CIPA Digital Identity & Online Security Flashcards

Which of the following best describes a 'digital footprint' in the context of identity protection?

Answer: The trail of data left by a user's online activities

A digital footprint is the trail of data—including browsing history, social media activity, and transactions—that a person leaves behind online.

What is the primary purpose of multi-factor authentication (MFA) in protecting digital identity?

Answer: To require multiple forms of verification before granting access

MFA requires users to verify their identity through two or more independent factors, significantly reducing the risk of unauthorized account access.

A client reuses the same password across multiple websites. What is the primary identity theft risk this creates?

Answer: Credential stuffing attacks

Credential stuffing uses stolen username/password pairs from one breach to try to access other accounts where the same credentials are reused.

Which type of attack involves an adversary secretly intercepting communications between two parties to steal identity data?

Answer: Man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack

A man-in-the-middle attack occurs when an attacker secretly relays and possibly alters communications between two parties who believe they are communicating directly.

What does 'end-to-end encryption' mean for protecting digital communications?

Answer: The message is encrypted at the sender's device and can only be decrypted by the intended recipient

End-to-end encryption ensures that data is encrypted on the sender's device and can only be decrypted by the intended recipient, preventing interception in transit.

Which practice best helps clients minimize exposure of personally identifiable information (PII) on social media?

Answer: Reviewing privacy settings and limiting personal details shared publicly

Regularly reviewing and restricting social media privacy settings limits the amount of PII visible to potential attackers or data harvesters.