WGU Updated Managing-Cloud-Security Exam Questions and Answers by harlan

The Use phase of the cloud secure data lifecycle refers to the stage where data is actively accessed, viewed, or processed by users or applications without altering its original structure or content. Managing Cloud principles define this phase as the point where data is consumed for business operations such as reading reports, running analytics, or executing applications that rely on existing data.

During the Use phase, the data already exists in the cloud and is not being created, modified, or distributed to external entities. Instead, it is temporarily loaded into memory or processed by authorized systems to perform required tasks. Security controls during this phase focus on access management, authentication, authorization, and monitoring to ensure that only approved users and services can interact with the data.

The other options represent different lifecycle stages. The Create phase involves generating new data, the Store phase focuses on maintaining data at rest within storage systems, and the Share phase involves distributing data to other users or systems. None of these accurately describe data being viewed or processed without modification. Therefore, the Use phase correctly represents the lifecycle stage where data is accessed and processed in its existing form.

In a cloud environment, responsibility for hardware management shifts primarily to the cloud provider. Customers no longer manage servers, storage devices, or physical networks directly. As a result, hardware management policies are less critical for customer audits compared to data classification, procurement, or acceptable use.

Data classification remains essential to secure sensitive information. Software procurement policies are important to control licensing and compliance. Acceptable use policies govern employee behavior in cloud environments.

While organizations may still need high-level oversight of hardware through contracts and SLAs, detailed hardware policies have a reduced role. Instead, emphasis shifts to managing the shared responsibility model, ensuring cloud provider controls complement customer governance.

Industry best practice requires that encryption keys are stored separately from the data they protect. This ensures that if the data storage system is compromised, attackers cannot immediately decrypt sensitive information. The use of a secure escrow system is a recognized approach.

An escrow provides controlled storage for encryption keys, ensuring they are only accessible by authorized processes and not co-located with the protected data. Keeping keys “local” to the data creates a single point of failure. A public or private repository without specialized protection mechanisms would also be insufficient due to risks of insider threats or misconfiguration.

By placing keys in an independent escrow system, the organization enforces separation of duties, strengthens defense-in-depth, and aligns with cryptographic standards from NIST and ISO. This practice is vital when dealing with archival data, where long-term confidentiality must be preserved even as systems evolve.

To provide a comprehensive report of system usage, the most important elements are user identifications (IDs) and access timestamps. These data points record who accessed the system, at what time, and for how long. Together, they allow the analyst to determine frequency and duration of use, which is essential for both operational auditing and security oversight.

Other options, such as informational logs or error logs, may provide context but do not directly answer the requirement of identifying users and usage patterns. For instance, 802.1x logs are related to network authentication, while commands or error timestamps reveal activity details but not the overall access history.

Collecting and analyzing IDs and timestamps supports compliance with regulatory frameworks like ISO 27001 and SOC 2, which require clear audit trails. It also provides accountability and supports investigations in case of unauthorized access or misuse. By including these elements, the analyst ensures the report meets internal and external requirements for system monitoring.