Security+ 1.2 Prof. Messer

Question 1

What are the malware types and methods?

Answer 1

1. Virus
2. Worm
3. Trojan
4. Spyware/Adware
5. Ransomware
6. Cryptomalware
7. Botnet
8. Key Logger
9. Rootkit

Question 2

What is a Drive-by Download

Answer 2

An unintentional download of malware by taking advantage of a browser or app.

Question 3

What is a Virus?

Answer 3

Malware that can reproduce itself through file systems or networks.

Question 4

What are the virus types?

Answer 4

1. Program Virus
2. Boot Sector Virus
3. Script Virus
4. Macro Virus
5. Fileless Virus

Question 5

What is a Boot Sector Virus?

Answer 5

A virus that exists in the boot sector of a storage device. When a computer is booted, the virus is launched.

Question 6

What is a Script Virus?

Answer 6

Virus that operates as a script in your system. Exists in the operating system or browser.

Question 7

What is a Macro Virus?

Answer 7

Similar to a script virus, usually runs within applications (most commonly Microsoft Office apps)

Question 8

What is a Fileless Virus?

Answer 8

A virus that installs itself into the computer memory (or RAM), uses native or built-in tools to execute a cyber attack.

Question 9

What is a Worm?

Answer 9

Malware that can reproduce itself without any human intervention.

Question 10

What is Ransomware?

Answer 10

A form of malware that locks a user from a system or personal data until a ransom is paid.

Question 11

What is Cryptomalware

Answer 11

A newer generation of ransomware; encrypts the victim’s data until a ransom is paid.

Question 12

What are two ways to circumvent ransomware attacks?

Answer 12

• Have your data backed up on an online platform
• Don’t click any fishy links

Question 13

What is a Trojan Horse?

Answer 13

Software that pretends to be helpful in order to conquer your system.

Question 14

What is a PUP?

Answer 14

Potentially Unwanted Program; A software program that’s often installed with other software. This software can be potentially undesirable and annoying.

Question 15

What is a backdoor?

Answer 15

An access point in a system or encrypted data that bypasses its security mechanisms.

Question 16

What is a RAT?

Answer 16

Remote Access Trojan (or remote administration tool); software designed to give the attacker remote access to an infected system.

Question 17

What is a rootkit?

Answer 17

A collection of malicious computer software designed to enable access to a computer without detection.

Question 18

What is the kernel?

Answer 18

The core components of an operating system. Manages the operations of a computer and its software.

Question 19

What is Adware?

Answer 19

A type of malicious software that displays unwanted ads and pop-ups.

Question 20

What is Spyware?

Answer 20

A form of malware that collects personal data without consent.

Question 21

What is a keylogger?

Answer 21

Software or hardware used by a malicious attacker to record keystrokes from a system.

Question 22

What is a bot?

Answer 22

A self-propagating malware that infects a host and connects back to a central server (C&C or C2 servers)

Question 23

What are some ways your computer can get infected by a bot?

Answer 23

A trojan horse, or other forms of malware, or a vulnerability in the operating system or application.

Question 24

What is a botnet?

Answer 24

A collection of systems infected by the same malware that connects to a centralized server.

Question 25

What are some ways an attacker utilizes a botnet?

Answer 25

1. Perform Distributed Denial of Service attacks 2. Relay Spam 3. Proxy network traffic (developing gateways for more malware) 4. Other distributed computing tasks

Question 26

What are some ways rootkits can be removed or avoided?

Answer 26

1. Anti-malware scans 2. Use a remover specific to the rootkit 3. Secure boot with UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) - A security feature in modern bios systems that checks the kernel of a system to make sure there are no changes before the boot

Question 27

What is a logic bomb?

Answer 27

A piece of code that sets off a malicious function when a specified condition is met.

Question 28

Define hashing a password

Answer 28

The process of changing the format of any given key or string into another value

Question 29

What is a spraying attack?

Answer 29

A type of brute force attack where an attacker will use a single common password or username across multiple accounts to try and gain access.

Question 30

What is a brute force attack?

Answer 30

A type of attack where a user will try every possible password combination until the hash is matched.

Question 31

How does a brute force attack online vs. offline differ?

Answer 31

Brute force attacks- Online - Very Slow - Accounts lockout after a number of failed attempts Brute force attacks- Offline - The attacker has access to a hash and tries different keys without the risk of discovery

Question 32

What is a dictionary attack?

Answer 32

A type of brute force attack that involves using a wordlist/dictionary to find common passwords.

Question 33

What is a rainbow table?

Answer 33

An optimized, pre-built set of hashes used to save time during a password attack.

Question 34

Define "adding some salt" to a password hash

Answer 34

The process of adding random bits of data to a password before it gets hashed in order to prevent a password breach

Question 35

Define Skimming

Answer 35

Stealing credit card information during a transaction (usually with hardware).

Question 36

Define Card Cloning

Answer 36

Using details obtained from a skimming attack to make a physical copy of a card.

Question 37

What is ML (Machine Learning)

Answer 37

A branch of AI that focuses on the use of data and algorithms to imitate the way that humans learn.

Question 38

What are some ways that machine learning is implemented in everyday life?

Answer 38

- Spam filtering emails - Recommending products from online retailers - Movie/Video recommendations on streaming platforms - Preventing car accidents in smart cars.

Question 39

What does it mean to Poison the training data of an AI?

Answer 39

Confusing the AI by sending modified training data that causes the AI to behave incorrectly.

Question 40

What is a birthday attack?

Answer 40

A brute force attack that exploits the exponentially growing probability of collision.

Question 41

What is a downgrade attack?

Answer 41

An attack in which the attacker downgrades a communication or a system to a weaker version or protocol.