To answer this question, you need to understand the concept of a hardened operating system (OS).
A hardened OS is designed to be more secure and resistant to attacks compared to an unhardened OS. It achieves this by implementing various security measures.
Let's go through each option to understand why it is correct or incorrect:
Option A) Has a smaller attack surface than an unhardened OS - This option is correct. A hardened OS aims to reduce its attack surface by removing unnecessary services, limiting access privileges, and implementing security controls. By reducing the attack surface, the potential vulnerabilities and entry points for attackers are minimized.
Option B) Implements mandatory access control - This option is not necessarily a main characteristic of a hardened OS. While mandatory access control can be a component of a hardened OS, it is not the defining characteristic.
Option C) Is less secure than an unhardened OS - This option is incorrect. A hardened OS is specifically designed to be more secure than an unhardened OS. It incorporates additional security measures to protect against various threats and attacks.
Option D) Has more entry and exit points than an unhardened OS system - This option is incorrect. A hardened OS aims to minimize the entry and exit points to reduce the attack surface. It focuses on restricting access and reducing potential vulnerabilities.
The correct answer is A) Has a smaller attack surface than an unhardened OS. This option is correct because a hardened OS aims to reduce the attack surface by removing unnecessary services, limiting access privileges, and implementing security controls.