Operating System Security Flashcards
What is an Operating System (OS)?
Software that manages hardware resources and supports basic functionality for applications.
What is OS hardening?
The process of reducing the attack surface to minimize security risks.
What is the attack surface?
The total number of possible entry points that attackers can exploit in an OS.
What are six key steps to harden an operating system?
Remove unnecessary software – Reduces potential vulnerabilities.
Remove unneeded services – Closes unused entry points.
Alter default accounts – Prevents easy attacks on admin accounts.
Use the Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP) – Restricts user permissions.
Perform regular updates – Fixes security vulnerabilities.
Enable logging & auditing – Tracks activity for security monitoring.
How do anti-malware tools detect threats?
Signature-based detection – Compares files to a database of known malware.
Behavior-based detection – Monitors for unusual system activity.
What is Executable Space Protection, and how does it enhance security?
Prevents certain areas of memory from executing code.
Protects against buffer overflow attacks, which allow attackers to execute malicious code.
What are examples of OS security tools for malware protection?
Software Firewalls – Blocks unauthorized traffic.
Host Intrusion Detection Systems (HIDS) – Detects suspicious activity on a computer.
What is the purpose of security scanners?
Detect security flaws in an OS by scanning for vulnerabilities.
What are two common OS scanning tools?
Nmap – Scans networks to detect hosts and services.
Netstat – Shows active network connections and listening ports.
What is a vulnerability assessment tool?
A tool that scans for known security flaws in network services and OS configurations.
What is a popular vulnerability assessment tool?
OpenVAS – A widely used open-source vulnerability scanner.
What is an exploit in cybersecurity?
A small piece of software that takes advantage of security flaws in applications or operating systems.
What is an exploit framework?
A collection of prebuilt exploits and security tools used for penetration testing.
What is an example of a commonly used exploit framework?
Metasploit – A tool used by both security professionals and hackers to test vulnerabilities.
