ProfessorMesser Practice Qs Flashcards
An attacker stole the hashed login credentials of your users and has now posted the plain-text passwords of each account on Pastebin. What type of attack has most likely occurred?
a) DoS
b) Brute Force
c) Man-in-the-Middle / On-path
d) Zero day
b) Brute Force
A brute-force attack is the most likely method here because the attacker posted the plain-text passwords after stealing the hashed credentials, suggesting they tried every possible combination until they cracked the hashes.
A system administrator would like to configure a partition with the NTFS file system. Which of these utilities would be the best choice for this task?
a) format
b) chkdsk
c) xcopy
d) sfc
a) format
The boot process of a Windows 10 computer takes 15 minutes to complete. Which of these tools would be the best way to identify the problematic startup application?
a) Task Scheduler
b) Task Manager
c) Component Services
d) Performance Monitor
b) Task Manager
When troubleshooting long boot times in Windows 10, Task Manager is the most useful tool for identifying problematic startup applications. Task Manager provides a Startup tab, which displays a list of all applications that start when Windows boots up.
A person in London would like to remove all of their personal information from a server in New York. Which of these regulations would best apply to this request?
a) EULA
b) HIPAA
c) PCI DSS
d) GDPR
d) GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)
Which of these paths allow for an in-place upgrade?
a) Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 10 Pro
b) Windows 8.1 Professional to Windows 10 Home
c) Windows 8.1 Enterprise to Windows 10 Pro
a) Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 10 Pro
*a) Windows 7 Home Premium to Windows 10 Pro:
This is a valid in-place upgrade path. Windows 7 Home Premium can be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro, allowing users to retain their personal files and applications during the upgrade.
b) Windows 8.1 Professional to Windows 10 Home:
This is not a valid upgrade path. Windows 8.1 Professional (a higher edition) cannot be downgraded to Windows 10 Home (a lower edition). The upgrade must go from one edition to an equal or higher edition (e.g., from Professional to Professional or Home to Home).
c) Windows 8.1 Enterprise to Windows 10 Pro:
This is also not a valid in-place upgrade path. Windows 8.1 Enterprise is designed for large organizations, and the upgrade would need to be done to a corresponding version of Windows 10 Enterprise. Windows 10 Pro would not be a suitable destination for Windows 8.1 Enterprise in an in-place upgrade scenario.*
What type of wireless network security limits access using physical hardware addresses?
a) MAC filtering
b) Static IP addressing
c) WPS
d) WPA2
a) MAC filtering
Which Control Panel applet can be used to manage usernames and passwords?
a) Keychain
b) Credential Manager
c) System
d) AppLocker
b) Credential Manager
A user is installing a driver for a new mouse, but the installation fails before the driver is installed. Which of these would be the most likely reason for this issue?
a) The user does not have the proper permissions
b) The mouse is not currently connected to the computer
c) The mouse is connected during the driver installation
d) The mouse driver is corrupted
a) The user does not have the proper permissions
*When installing hardware drivers, especially on Windows, the user needs to have administrator-level permissions to allow the installation of drivers. If the user does not have sufficient permissions (for example, if they are logged in as a standard user), the driver installation may fail.
Now, let’s break down the other options:
b) The mouse is not currently connected to the computer:
This could cause issues during automatic driver installation, but many modern operating systems (like Windows) will install drivers even if the mouse isn’t plugged in at the moment of installation. It’s unlikely to cause a failure, as Windows can detect the hardware when it’s connected after the installation starts.
c) The mouse is connected during the driver installation:
This is usually not an issue. In fact, many drivers install automatically when the device is connected. However, there can be exceptions, such as when the driver package specifically requests the device to be disconnected before installation (which is rare). This is not a common cause of failure.
d) The mouse driver is corrupted:
A corrupted driver could cause problems, but it wouldn’t typically prevent installation. If the driver package is corrupted, you may get an error or failure message during the installation process, but this would generally be because of the specific file being damaged rather than an issue with permissions.*
The system administrator of a Linux server needs to move from one wireless network to another. Which of these commands would be the best choice for this task?
a) iwconfig
b) chmod
c) netstat
d) ifconfig
a) iwconfig
command for managing wireless network interfaces in Linux. It allows you to configure wireless network interfaces, including setting up wireless networks, changing SSIDs, and switching between wireless networks. This is the command you would use to move from one wireless network to another.
A user on the manufacturing floor is installing a Windows application for a new CNC (Computer Numeric Control) machine. However, the installation program fails during the driver installation. Which of these would be the most likely reason for this issue?
a) The CNC firmware needs to be upgraded
b) The Windows workstation is infected with malware
c) The user needs elevated permissions
d) The CNC machine is not compatible with Windows
c) The user needs elevated permissions
When installing drivers on a Windows machine, especially for specialized equipment like a CNC machine, the user typically needs administrator-level permissions to allow the installation to proceed successfully. If the user doesn’t have the necessary permissions, the installation, especially the driver installation, may fail.
A user in the shipping department uses an external web site to create shipping labels. After each label is created, at least two browser windows appear that contain random advertisements. Which of these would best describe this problem?
a) On-Path attack
b) Invalid site certificate
c) Malware Infection
d) Incorrect proxy settings
c) Malware Infection
The issue described — where random advertisements pop up in additional browser windows after visiting a specific website — is a classic symptom of malware infection, typically in the form of adware or potentially unwanted programs (PUPs). Adware can cause unwanted advertisements to appear, even on sites where they aren’t part of the page’s content. This often occurs without the user’s consent and can be triggered when visiting certain websites or engaging in certain online activities.
d) Incorrect proxy settings:
Incorrect proxy settings could cause issues with internet connectivity, routing, or accessing specific websites, but they wouldn’t typically cause random advertisements to pop up in browser windows.
A system administrator has been asked to install a DRM server on the network. Which of the following would best describe the use of this server?
a) Securely store encryption certificates
b) Synchronize the date and time on all devices
c) Limit the use of certain applications
d) Share files between macOS systems
c) Limit the use of certain applications
A DRM (Digital Rights Management) server is used to protect and control access to digital content by enforcing restrictions on how files or applications can be used, shared, and distributed. This typically involves limiting or controlling actions like copying, printing, or sharing the content. DRM is often used in media distribution, software licensing, and other situations where content protection is necessary.
Windows 10 requires a CPU that includes the NX feature. Which of these best describes this feature?
a) Multiple threads can be processed at the same time
b) Protects against malicious software
c) Allows application developers to use a standard instruction set
d) Ensures that operating system updates are genuine
b) Protects against malicious software
The NX (No Execute) feature, also known as DEP (Data Execution Prevention), is a security feature that helps protect against malicious software by preventing certain areas of memory from being executed as code. This feature can help block malicious code from running in memory regions that should not contain executable code, such as the stack and heap. This is particularly important in preventing certain types of exploits, such as buffer overflow attacks.
A user has tried to install a Linux distribution for dual-boot with an existing Windows installation. When the system now boots, the only option is to start Linux. Which of the following would be the best way to restore boot access to Windows?
a) Run sfc from the recovery console
b) Uninstall the Linux operating system
c) Modify the startup partition from the BIOS configuration
d) Run bootrec from the recovery console
d) Run bootrec from the recovery console
To restore boot access to Windows, you can use the bootrec command from the Windows Recovery Console. This tool is designed to repair the Master Boot Record (MBR), fix boot-related issues, and restore the Windows bootloader.
A home user has accidentally formatted a drive containing important documents. What type of drive formatting would allow for the recovery of information?
a) Low level
b) NTFS format
c) Regular format
d) Quick format
d) Quick format
When a drive is quickly formatted, it removes the file system references to the data (i.e., the structure that the operating system uses to organize files), but it does not actually erase the data on the disk. The data remains on the drive until it is overwritten by new information. This means that after a quick format, it is often possible to recover the data using specialized data recovery software, as the actual files are still present on the disk.
