Security

Question 1

What is a program threat?

Answer 1

Malicious code like virus, worm, Trojan horse.

Question 2

Define system threat.

Answer 2

Attack on system resources like DoS or port scanning.

Question 3

What is encryption?

Answer 3

Converting data into unreadable form for unauthorized users.

Question 4

Symmetric vs Asymmetric encryption?

Answer 4

Symmetric: same key; Asymmetric: public/private keys.

Question 5

Example of symmetric algorithm?

Answer 5

AES, DES.

Question 6

Example of asymmetric algorithm?

Answer 6

RSA.

Question 7

Levels of security measures?

Answer 7

Physical, human, OS/Network.

Question 8

Types of security violations?

Answer 8

Accidental or malicious data leaks, modification, destruction.

Question 9

What is a worm?

Answer 9

A standalone malware that replicates and spreads over networks.

Question 10

What is phishing?

Answer 10

A social engineering attack to steal sensitive data.

Question 11

Define authentication.

Answer 11

Verifying the identity of a user or process.

Question 12

What is hashing used for in security?

Answer 12

To verify data integrity.

Question 13

What does SSL/TLS do?

Answer 13

Secures communication over the internet.

Question 14

What does SSL stand for?

Answer 14

Secure Socket Layer

Question 15

What does TLS stand for?

Answer 15

Transport Layer Security

Question 16

Why can absolute security never be achieved?

Answer 16

The cost for a perpetrator must simply be high enough to deter intruders.

Question 17

How strong is security?

Answer 17

It is only as strong as its weakest link.

Question 18

What is a Trojan Horse?

Answer 18

A malicious program pretending to be legitimate, which can block, modify, or delete data, but can’t duplicate like worms.

Question 19

What is a Trap Door?

Answer 19

A vulnerability left intentionally, such as hardcoded credentials, allowing unauthorized access.

Question 20

What is a Logic Bomb?

Answer 20

Code that activates under specific conditions, such as dates or times.

Question 21

What is Stack and Buffer Overflow?

Answer 21

A technique where arguments overwrite the stack’s return address, leading to malicious control.

Question 22

What are Viruses?

Answer 22

Code fragments embedded in programs that can duplicate and spread across networks.

Question 23

What are the categories of viruses?

Answer 23

• File/Parasitic
• Boot/Memory
• Macro
• Source Code

Question 24

What differentiates system/network threats from program threats?

Answer 24

System and network threats abuse services rather than exploiting program vulnerabilities.

Question 25

What is denial-of-service (DoS)?

Answer 25

An attack that overloads a target to prevent it from functioning, e.g., infinite pop-up windows.

Question 26

What was the Morris Internet Worm?

Answer 26

One of the first Internet worms (1988), exploiting UNIX vulnerabilities with a bootstrap program.

Question 27

What is cryptography?

Answer 27

secret writing, using techniques like encryption, decryption, and cryptanalysis.

Question 28

Why is cryptography necessary?

Answer 28

Networks are vulnerable to spoofing and eavesdropping, making sender/receiver identification unreliable. Cryptography ensures secure communication by eliminating dependence on untrusted networks.

Question 29

What does cryptography enable?

Answer 29

Sender encrypts messages so only the intended recipient can decode them. Recipient verifies the sender using cryptographic keys.