Module 12 - Authentication Q Flashcards
You are a cyber forensic specialist, and you are asked to retrieve the password of an employee account suspected of being an imposter. As you are provided with the enterprise’s strong password policy, which of the following methods will be the easiest for you to use when retrieving the password?
Rule attack
Since you know the password policy, conducting a rule attack can retrieve the password easily
Which of the following best describes a preimage attack?
Comparing a known digest with an unknown digest
Preimage attack refers to comparing a known digest with an unknown digest
Which of the following best describes skimming?
Capturing information from the magnetic stripe of a smartcard
Skimming refers to capturing information from the magnetic stripe of a smart card to clone the smartcard
An attacker collected many usernames from a website and tried to login into the accounts using the password “passw0rd”. What type of attack was this?
Password spraying
Password spraying attacks try commonly used passwords on different user accounts
While analyzing a security breach, you found the attacker followed these attack patterns:
The attacker initially tried the commonly used password “passw0rd” on all enterprise user accounts and then started trying various intelligible words like “passive,” “partner,” etc.
Which of the following attacks was performed by the attacker?
Initially, a password spraying attack and then a brute force attack
Initially, the attacker performed a password spraying attack by trying the same password on different accounts. Then, they tried a dictionary attack by trying different intelligible words to crack the password
Which of the following human characteristic is used for authentication?
Veins
Vein images in a user’s palm or finger can be used for authentication and are identified through a vein-scanning tablet
Your enterprise recently approved using fingerprint scanners to authenticate employees who access restricted areas. You are assigned to conduct a study on how secure fingerprint authentication is. Which of the following should you report?
Fingerprint scanners can be used for trickery in rare cases
Fingerprint scanners can be used for trickery by collecting an authorized person’s fingerprint and applying it effectively in the scanner
In a multifactor authentication-enabled facility, you are asked the following question: “What type of food was served on your child’s first birthday?” Which of the following is the authentication method used here?
Cognitive biometrics
Cognitive biometrics is related to the perception, thought process, and understanding of the user
You want to implement an authentication method so that different password attacks, like dictionary attacks, brute force attacks, etc., will not result in unauthorized access to the web application hosted by your enterprise. You want to do this by not using any specialized hardware or making any changes to the user’s activity during the authentication process. Which of the following methods should you apply?
You should implement keystroke dynamics
Keystroke dynamics analyze the user’s keystrokes to authenticate the user. This allows multifactor authentication without using specialized hardware
Sam is working as a cybersecurity expert. An enterprise that manages nuclear powerplants approached Sam’s company to install an authentication facility for its employees when they access the nuclear plant. The enterprise is demanding multifactor authentication with high security, lowest false acceptance rate, and lowest false rejection rates.
Which of the following authentication methods should Sam apply?
PIN and gait recognition
Gait recognition cannot be tricked, so the false acceptance and false rejection rates are low
In an interview, you were asked to crack a password and told that the password is a commonly used word. Which of the following methods should you apply?
You should perform a dictionary attack
Dictionary attacks use common words from the dictionary to crack passwords
You are asked to choose a secure authentication method other than a username and password for the employees to access your enterprise’s database. Which of the following should you choose?
Security key authentication
Security keys can authenticate a user with one tap and provide suitable security
The following data is being used for a password attack: “?u ?l ?l ?l ?l ?d ?d ?d ?d.”
Which of the following types of attack is this?
Rule attack
In a rule attack, password format masks such as “?u ?l ?l ?l ?l ?d ?d ?d ?d” are created to crack the passwords in the above-mentioned scenario
Which of the following can protect a password digest from attackers?
Argon2
Argon2 is a key stretching algorithm that can also add salts to provide optimum security for password digests
Which of the following is a hardware-based solution for password security?
Password key
Password keys serve as hardware-based password managers
You want to manage your passwords for different accounts to optimally secure passwords from compromise. Which of the following password management methods should you use?
Password key
Since a password key is a hardware-based password management tool, it provides optimum security to the password
Ram’s enterprise is hosting a web app that requires authentication. Recently, the password digest files of other enterprises were stolen, and the attackers cracked the passwords with ease. As such, Ram was asked to implement additional security measures for the web app’s passwords. Which of the following methods should Ram apply?
He should use Key stretching
Key stretching will slow down the password cracking, even if the password digest is compromised
Which of the following is an authentication system that issues a ticket after verifying the credentials by which you can authenticate other services?
Kerberos
After successful authentication, Kerberos issues a ticket that allows other services to be accessed
You are working as a security expert in an e-commerce enterprise. Your company recently decided on a short-term collaboration with a small business named BuyMe, and the following issue arose. Whenever your customers purchase any product from BuyMe, the e-commerce website redirects them to the BuyMe website, asking for additional authentication. This results in customers abandoning their purchases. To solve this issue, both enterprises agree to use a single authentication process wherein the users, once logged in to your website, can purchase from BuyMe without additional steps.
How should you implement this without storing the customers’ credentials on the BuyMe server?
Use SAML
Simple assertion markup language (SAML) is an XML standard that allows secure web domains to exchange user authentication and authorization data so that the credentials from your e-commerce servers can be temporarily transferred to the BuyMe server for authentication
Windows picture password belongs to which of the following?
Cognitive biometrics
Windows picture password is a cognitive biometric, or knowledge-based authentication, method
In an interview, you are asked to compare the following statements regarding different authentication concepts and identify the correct statement. Which of the following statements is correct?
A person’s vein can be used to uniquely authenticate an individual
A person’s vein can be used for authentication
The following statements regarding centralized administration concepts are presented to you in an interview in which only one of them is correct. Which of these is correct?
Extensible authentication protocol is a framework to transport authentication protocols
The extensible authentication protocol (EAP) is a framework that is used to transport authentication protocols
In a security review meeting, you proposed using a windowed token with a time-based one-time password (TOTP) to authenticate enterprise employees, and you were asked to explain the working of TOTP.
Which of the following should be your reply?
With a windowed token with TOTP, a one-time code is generated by the windowed token using a specific algorithm. The server generates the code using the same algorithm. The user enters the code generated by the windowed token. The user is authenticated if the codes match
Both the windowed token and the authentication server generate the code by using the same algorithm and time, and the user must enter the code within a short time frame. If the code entered by the user matches, the user is authenticated
You are working as a security admin in an enterprise. While you were analyzing different password attacks, you found that whenever an individual user’s password gets cracked, another user with the same password residing in the same password digest file also has their account compromised. How should you prevent this from happening in the future?
You should add salt to the passwords before hashing
Adding salt will make every password unique
Which of the following authentication methods belongs in the “something you have” category?
Security key
Security keys are hardware devices that users physically possess
Which of the following is an authentication system that uses UDP over TCP?
RADIUS
RADIUS uses UDP as the transport protocol
How does the single sign-on enhance secure authentication?
Implementing a single sign-on will reduce the number of passwords needing to be remembered
When single sign-on is used, only a smaller number of passwords need to be remembered and can set different complex passwords for different services
Which of the following is a motherboard chip that provides cryptographic services?
Trusted platform module
The trusted platform module (TPM) is a chip on a computer’s motherboard that provides cryptographic services
In an interview, you were asked to choose the least vulnerable password from the following list. Which of the following should you choose?
earthwaterforesttreemanworldkid
This is less complex, but it is the lengthiest password, making it less vulnerable than the others
In an interview, you were asked to explain the steps involved in a successful authentication by a RADIUS server. How should you answer?
The supplicant sends a request to the access point (AP). The AP prompts the user for credentials. Once credentials are entered, the AP sends an authentication request to the RADIUS server. If verified, the server sends the authentication acknowledgment to the AP. The user is then authorized to join the network
These are the steps involved in a successful authentication by a RADIUS server
