Covert Communication Devices Flashcards
7 cards from real CFA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Covert Communication Devices flashcards as text
Which transmission technique reduces interception risk by sending data in a compressed high-speed burst rather than a continuous signal?
Answer: Burst transmission
Burst transmission compresses a message and sends it in a very short pulse, minimizing the window during which the signal can be detected or traced.
A field agent needs to communicate in a hostile environment where radio signals are monitored. What is the PRIMARY advantage of frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS)?
Answer: Resistance to jamming and interception
FHSS rapidly switches carrier frequencies in a pattern known only to sender and receiver, making interception and jamming extremely difficult.
What is a 'dead drop' in the context of covert communications?
Answer: A physical or virtual location where materials are left for another party without direct contact
A dead drop allows two parties to exchange information or materials without ever meeting, reducing the risk of both being observed together.
Which of the following best describes steganography as used in covert field communications?
Answer: Hiding a message within an ordinary-looking carrier file such as an image
Steganography conceals the existence of a message by embedding it inside innocent-looking media, unlike encryption which hides only the content.
An agent discovers their encrypted communication device has been confiscated by a hostile actor. What security feature is MOST critical to prevent exploitation?
Answer: Remote wipe or tamper-triggered data destruction
Remote wipe or tamper-triggered destruction ensures that captured devices cannot be exploited for intelligence or to compromise the network.
What is the primary security purpose of using a one-time pad (OTP) in field communications?
Answer: To provide theoretically unbreakable encryption when used correctly
A one-time pad, when used with a truly random key of equal length to the message and never reused, provides information-theoretic security that cannot be broken.
During a surveillance detection run, an agent notices a contact checking the same park bench twice. In covert communications protocol, this bench most likely functions as what?
Answer: A signal site or dead drop location
Repeated attention to a specific fixed location like a park bench often indicates it serves as a signal site or dead drop in tradecraft.