Microsoft Windows 98 Risk Assessment & Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In Windows 98, which tool helps identify potential system vulnerabilities by checking for missing updates and security patches?
- Windows Update (Correct answer)
- ScanDisk
- Disk Defragmenter
- System Monitor
Correct answer: Windows Update
Windows Update connects to Microsoft's servers to identify and download missing patches that address known security vulnerabilities.
Question 2: A Windows 98 user discovers unknown processes running in the background. What is the FIRST step in assessing this risk?
- Immediately reformat the hard drive
- Use System Monitor to identify resource usage by those processes (Correct answer)
- Disable the network adapter
- Run Disk Defragmenter
Correct answer: Use System Monitor to identify resource usage by those processes
System Monitor allows you to observe CPU and memory usage patterns that can help identify suspicious or unknown background processes.
Question 3: Which Windows 98 feature allows administrators to restrict user access to specific system settings, reducing the risk of accidental misconfiguration?
- System Restore
- User Profiles with System Policy Editor (Correct answer)
- Disk Compression
- DriveSpace
Correct answer: User Profiles with System Policy Editor
System Policy Editor (poledit.exe) combined with User Profiles lets administrators lock down specific settings to prevent unauthorized changes.
Question 4: What is the primary risk of leaving Windows 98's File and Printer Sharing enabled on a public network?
- Slower disk access speed
- Unauthorized access to shared drives and files (Correct answer)
- Reduced printer resolution
- Increased CPU temperature
Correct answer: Unauthorized access to shared drives and files
Enabling File and Printer Sharing without proper security exposes shared resources to anyone on the network, allowing unauthorized data access.
Question 5: In a risk assessment of a Windows 98 system, which action BEST mitigates the risk associated with weak or absent screen saver passwords?
- Enable a password-protected screen saver with a short activation timeout (Correct answer)
- Install a faster video card
- Increase screen resolution
- Disable the screen saver entirely
Correct answer: Enable a password-protected screen saver with a short activation timeout
A password-protected screen saver with a short timeout ensures that an unattended workstation is locked quickly against unauthorized physical access.
Question 6: Which Windows 98 utility would you use to assess disk health risks such as bad sectors or file system errors before they cause data loss?
- Disk Defragmenter
- ScanDisk (Correct answer)
- DriveSpace
- System Information
Correct answer: ScanDisk
ScanDisk checks the disk surface and file system for errors and bad sectors, providing an early warning of hardware degradation that risks data loss.
Question 7: A risk manager notes that Windows 98 stores dial-up passwords in a weakly encrypted .PWL file. What is the recommended mitigation?
- Move the .PWL file to a hidden folder
- Avoid storing dial-up passwords and require manual entry each session (Correct answer)
- Rename the .PWL file
- Compress the .PWL file with DriveSpace
Correct answer: Avoid storing dial-up passwords and require manual entry each session
Since .PWL files use weak encryption breakable with widely available tools, not storing passwords and requiring manual entry eliminates the credential exposure risk.
Microsoft Windows 98 Risk Assessment & Management 2
In Windows 98, which tool helps identify potential system vulnerabilities by checking for missing updates and security patches?