CSOC Cybersecurity Fundamentals

Question 1

What is the CIA triad in cybersecurity and what do the three components represent?

Accepted Answer

Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability — the three core properties that security controls aim to protect

Answer

Cyber Intelligence Agency — a Singapore government body overseeing national cybersecurity

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Classification, Identification, and Authentication — steps in the identity verification process

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Control, Inspect, and Audit — the three phases of a cybersecurity review cycle

Question 2

What is the difference between a vulnerability and an exploit in cybersecurity?

Accepted Answer

A vulnerability is a weakness in a system; an exploit is the code or technique used to take advantage of that vulnerability

Answer

A vulnerability is a successful attack; an exploit is the tool used to prevent it

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A vulnerability is a type of malware; an exploit is the damage it causes

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There is no meaningful distinction — the terms are interchangeable in cybersecurity

Question 3

What is a 'zero-day vulnerability'?

Accepted Answer

A vulnerability that is unknown to the software vendor and for which no patch is yet available

Answer

A vulnerability that was discovered on the first day of a software release

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A vulnerability that takes zero days to exploit once discovered

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A vulnerability that only affects systems with zero days of uptime

Question 4

What is the purpose of network segmentation in cybersecurity?

Accepted Answer

To divide a network into isolated segments so that a breach in one segment does not automatically compromise the entire network

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To increase network speed by distributing traffic across multiple segments

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To reduce hardware costs by sharing resources across multiple departments

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To create backup networks that activate when the primary network fails

Question 5

What is a 'man-in-the-middle' (MITM) attack?

Accepted Answer

An attack where the attacker secretly intercepts and potentially alters communications between two parties who believe they are communicating directly

Answer

An attack where a malicious insider intercepts communications between external users and the company

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An attack launched from a server physically located between two target systems

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An attack that exploits middleware software to access a database

Question 6

What is the principle of 'least privilege' in cybersecurity?

Accepted Answer

Users and systems should be granted only the minimum access rights required to perform their legitimate functions

Answer

Users should receive the lowest possible security clearance by default

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Privileged user accounts should have fewer security controls to avoid disrupting their work

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Only the least experienced staff should be given access to sensitive systems to limit insider threats