Exam KCSA Topic 5 Question 36 Discussion

* In STRIDE,Tamperingis the threat category forunauthorized modification of data or code/artifacts. A trojanized container image is, by definition, an attacker'smodificationof the build output (the image) after compromising the CI/build system-i.e., tampering with the artifact in the software supply chain.
* Why not the others?
* Spoofingis about identity/authentication (e.g., pretending to be someone/something).
* Repudiationis about denying having performed an action without sufficient audit evidence.
* Denial of Servicetargets availability (exhausting resources or making a service unavailable).The scenario explicitly focuses on analtered imageresulting from a compromised build server-this squarely maps toTampering.
Authoritative references (for verification and deeper reading):
* Kubernetes (official docs)- Supply Chain Security (discusses risks such as compromised CI/CD pipelines leading to modified/poisoned images and emphasizes verifying image integrity/signatures).
* Kubernetes Docs#Security#Supply chain securityandSecuring a cluster(sections on image provenance, signing, and verifying artifacts).
* CNCF TAG Security - Cloud Native Security Whitepaper (v2)- Threat modeling in cloud-native and software supply chain risks; describes attackers modifying build outputs (images/artifacts) via CI
/CD compromise as a form oftamperingand prescribes controls (signing, provenance, policy).
* CNCF TAG Security - Software Supply Chain Security Best Practices- Explicitly covers CI/CD compromise leading tomaliciously modified imagesand recommends SLSA, provenance attestation, and signature verification (policy enforcement via admission controls).
* Microsoft STRIDE (canonical reference)- DefinesTamperingasmodifying data or code, which directly fits a trojanized image produced by a compromised build system.