis can help prioritize security testing, its primary purpose is to comprehensively identify potential attack vectors rather than create a testing schedule. Component testing prioritization would typically consider factors beyond just attack surface exposure.