Network Security & Protocols Flashcards
7 cards from real TOC practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Network Security & Protocols flashcards as text
Which authentication protocol is commonly used in enterprise Wi-Fi networks to authenticate users against a central directory such as Active Directory?
Answer: 802.1X with RADIUS
802.1X with RADIUS allows enterprise Wi-Fi networks to authenticate individual users against a centralized identity store like Active Directory, providing per-user accountability.
What is the primary purpose of a DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) in network architecture?
Answer: To provide a buffer zone for publicly accessible servers, isolated from the internal network
A DMZ hosts internet-facing services (web, mail, DNS) in a segment isolated from the internal network, so a compromised public server cannot directly reach sensitive internal resources.
An attacker sends a flood of SYN packets to a server without completing the TCP handshake. What type of attack is this?
Answer: SYN flood (TCP state exhaustion)
A SYN flood attack exhausts a server's connection table by sending many SYN packets and never completing the handshake, preventing legitimate connections from being established.
Which cryptographic concept ensures that a sender cannot later deny having sent a message?
Answer: Non-repudiation
Non-repudiation uses digital signatures to create unforgeable proof of origin, preventing a sender from denying that they sent a particular message or transaction.
What is the role of a Certificate Authority (CA) in public key infrastructure (PKI)?
Answer: To issue, sign, and revoke digital certificates that bind public keys to verified identities
A CA is a trusted third party that verifies identities and issues digitally signed certificates, allowing parties to trust each other's public keys in PKI-based systems.
Which network protocol automatically assigns IP addresses, subnet masks, gateways, and DNS servers to client devices?
Answer: DHCP
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) automatically provides IP configuration parameters to network clients, eliminating the need for manual address assignment.
An attacker on a local network sends forged ARP replies to associate their MAC address with a legitimate host's IP. What is this attack called?
Answer: ARP poisoning / ARP spoofing
ARP poisoning corrupts the ARP cache of network devices, redirecting traffic meant for a legitimate IP address to the attacker's machine for interception or manipulation.