Networking and Security Fundamentals Flashcards

What is the purpose of an IDS (Intrusion Detection System)?

Answer: Monitor and alert on suspicious network activity

An IDS passively monitors network or host activity and generates alerts when suspicious patterns are detected.

Which of the following BEST describes a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack?

Answer: An attacker secretly intercepts and potentially alters communication between two parties

In a MITM attack, the attacker positions themselves between two communicating hosts to eavesdrop or manipulate data.

What does CIDR notation /26 indicate about a subnet?

Answer: 26 network bits, leaving 6 bits for hosts (62 usable hosts)

A /26 mask uses 26 bits for the network portion, providing 6 host bits and 62 usable host addresses per subnet.

Which protocol is used to securely transfer files over SSH?

Answer: SFTP

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) uses SSH encryption to provide secure file transfer capabilities.

What type of firewall inspects traffic at the application layer and understands specific protocols?

Answer: Application-layer (proxy) firewall

Application-layer firewalls (proxy firewalls) inspect the full content of traffic and understand application protocols like HTTP and FTP.

Which command would a Linux administrator use to display the routing table?

Answer: netstat -r

netstat -r displays the kernel routing table on Linux, showing routes and gateway information.

What is the main difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?

Answer: Symmetric uses one shared key; asymmetric uses a public/private key pair

Symmetric encryption uses the same key for encryption and decryption, while asymmetric uses mathematically linked public and private keys.