CPA Network Security & Protocols 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of firewall inspects traffic all the way up to the application layer?
- Packet-filtering firewall
- Stateless firewall
- Next-generation firewall (NGFW) (Correct answer)
- Circuit-level gateway
Correct answer: Next-generation firewall (NGFW)
An NGFW performs deep packet inspection at the application layer, identifying and controlling applications regardless of port or protocol.
Question 2: What is the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?
- Symmetric uses two different keys; asymmetric uses one key
- Symmetric uses one shared key; asymmetric uses a public/private key pair (Correct answer)
- Symmetric is slower; asymmetric is faster
- Symmetric is only for hashing; asymmetric is for signing
Correct answer: Symmetric uses one shared key; asymmetric uses a public/private key pair
Symmetric encryption uses a single shared key for both encryption and decryption, while asymmetric encryption uses a mathematically linked public/private key pair.
Question 3: Which attack involves sending a large volume of ICMP echo requests to overwhelm a target?
- SQL injection
- Ping flood (ICMP flood) (Correct answer)
- Cross-site scripting
- ARP spoofing
Correct answer: Ping flood (ICMP flood)
A ping flood overwhelms a target by sending massive numbers of ICMP echo request packets, consuming bandwidth and processing resources.
Question 4: What does VLAN stand for, and what security benefit does it provide?
- Virtual LAN; segments network traffic to limit broadcast domains and isolate systems (Correct answer)
- Virtual Link Access Node; encrypts all frames on a switch
- Verified LAN; authenticates every connected device
- Variable Length Address Network; reduces IP conflicts
Correct answer: Virtual LAN; segments network traffic to limit broadcast domains and isolate systems
A VLAN (Virtual Local Area Network) logically segments a physical network, isolating traffic between groups and reducing the attack surface.
Question 5: Which protocol is used to securely transfer files over a network using SSH?
- FTP
- TFTP
- SFTP (Correct answer)
- HTTP
Correct answer: SFTP
SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) uses SSH to provide encrypted file transfer, replacing the plaintext FTP protocol.
Question 6: What is the purpose of network segmentation in security?
- To increase network bandwidth
- To limit lateral movement of attackers by dividing the network into isolated zones (Correct answer)
- To remove the need for firewalls
- To speed up DNS resolution
Correct answer: To limit lateral movement of attackers by dividing the network into isolated zones
Network segmentation divides a network into smaller zones so that a breach in one segment cannot easily spread to others.
Question 7: Which layer of the OSI model does TLS primarily operate at?
- Layer 2 (Data Link)
- Layer 3 (Network)
- Layer 4 (Transport)
- Layer 6 (Presentation) (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Layer 6 (Presentation)
TLS operates at the Presentation layer (Layer 6) of the OSI model, providing encryption, authentication, and data integrity for application-layer protocols.
CPA Network Security & Protocols 3
Which type of firewall inspects traffic all the way up to the application layer?