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Quiz Session - Attempts With Random Questions

CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) Exam Questions

Page 9 of 50

161.

Which of the following terms is used to describe a key used only for a single communications session?

  • Ephemeral

  • Stretched

  • Cellular

  • Salted

Correct answer: Ephemeral

An ephemeral key is used to encrypt a single message, protecting against brute force key guessing attacks. Perfect forward secrecy is when an algorithm generates ephemeral keys for each communication session.

Key stretching, or key strengthening, uses PBKDF2, Bcrypt, or similar key derivation algorithms to turn a weak password into a stronger encryption key. Cellular is a network type where radio transceivers cover a specific geographic area. Salting involves adding a random, unique, public value to a password before hashing it for storage to protect against rainbow table attacks and make it harder for an attacker to identify accounts with weak or reused passwords. 

162.

Which of the following EAP variants uses the server's digital certificate to create a secure tunnel and may authenticate the client via a certificate or over the tunnel?

  • EAP-TTLS

  • EAP-TLS

  • EAP-FAST

  • LEAP

Correct answer: EAP-TTLS

The Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) was an authentication protocol introduced with WPA. It has several variants, including:

  • Lightweight Extensible Authentication Protocol (LEAP): LEAP is an insecure, deprecated proprietary authentication protocol developed by Cisco.
  • EAP-FAST: Proprietary Cisco authentication protocol that replaced LEAP and is used for authentication of wireless network users.
  • EAP-TLS: Uses TLS tunnels to secure EAP traffic and often relies on digital certificates for authentication. Both client and server are authenticated via certificates.
  • EAP-TTLS: Uses a server-side certificate for authentication and to create a secure tunnel. Clients can be authenticated via a certificate or via the secure tunnel.

163.

The chief executive officer at Smith Bank, a new financial startup, has hired you as a security consultant. Looking through surveillance video, you notice that sometimes, people pass through security points by closely following the person in front of them. 

What type of security control should be put in place to address this?

  • Access control vestibule

  • Bollards

  • Sensors: infrared

  • Sensors: pressure

Correct answer: Access control vestibule

Access control vestibules are used to ensure that only one person at a time can pass through a control point. They are typically a small room with two doors.

Bollards are pillars or obstacles used to prevent vehicular access. Infrared sensors are used to detect heat radiation. Pressure sensors are used to detect movement by changes in pressure.

164.

An e-commerce site wants to allow users to store their credit card numbers without keeping the actual account numbers in their database. What security solution can they use that allows them to substitute the numbers for the real ones when needed?

  • Tokenization

  • Salting

  • Hashing

  • Attestation

Correct answer: Tokenization

Tokenization allows for sensitive data to be stored at a token service provider instead of being stored locally. The locally stored token can be replaced with the real value when needed.

Salting is used to add randomized data to values before hashing. Hashing is the one-way algorithm to turn a variable-length input into a fixed-length output. Attestation is the process of verifying that something is true by a third party.

165.

During a layover at an airport, a financial company CEO leaves his smartphone unattended, which has Bluetooth enabled. An attacker is able to gain access to the CEO's email, calendars, and contacts. 

Which type of attack is being performed?

  • Bluesnarfing

  • Smishing

  • IV attack

  • War driving

Correct answer: Bluesnarfing

When an attacker is able to gain access to an open Bluetooth device's data, it's called bluesnarfing. They gain access to calendars, phone books, and image records. The attacker must still be able to pair to the device, so devices should always use a difficult pairing number.

Smishing is a phishing attack through SMS messages. An IV attack exploits issues with initialization vectors. War driving involves finding Wi-Fi networks that extend beyond a building.

166.

An organization has recently deployed their comprehensive security plan to provide protection or mitigation for the majority of discovered and documented risks. At this point, the risks that were too difficult to protect and not likely enough to happen were left without much in the way of mitigation. 

What is the term given to this risk that still remains?

  • Residual risk

  • Inherent risk

  • Transferred risk

  • Avoided risk

Correct answer: Residual risk

The risk left over after a detailed security plan and disaster recovery plan have been implemented is called residual risk. There is always a certain amount of residual risk because a company cannot foresee every risk or threat.

Inherent risk is risk before any mitigating controls have been applied. Transferred risk is risk that has been offloaded to a third party. Avoided risk is risk that is no longer engaged with.

167.

An email appears in a user's inbox indicating that they have won a free tablet; however, it has limited availability, so the user must act soon, or it may be too late. Which of the following phishing principles is this an example of?

  • Scarcity

  • Familiarity

  • Trust

  • Authority

Correct answer: Scarcity

Scarcity exploits the human emotion of feeling lucky and then suggests that there is a limited quantity, so the user feels the need to act quickly. These scams are often coupled with urgency to make the user think the "offer" is going to expire.

Familiarity relies on the target liking the organization the attacker pretends to represent. Trust relies on a connection with the individual. Authority relies on users obeying someone who claims to be in a higher position.

168.

A company uses a third-party company to provide ongoing management of its IT infrastructure. What type of threat vector does this introduce?

  • MSP

  • Vendor

  • Supplier

  • Open service ports

Correct answer: MSP

A managed service provider (MSP) provides ongoing management, monitoring, and support for services such as IT for their client. By having a third party handle this, it may increase the threat surface if the MSP does not have proper controls.

Vendors and suppliers offer goods and components in addition to services. Open service ports are vulnerabilities caused by running applications that are not needed.

169.

A company is auditing risks. They discover that a critical application that they install on workstations has been installed more times than is allowed as per their agreement with the company that develops the software. 

What type of risk has been identified?

  • Software compliance/licensing

  • Legacy systems

  • IP theft

  • Multiparty

Correct answer: Software compliance/licensing

Software compliance/licensing issues can arise if an organization doesn't keep track of its software usage and purchases insufficient licenses. Also, software commonly includes third-party libraries which may have associated licenses that an organization may not be aware of or compliant with. This can expose the company to legal risks.

Legacy systems may not be supported by vendors and may contain outdated software or hardware. As a result, they are more likely to contain exploitable vulnerabilities. An organization's intellectual property can be stolen by an internal or external party. Encryption and access control are common controls for protecting against IP theft. Multiparty risks are commonly external because they originate from an organization's relationships with other organizations.

170.

What is the primary motivation for organized crime?

  • Financial gain

  • Service disruption

  • Philosophical beliefs

  • Revenge

Correct answer: Financial gain

Organized crime is primarily motivated by financial gain. They are responsible for many ransomware attacks.

Service disruption, philosophical beliefs, and revenge are not primary motivators for organized crime.

171.

Which type of password attack is characterized by using a small set of passwords against many different accounts?

  • Spraying

  • Dictionary

  • Brute force

  • Guessing

Correct answer: Spraying

A spraying attack is an attack that uses a small set of passwords against many accounts. This is useful for gaining access to many accounts that use common passwords.

A dictionary attack uses a list of words. A brute force attack tries various combinations of passwords to guess an account's password. Guessing a password is done when the attacker knows enough about the target to make educated guesses. 

172.

Which factor in modern cryptographic systems is critical for ensuring that encryption will not be compromised through cryptographic attacks?

  • Key length

  • Nonrepudiation

  • Integrity

  • Obfuscation

Correct answer: Key length

Modern cryptosystems use open algorithms, so the responsibility is placed on creating keys that are long and complex. The longer the key is, the more difficult it will be for an attacker to use cryptographic attacks against it.

Nonrepudiation refers to the inability for someone to deny that they sent a message. Integrity refers to ensuring that data is not altered. Obfuscation refers to methods to hide sensitive data.

173.

An attacker is attempting to steal credentials from users at Acme Manufacturing. They configure a wireless access point close to Acme's location and have it mimic the naming standard that the company uses. They set up a fake portal that fools users into providing login credentials. 

Which type of attack are they performing?

  • Evil twin

  • Bluesnarfing

  • Spraying

  • Domain hijacking

Correct answer: Evil twin

An evil twin access point is a rogue access point that is connected to the internal network and uses the same SSID as the official Wi-Fi hotspot. It tricks users into connecting to it instead of the official hotspot to steal data from the client machine.

Bluesnarfing is a Bluetooth attack. Spraying is a password hacking technique. Domain hijacking involves taking control of an organization's DNS servers.

174.

Which protocol uses ephemeral keys to provide perfect forward secrecy for web communications?

  • TLS

  • S/MIME

  • PPTP

  • SPF

Correct answer: TLS

Transport Layer Security (TLS) is installed on web servers to provide encryption between the web server and the client computer. It is important to consider that any time SSL is mentioned, they are likely referencing TLS.

S/MIME is a standard for securing email messaging. PPTP is an outdated protocol for VPNs. SPF is used to designate authorized email servers for a domain.

175.

A group of threat actors disagrees with some of the actions that a company takes. Subsequently, they use hacking tools to deface the company's website to promote their cause. What type of threat is this group?

  • Hacktivists

  • Insider threats

  • Organized crime

  • Script kiddies

Correct answer: Hacktivists

Hacktivists perform cyberattacks for political reasons or in support of a cause.

Insider threats are trusted parties who may intentionally harm or steal from the company or may inadvertently take actions that place the company at risk. Organized crime is focused on making money. Script kiddies are unsophisticated attackers who use preexisting tools to perform attacks.

176.

There are reports of unusual behavior in some workstations at Acme Inc., and the administrator has begun to investigate. They discover that a type of self-replicating malware has made its way through network shares and the SMB protocol. 

Which of the following should the administrator report has been discovered?

  • Worm

  • Logic bomb

  • RAT

  • Trojan

Correct answer: Worm

Self-replicating malware that can travel through a network without any user interaction or host application is considered a worm. Prominent versions historically attacked chat programs or email attachments to get to as many victims as possible.

A logic bomb is a malicious script that activates at a certain time or after a certain action. A remote access Trojan (RAT) is malware that gives an attacker remote access. A Trojan is a virus that disguises itself as a known application.

177.

What type of protected data includes copyrights and trademarks?

  • Intellectual property

  • PHI

  • PII

  • Biometric

Correct answer: Intellectual property

Intellectual property is the result of an individual or organization's creative work. It includes trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets.

Personal health information (PHI) is an individual's protected medical data. Personally identifiable information (PII) is information such as driver's licenses and passports. Biometric information is data such as fingerprints or iris scans.

178.

Someone is doing final testing on how a web application is integrated with other systems before sending the application into a live environment. Which environment is this MOST likely to occur in?

  • Staging

  • Test

  • Development

  • Production

Correct answer: Staging

The four main types of environments for secure software development include:

  • Development: The development environment is where the code is written.
  • Test: The test environment is used to verify the code's correctness, security, performance, etc., and is where quality assurance (QA) is performed.
  • Staging: The staging environment emulates the real-world deployment environment and is used to verify that a solution will work within an organization's infrastructure.
  • Production: The production environment is the real-world environment where the solution is deployed.

179.

A streaming services provider wants to handle user requests for streams quickly without the overhead of keeping dedicated systems online waiting for requests. They want this solution to be easily scalable. 

What type of solution should they use for this?

  • Serverless

  • Microservices

  • Software-defined network

  • Transit gateway

Correct answer: Serverless

Serverless architecture allows an organization to run functions as a service (FaaS). This lets requests be handled without the overhead of maintaining servers, as that layer is abstracted to the customer.

Microservices refers to an application being composed of small, independent modules. Software-defined networking is used to make networking more programmable. A transit gateway is used to connect a virtual private cloud with an on-premises VLAN.

180.

What is the purpose of a hash function?

  • To generate a unique, fixed-length message from a variable-length message

  • To ensure that only the intended recipient of a message can read it

  • To protect sensitive information by replacing it with fake values

  • To hide messages in another medium

Correct answer: To generate a unique, fixed-length message from a variable-length message

Hash functions are used to take a variable-length message and convert it into a fixed-length message, called a message digest. This can be used to ensure that the message has not been altered.

Encryption is used to ensure that only the intended recipient of a message can read it. Data masking is used to protect sensitive information by replacing it with fake values. Steganography is used to hide messages in another medium.

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