CompTIA SecurityX (CAS-005)Security ArchitectureEasy
A security architect is evaluating different architectural patterns for a new highly available and resilient system. The system must maintain continuous operation even if a single component fails. Which principle is most directly addressed by implementing redundant components and failover mechanisms?
- ASingle Point of Failure (SPOF) Elimination
- BDefense in Depth
- CSeparation of Duties
- DLeast Privilege
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Single Point of Failure (SPOF) Elimination
Implementing redundant components and failover mechanisms directly targets the elimination of Single Points of Failure (SPOFs) by ensuring that no single component's failure can bring down the entire system.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Defense in Depth involves multiple layers of security controls, which contributes to resilience but is not the direct principle behind redundancy for component failure.
- C. Separation of Duties is a control for preventing fraud or error, not for system availability during component failure.
- D. Least Privilege is about granting minimum necessary access, not system availability.
Single Point of Failure (SPOF) Elimination
An architectural principle focused on identifying and mitigating any single component or logical path whose failure would cause the entire system or service to become unavailable.
- Achieved through redundancy, clustering, and failover.
- Crucial for high availability and business continuity.
- Applies to hardware, software, network paths, and data.
Memory trick: SPOF Elimination: 'Stop Points Of Failure' to keep systems running.