CompTIA Security+ Questions (Lesson 11-21) Flashcards
(152 cards)
An attacker modifies the HOSTS file on a workstation to redirect traffic. Consider the types of attacks and deduce which type of attack has likely occurred.
DNS server cache poisoning
DNS spoofing
DNS client cache poisoning
Typosquatting
DNS client cache poisoning
The HOSTS file is checked before using Domain Name System (DNS). Its contents are loaded into a cache of known names and the client only contacts a DNS server if the name is not cached. If an attacker can place a false name, then the attacker will be able to direct traffic.
A system administrator is configuring a new Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. Consider the various types of attacks specific to DHCP and determine which steps the system administrator should take to protect the server. (Select all that apply.)
Use scanning and intrusion detection to pick up suspicious activity.
Disable DHCP snooping on switch access ports to block unauthorized servers.
Enable logging and review the logs for suspicious events.
Disable unused ports and perform regular physical inspections to look for unauthorized devices.
Use scanning and intrusion detection to pick up suspicious activity.
Enable logging and review the logs for suspicious events.
Disable unused ports and perform regular physical inspections to look for unauthorized devices.
An organization routinely communicates directly to a partner company via a domain name. The domain name now leads to a fraudulent site for all users. Systems administrators for the organization find incorrect host records in DNS. What do the administrators believe to be the root cause?
A server host has a poisoned arp cache.
Some user systems have invalid hosts file entries.
An attacker masquerades as an authoritative name server.
The domain servers have been hijacked.
An attacker masquerades as an authoritative name server.
DNS server cache poisoning aims to corrupt the records held by the DNS server itself. A DNS server queries an authoritative server for domain information. An attacker can masquerade as an authoritative name server and respond with fraudulent information.
An authoritative server for a zone creates an RRset signed with a Zone Signing Key. Another server requests a secure record exchange and the authoritative server returns the package along with the public key. Evaluate the scenario to determine what the authoritative server is demonstrating in this situation.
Domain Name System (DNS)
DNS Security Extension
DNS Footprinting
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)
DNS Security Extension
When a company attempts to re-register their domain name, they find that an attacker has supplied false credentials to the domain registrar and redirected their host records to a different IP address. What type of attack has occurred?
Domain hijacking
Domain name system client cache (DNS) poisoning
Rogue dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP)
Domain name system server cache (DNS) poisoning
Domain hijacking
A system administrator is setting up a new Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) configuration. Make recommendations for how the administrator should configure the ports. (Select all that apply.)
Port 110 should be used by mail clients to submit messages for delivery.
Port 143 should be used to connect clients.
Port 25 should be used for message relay.
Port 465 should be used for message submission over implicit TLS.
Port 25 should be used for message relay.
Port 465 should be used for message submission over implicit TLS.
Port 25 is used for message relay between Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) servers or Message Transfer Agents (MTA). If security is required and supported by both servers, the STARTTLS command can be used to set up the secure connection.
Port 465 is used by providers and mail clients for message submission over implicit Transport Layer Security (TLS).
A security engineer encrypted traffic between a client and a server. Which security protocol is the best for the engineer to configure if an ephemeral key agreement is used?
AES 256
TLS 1.2
TLS 1.3
SHA 384
TLS 1.3
Only ephemeral key agreement is supported in TLS 1.3. The signature type is supplied in the certificate, so the cipher suite only lists the bulk encryption key strength and mode of operation (AES_256_GCM), plus the cryptographic hash algorithm (SHA384).
Transport layer security (TLS) version 1.3 improves upon a vulnerability in TLS1.2. Which statement correctly describes a remedy for this vulnerability?
TLS version 1.3 is backward compatible with earlier versions of transport layer security.
TLS version 1.3 removes the ability to downgrade to weaker encryption ciphers and earlier versions of transport layer security.
TLS version 1.3 creates a secure link between the client and server using Secure Shell (SSH) over TCP port 22.
TLS1.3 can use more secure authentication and authorization methods, such as security assertion markup language (SAML) and open authorization (OAuth).
TLS version 1.3 removes the ability to downgrade to weaker encryption ciphers and earlier versions of transport layer security.
If an administrator in an exchange server needs to send digitally signed and encrypted messages, what messaging implementation will best suit the administrator’s needs?
Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME)
Secure Post Office Protocol v3 (POP3S)
Internet Message Access Protocol v4 (IMAP4)
Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)
Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME)
One means of applying authentication and confidentiality on a per-message basis is an email encryption standard called Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (S/MIME). S/MIME adds digital signatures and public key cryptography to mail communications. To use S/MIME, a sender and receiver exchange digital certificates signed by a certification authority (CA).
A technician is configuring Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) for communications over a Virtual Private Network (VPN). Evaluate the features of available modes and recommend the best option for implementation.
Tunnel mode because the whole IP packet is encrypted, and a new IP header is added.
Transport mode because the whole IP packet is encrypted, and a new IP header is added.
Tunnel mode because the payload is encrypted.
Transport mode because the payload is encrypted.
Tunnel mode because the whole IP packet is encrypted, and a new IP header is added.
A system administrator uses a Graphical User Interface (GUI) remote administration tool over TCP port 3389 to manage a server operating Windows 2016. Evaluate the types of remote administration tools to conclude which protocol the administrator is using.
Secure Shell
Telnet
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
Remote Desktop
Remote Desktop
A security administrator employs a security method that can operate at layer 3 of the OSI model. Which of the following secure communication methods could the security administrator be using?
(Select all that apply.)
ESP
AH
TLS
IKE
ESP
AH
Encapsulation Security Payload (ESP) provides confidentiality and/or authentication and integrity. ESP is one of the two core protocols of IPsec.
AH is another core protocol of IPsec. The Authentication Header (AH) protocol performs a cryptographic hash on the whole packet, including the IP header, plus a shared secret key (known only to the communicating hosts), and adds this HMAC in its header as an Integrity Check Value (ICV).
A system administrator needs secure remote access into a Linux server. Evaluate the types of remote administration to recommend which protocol should be used in this situation.
Telnet
Secure Shell (SSH)
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)
Kerberos
Secure Shell (SSH)
Analyze the methods for authentication to a Secure Shell (SSH) and determine which statement best summarizes the host-based authentication method.
The user’s private key is configured with a passphrase that must be input to access the key.
The client submits credentials that are verified by the SSH server using RADIUS.
The client submits a Ticket Granting Ticket (TGT) that is obtained when the user logged onto the workstation.
The client sends a request for authentication and the server generates a challenge with the public key.
The client sends a request for authentication and the server generates a challenge with the public key.
In host-based authentication, the server is configured with a list of authorized client public keys. The client requests authentication using one of these keys and the server generates a challenge with the public key.
Analyze the features of a Full Disk Encryption (FDE) to select the statements that accurately reflect this type of security. (Select all that apply.)
FDE encrypts the files that are listed as critical with one encryption key.
The encryption key that is used for FDE can only be stored in a TPM on the disk for security.
A drawback of FDE is the cryptographic operations performed by the OS reduces performance.
FDE requires the secure storage of the key used to encrypt the drive contents.
A drawback of FDE is the cryptographic operations performed by the OS reduces performance.
FDE requires the secure storage of the key used to encrypt the drive contents.
Compare and evaluate the various levels and types of security found within a Trusted OS (TOS) to deduce which scenario is an example of a hardware Root of Trust (RoT).
A security system is designed to prevent a computer from being hijacked by a malicious operating system
The boot metrics and operating system files are checked, and signatures verified at logon.
Digital certificates, keys, and hashed passwords are maintained in hardware-based storage.
The industry standard program code that is designed to operate the essential components of a system.
The boot metrics and operating system files are checked, and signatures verified at logon.
Compare and evaluate the various levels and types of platform security to conclude which option applies to a hardware Trusted Platform Module (TPM).
A specification for a suite of high-level communication protocols used for network communication.
The boot metrics and operating system files are checked and signatures verified at logon.
Digital certificates, keys, and hashed passwords are maintained in hardware-based storage.
The industry standard program code that is designed to operate the essential components of a system.
Digital certificates, keys, and hashed passwords are maintained in hardware-based storage.
Given knowledge of secure firmware implementation, select the statement that describes the difference between secure boot and measured boot.
Secure boot requires a unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI) and trusted platform module (TPM), but measured boot requires only a unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI).
Secure boot provisions certificates for trusted operating systems (OSes) and blocks unauthorized OSes. Measured boot stores and compares hashes of critical boot files to detect the presence of unauthorized processes.
Secure boot is the process of sending a signed boot log or report to a remote server, while measured boot provisions certificates for trusted operating systems (OSes) and blocks unauthorized OSes.
Secure boot requires a unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI) but does not require a trusted platform module (TPM). Measured boot is the mechanism by which a system sends signed boot log or report to a remote server.
Secure boot provisions certificates for trusted operating systems (OSes) and blocks unauthorized OSes. Measured boot stores and compares hashes of critical boot files to detect the presence of unauthorized processes.
Contrast vendor support for products and services at the end of their life cycle. Which of the following statements describes the difference between support available during the end of life (EOL) phase and end of service life (EOSL) phase?
During the end of life (EOL) phase, manufacturers provide limited support, updates, and spare parts. In the end of service life (EOSL), developers or vendors no longer support the product and no longer push security updates.
During the end of service life (EOSL) phase, manufacturers provide limited support, updates, and spare parts. In the end of life (EOL), developers or vendors no longer support the product and no longer push security updates.
All vendors adhere to a policy of providing five years of mainstream support (end of life support) and five years of extended support (end of service life support), during which vendors only ship security updates.
A well-maintained piece of software is in its end of service life (EOSL) stage. Abandonware refers to a product during the end of life (EOL) stage, which no longer receives updates.
During the end of life (EOL) phase, manufacturers provide limited support, updates, and spare parts. In the end of service life (EOSL), developers or vendors no longer support the product and no longer push security updates.
A network manager is installing a new switch on the network. Which option does the manager use to harden network security after installation?
A Group Policy Object (GPO) should be configured to deploy custom settings.
The Server Core option should be used to limit the device to only using Hyper-V and DHCP.
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) is used on Windows networks and validates the security configuration of a Windows system.
The network manager should ensure all patches are applied and it is appropriately configured.
The network manager should ensure all patches are applied and it is appropriately configured.
Evaluate approaches to applying patch management updates to select the accurate statement.
Operating System major release updates can cause problems with software application compatibility.
Applying all patches as released is more time consuming than only applying patches as needed.
It is more costly to apply all patches, so most companies choose to apply patches on an as-needed basis.
It is best practice to install patches immediately to provide the highest level of security for workstations.
Operating System major release updates can cause problems with software application compatibility.
A system administrator has received new systems to deploy within a work center. Which of the following should the system administrator implement to ensure proper hardening without impacting functionality? (Select all that apply.)
Remove all third-party software.
Disable ports that allow client software to connect to applications.
Disable any network interfaces that are not required.
Disable all unused services.
Disable ports that allow client software to connect to applications.
Disable any network interfaces that are not required.
Disable all unused services.
Select the options that can be configured by Group Policy Objects (GPOs). (Select all that apply.)
Registry settings
Code signing
Access policies
Baseline deviation
Registry settings
Access policies
During a training event, an executive at a large company asks the security manager trainer why pushing automatic updates as a patch management solution is not ideal for their Enterprise network. How will the security manager most likely respond?
The security manager pushes updates individually, based on office hours.
Automatic updates can cause performance and availability issues.
A patch management suite is impractical for Enterprise networks.
Next-generation endpoint protection suites perform patch management.
Automatic updates can cause performance and availability issues.