CompTIA Security Fundamentals 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of attack intercepts communication between two parties without their knowledge to steal or alter data?
- Phishing
- Man-in-the-middle (MitM) (Correct answer)
- Denial of Service
- SQL injection
Correct answer: Man-in-the-middle (MitM)
A man-in-the-middle attack positions the attacker between two communicating parties to eavesdrop or alter the exchanged data.
Question 2: What is the primary purpose of a DMZ (demilitarized zone) in network security?
- To store encrypted backups
- To host public-facing services while isolating the internal network (Correct answer)
- To block all external traffic
- To monitor internal user activity
Correct answer: To host public-facing services while isolating the internal network
A DMZ is a network segment that hosts public-facing servers (e.g., web, email) while keeping the internal corporate network protected.
Question 3: A user receives an email appearing to be from their bank asking them to verify account details via a link. This is BEST described as:
- Vishing
- Spear phishing
- Pharming
- Phishing (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Phishing
Phishing uses deceptive emails that appear legitimate to trick users into revealing sensitive information.
Question 4: Which authentication factor is represented by a fingerprint scan?
- Something you know
- Something you have
- Something you are (Correct answer)
- Somewhere you are
Correct answer: Something you are
Biometrics like fingerprints represent 'something you are,' which is an inherence factor in authentication.
Question 5: What does the principle of 'defense in depth' mean in cybersecurity?
- Using the deepest available encryption algorithm
- Layering multiple security controls so that if one fails, others still protect the system (Correct answer)
- Performing deep packet inspection on all traffic
- Storing data in deeply nested directories
Correct answer: Layering multiple security controls so that if one fails, others still protect the system
Defense in depth uses multiple overlapping security layers so an attacker must bypass each one to compromise the system.
Question 6: Which protocol provides secure remote access to network devices using encryption?
- Telnet
- FTP
- SSH (Correct answer)
- SNMP
Correct answer: SSH
SSH (Secure Shell) encrypts remote terminal sessions, replacing the insecure Telnet protocol.
Question 7: What is the purpose of a digital certificate in public key infrastructure (PKI)?
- To compress data during transmission
- To bind a public key to an identity verified by a trusted CA (Correct answer)
- To generate symmetric encryption keys
- To store private keys securely
Correct answer: To bind a public key to an identity verified by a trusted CA
A digital certificate binds a public key to an entity's identity and is signed by a trusted Certificate Authority (CA) to verify authenticity.
CompTIA Security Fundamentals 2
Which type of attack intercepts communication between two parties without their knowledge to steal or alter data?