(ISC)2 Certified in Cybersecurity Practice Exam

What section of the IT environment is closest to the external world and communicates with the Internet?

1. VLAN

2. DMZ

3. MAC

4. RBAC

The correct answer is: DMZ

The section of the IT environment that is closest to the external world and communicates with the Internet is the DMZ, or Demilitarized Zone. This area serves as a buffer zone between an internal network and untrusted outside networks, such as the Internet. A DMZ typically hosts servers that need to be accessible from the outside, like web servers, email servers, or DNS servers, while protecting the internal network from direct exposure to external threats. By isolating these services in a DMZ, organizations can better manage security risks, since the DMZ can be monitored and controlled independently from the internal network. In contrast, VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks) segment a network for management and efficiency purposes without necessarily providing a direct connection to the Internet. MAC (Media Access Control) pertains to hardware addressing for devices on a network, and RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) is a method for regulating access permissions based on users' roles within an organization. While all of these concepts are essential in the context of network management and cybersecurity, they do not serve the specific purpose of directly interacting with the external environment like a DMZ does.