CompTIA SY0-601 CompTIA Security+ Exam 2023 Exam Practice Test

A digital certificate is an electronic document that contains the public key and identity information of an entity, such as a person, organization, website, etc. It is issued and signed by a trusted authority called a certificate authority (CA). It can provide non-repudiation by proving the identity and authenticity of the sender and verifying the integrity of the message or data.

Port 53 is the default port for DNS traffic. If the firewall is blocking port 53, then users will not be able to resolve domain names and will receive errors stating that the website could not be located.

The other options would not correct the issue. Setting an explicit deny to all traffic using port 80 instead of 443 would block all HTTP traffic, not just web traffic. Moving the implicit deny from the bottom of the rule set to the top would make the deny rule more restrictive, which would not solve the issue. Configuring the first line in the rule set to allow all traffic would allow all traffic, including malicious traffic, which is not a good security practice.

Therefore, the best way to correct the issue is to ensure that port 53 has been explicitly allowed in the rule set.

Here are some additional information about DNS traffic:

• DNS traffic is used to resolve domain names to IP addresses.
• DNS traffic is typically unencrypted, which makes it vulnerable to eavesdropping.
• There are a number of ways to secure DNS traffic, such as using DNS over HTTPS (DoH) or DNS over TLS (DoT).

Wireshark is a tool that can analyze pcap files, which are files that capture network traffic. Wireshark can display the packets, protocols, and other details of the network traffic in a graphical user interface. Nmap is a tool that can scan networks and hosts for open ports and services. CURL is a tool that can transfer data from or to a server using various protocols. Neat is a tool that can test network performance and quality.

MITRE ATT&CK is a knowledge base and framework that analyzes and categorizes threat actors and real-world events based on their tactics, techniques and procedures. It can help improve the incident response team’s process by providing a common language and reference for identifying, understanding and mitigating threats

PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a set of security standards and requirements for organizations that store, process, or transmit payment card data. It aims to protect cardholder data and prevent fraud and data breaches. GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is a regulation that governs the collection, processing, and transfer of personal data of individuals in the European Union. It aims to protect the privacy and rights of data subjects and impose obligations and penalties on data controllers and processors. These are the frameworks that the security officer should map the existing controls to, as they are relevant for a credit card transaction company that has a new office in Europe

An internet proxy is a server that acts as an intermediary between a client and a destination server on the internet. It can restrict web access and monitor the websites that employees visit by filtering the requests and responses based on predefined rules and policies, and logging the traffic and activities for auditing purposes

Establishing persistence for future use is the next step that a network penetration tester should do after gaining access to a target machine. Persistence means creating a backdoor or a covert channel that allows the penetration tester to maintain access to the target machine even if the initial exploit is patched or the connection is lost. Persistence can be achieved by installing malware, creating hidden user accounts, modifying registry keys, or setting up remote access tools. Establishing persistence can help the penetration tester to perform further reconnaissance, move laterally to other machines, or exfiltrate data from the target network.

Badges are physical security controls that provide a way to identify and authenticate authorized individuals who need to access a building or a restricted area. Badges can also be used to track the entry and exit times of people and monitor their movements within the premises. Badges can help deter unauthorized access by requiring people to present a valid credential before entering or leaving the office. Badges can also help prevent tailgating, which is when an unauthorized person follows an authorized person through a door or gate. Badges can be integrated with other security systems, such as locks, alarms, cameras, or biometrics, to enhance the level of protection.

S/MIME stands for Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, which is a standard for encrypting and digitally signing email messages. S/MIME can provide confidentiality, integrity, authentication and non-repudiation for email communications. S/MIME can encrypt the emails at rest, which means that the email contents are protected even if they are stored on the mail servers or the user inboxes. S/MIME can prevent email contents from being released should another breach occur, as the attacker would not be able to decrypt or read the encrypted emails without the proper keys or certificates. Verified References:

• Cryptography Concepts – SY0-601 CompTIA Security+ : 2.8 https://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-601/sy0-601-video/cryptography-concepts-2/ (See S/MIME)
• Mail Encryption - CompTIA Security+ All-in-One Exam Guide (Exam SY0-301) https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/comptia-security-all-in-one/9780071771474/sec5_chap14.html (See S/MIME)
• Symmetric and Asymmetric Encryption – CompTIA Security+ SY0-501 – 6.1 https://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-501/symmetric-and-asymmetric-encryption/ (See S/MIME)

iptables is a command-line tool that allows an administrator to configure firewall rules for a Linux system. The -F option flushes or deletes all the existing rules in the selected chain or in all chains if none is given. It can be used to remove the rules that caused the network to be unresponsive and restore the default firewall behavior. 

SaaS (Software as a Service) is a cloud model that provides clients with applications and software that are hosted and managed by a cloud provider over the internet. It can move email services to the cloud by allowing clients to access and use email applications without installing or maintaining them on their own devices or servers

CIS benchmarks are best practices and standards for securing various operating systems, applications, cloud environments, etc. They are developed by a community of experts and updated regularly to reflect the latest threats and vulnerabilities. They can be used to update and reconfigure the OS-level security configurations to ensure compliance and reduce risks. 

laaS (Infrastructure as a Service) is a cloud model that provides clients with servers, storage, and networks but nothing else. It allows clients to have more control and flexibility over the configuration and management of their infrastructure resources, but also requires them to install and maintain their own operating systems, applications, etc.

MFA stands for multi-factor authentication, which is a method of verifying a user’s identity using two or more factors, such as something you know (e.g., password), something you have (e.g., token), or something you are (e.g., biometrics). MFA can prevent someone from using the exfiltrated credentials, as they would need to provide another factor besides the username and password to access the system or application. MFA can also alert the legitimate user of an unauthorized login attempt, allowing them to change their credentials or report the incident. References:

• https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCJyPPvM-xg
• https://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-601/sy0-601-video/multi-factor-authentication-5/

CIS benchmarks are best practices and standards for securing various operating systems, applications, cloud environments, etc. They are developed by a community of experts and updated regularly to reflect the latest threats and vulnerabilities. They can be used to update and reconfigure the OS-level security configurations to ensure compliance and reduce risks

A risk register is a document or a tool that records and tracks information about the identified risks and their analysis, such as likelihood, impact, priority, mitigation strategies, residual risks, etc. It can contain ranked and ordered information on the likelihood and potential impact of catastrophic events that may affect business processes and systems, while also highlighting the residual risks that need to be managed after mitigating controls have been implemented.

Time-based one-time password (TOTP) and hardware token are authentication methods that rely on the possession factor, which means that the user must have a specific device or object in their possession to authenticate. A TOTP is a password that is valid for a short period of time and is generated by an app or a device that the user has. A hardware token is a physical device that displays a code or a password that the user can enter to authenticate. A passphrase (Option A) is a knowledge factor, while facial recognition (Option C), retina scan (Option D), and fingerprints (Option F) are all inherence factors.

https://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/imprint_downloads/pearsonitcertification/bookreg/9780136798675/9780136798675_tea rcard.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCJyPPvM-xg

A full inventory of all hardware and software would help ensure a security analyst is able to accurately measure the overall risk to an organization when a new vulnerability is disclosed, as it would allow the analyst to identify which systems and applications are affected by the vulnerability and prioritize the remediation efforts accordingly. A full inventory would also help the analyst to determine the impact and likelihood of a successful exploit, as well as the potential loss of confidentiality, integrity and availability of the data and services. References:

• https://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-601/sy0-601-video/risk-analysis/
• https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/certification/security-plus-risk-management-processes-and-concepts/
• https://www.comptia.org/landing/securityplus/index.html
• https://www.comptia.org/blog/complete-guide-to-risk-management

OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) is a non-profit organization that provides resources and guidance for improving the security of web applications. It can be the best resource for a software developer who is looking to improve secure coding practices for web applications by offering various tools, frameworks, standards, cheat sheets, testing guides, etc., that cover various aspects of web application security development and testing

A network DLP (Data Loss Prevention) solution is a tool that monitors and controls the data that is transmitted over a network. It can inspect in-transit files on the enterprise network to search for PII (Personally Identifiable Information), credit card data, and classification words by using predefined rules and policies, and then block, encrypt, quarantine, or alert on any sensitive data that is detected or leaked. 

SSH key is a pair of cryptographic keys that can be used for authentication and encryption when connecting to a remote Linux server via SSH protocol. SSH key authentication does not require a password and is more secure than password-based authentication. SSH key authentication also does not require additional software installation on the client or the server, as SSH is a built-in feature of most Linux distributions. A business partner can generate an SSH key pair on their own computer and send the public key to the company, who can then add it to the authorized_keys file on the Linux server. This way, the business partner can access the Linux server without entering a password or installing any software

Virtual machines are software-based simulations of physical computers that run on a host system and share its resources. They can provide resiliency for legacy information systems that cannot be migrated to a newer OS due to software compatibility issues by allowing OS patches to be installed in a non-production environment without affecting the production environment. They can also create backups of the systems for recovery by taking snapshots or copies of the virtual machine files.

Spraying is a password attack that involves trying a few common passwords against a large number of usernames. Spraying is different from brute-force attacks, which try many possible passwords against one username, or dictionary attacks, which try a list of words from a dictionary file against one username. Spraying is often used when the web application has a lockout policy that prevents multiple failed login attempts for the same username. Spraying can be detected by looking for patterns of failed login attempts from the same source IP address with different usernames and the same or similar passwords.

Jailbreaking is a process of bypassing or removing the manufacturer-imposed restrictions on a mobile device’s operating system, allowing users to install unauthorized applications, modify settings, etc. It is a primary security concern for setting up a BYOD program because it can expose the device and its data to malware, vulnerabilities, unauthorized access, etc. 

A wildcard certificate is a type of SSL certificate that can secure multiple subdomains under one domain name by using an asterisk (*) as a placeholder for any subdomain name. For example, *.company.com can secure www.company.com, contactus.company.com, quotes.company.com, etc.  It can work for all the existing applications and any future applications that follow the same naming conventions, such as store.company.com. 

Data tokenization is a technique of replacing sensitive data with non-sensitive substitutes called tokens that have no intrinsic value or meaning. It can satisfy both the CPO’s and the development team’s requirements by removing personally identifiable information (PII) from the development environment of a critical application while preserving the functionality and format of the data for testing purposes.

A turnstile is a physical security control that regulates the entry and exit of people into a facility or an area. It can prevent unauthorized access, tailgating, etc., by requiring valid credentials or tokens to pass through

Disabling access is an automation use case that can enhance the security posture of an organization by rapidly updating permissions when employees leave a company or change job roles internally. It can prevent unauthorized access and data leakage by revoking or modifying the access rights of employees based on their current status and role.

Tainted training data is a type of data poisoning attack that involves modifying or injecting malicious data into the training dataset of a machine learning or artificial intelligence system. It can cause the system to learn incorrect or biased patterns and produce inaccurate or malicious outcomes. It is the most likely reason for the inaccuracy of the system that is using information collected from third-party providers that have been compromised by an attacker.

Credential stuffing is a type of attack that involves using stolen or leaked usernames and passwords from one website or service to gain unauthorized access to other websites or services that use the same credentials. It can exploit the common practice of reusing passwords across multiple accounts. It is the most likely attack that has been used to compromise the manager’s corporate account, given that the manager is using the same password across multiple external websites and the corporate account, and one of the websites recently experienced a data breach.

A SHA 2 signature is a cryptographic hash function that produces a unique and fixed-length output for any given input. It can provide non-repudiation during a forensics investigation by verifying the integrity and authenticity of a drive image and proving that it has not been altered or tampered with since it was created

Jailbreaking is a process of bypassing or removing the manufacturer-imposed restrictions on a mobile device’s operating system, allowing users to install unauthorized applications, modify settings, etc. It is a primary security concern for setting up a BYOD program because it can expose the device and its data to malware, vulnerabilities, unauthorized access, etc

This firewall rule set allows a subnet to only access DHCP, web pages, and SFTP, and specifically blocks FTP by allowing or denying traffic based on the source, destination, and port. The rule set is as follows:

• Allow any source and any destination on port 80 (HTTP)
• Allow any source and any destination on port 443 (HTTPS)
• Allow any source and any destination on port 67 (DHCP server)
• Allow any source and any destination on port 68 (DHCP client)
• Allow any source and any destination on port 22 (SFTP)
• Deny any source and any destination on port 21 (FTP)
• Deny any source and any destination on any other port

Testing the policy in a non-production environment before enabling the policy in the production network would prevent the issue of making several company servers unreachable. A non-production environment is a replica of the production network that is used for testing, development, or training purposes. By testing the policy in a non-production environment, the technician can verify the functionality and impact of the policy without affecting the real network or users. This can help to identify and resolve any errors or conflicts before applying the policy to the production network. Testing the policy in a non-production environment can also help to ensure compliance with security standards and best practices.

Capacity planning is the process of determining the resources needed to meet the demand for a service or product. It involves estimating the number of staff members required to sustain the business in the case of a disruption, as well as other factors such as equipment, space, and budget12.

Redundancy, geographic dispersion, and tabletop exercise are not directly related to determining the staff members needed for business continuity. Redundancy is the duplication of critical components or functions to increase reliability and availability2. Geographic dispersion is the distribution of resources across different locations to reduce the impact of a localized disaster2. Tabletop exercise is a simulation of a potential scenario that tests the effectiveness of a business continuity plan

A zero-day vulnerability is a security flaw that is unknown to the vendor and the public, and therefore has no patch or fix available. A zero-day attack is an exploit that takes advantage of a zero-day vulnerability before the vendor or the security community becomes aware of it. A zero-day attack can cause serious damage to a system or network, as there is no defense against it until a patch is released. References:

• https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/certification/security-domain-1-threats-attacks-and-vulnerabilities/
• https://www.linkedin.com/learning/comptia-security-plus-sy0-601-cert-prep-1-threats-attacks-and-vulnerabilities/zero-days-and-the-advanced-persistent-threat
• https://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-501/zero-day-attacks-4/

NAT (Network Address Translation) is a technique that allows a router to translate private IP addresses into public IP addresses and vice versa. It can preserve the use of public IP addresses assigned to equipment on the core router by allowing multiple devices to share a single public IP address. TLSv2 (Transport Layer Security version 2) is a cryptographic protocol that provides secure communication over the internet. It can enable “in transport” encryption protection to the web server with the strongest ciphers by encrypting the data transmitted between the web server and the clients using advanced algorithms and key exchange methods.

An intrusion prevention system (IPS) is the best solution to implement on the company’s network to detect and prevent suspicious attempts to access company resources. An IPS is a network security technology that continuously monitors network traffic for malicious or anomalous activity and takes automated actions to block or mitigate it. An IPS can also alert the system administrators of any potential threats and provide detailed logs and reports of the incidents. An IPS can help the company to improve its security posture and prevent data breaches, unauthorized access, or denial-of-service attacks. References:

• https://www.paloaltonetworks.com/cyberpedia/what-is-an-intrusion-prevention-system-ips
• https://www.forcepoint.com/cyber-edu/intrusion-prevention-system-ips

A pass-the-hash attack is a type of replay attack that captures and uses the hash of a password. The attacker then attempts to log on as the user with the stolen hash. This type of attack is possible be-cause some authentication protocols send hashes over the network instead of plain text passwords. The packet capture shows that the attacker used NTLM authentication, which is vulnerable to pass-the-hash attacks

This certificate property will meet the requirements because it has a wildcard at the secondary subdomain level (.app1.comptia.org), which means it can be used for any subdomain under app1.comptia.org, such as test.app1.comptia.org or dev.app1.comptia.org. It also has a validity period of less than one year, which means it will need to be rotated annually. The other options do not meet the requirements because they either have a wildcard at the primary domain level (.comptia.org), which is not allowed, or they have a validity period of more than one year, which is too long.

A corrective control is a type of security control that is designed to mitigate the damage caused by a security incident or to restore the normal operations after an incident. A corrective control can include actions such as restoring from backups, applying patches, isolating infected systems, or implementing new policies and procedures. A corrective control is different from a preventive control, which aims to stop an incident from happening, or a detective control, which aims to identify and record an incident. References:

• https://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-601/sy0-601-video/security-controls-3/
• https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/comptia-security-all-in-one/9781260464016/ch31.xhtml
• https://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-501/security-controls-2/

A right-to-audit clause is a contractual provision that allows one party to audit the records and activities of another party to ensure compliance with security policies and standards. It can help a company monitor the ongoing security maturity of a new vendor by conducting annual security audits and identifying any gaps or issues that need to be addressed.

QUESTIO NO: 399

An organization has hired a red team to simulate attacks on its security pos-ture, which Of following will the blue team do after detecting an IOC?

A. Reimage the impacted workstations.

B. Activate runbooks for incident response.

C. Conduct forensics on the compromised system,

D. Conduct passive reconnaissance to gather information

Answer: B

A runbook is a set of predefined procedures and steps that guide an incident response team through the process of handling a security incident. It can help the blue team respond quickly and effectively to an indicator of compromise (IOC) by following the best practices and predefined actions for containment, eradication, recovery and lessons learned.

VDI and thin clients are the best solution to deploy to conference rooms for displaying sensitive data on large screens. VDI stands for virtual desktop infrastructure, which is a technology that hosts the desktop operating systems and applications on a central server or cloud and allows users to access them remotely. Thin clients are devices that have minimal hardware and software components and rely on a network connection to the VDI system. By using VDI and thin clients, the security architect can ensure that the sensitive data is not stored in the conference rooms, but rather in a secure data center or cloud. The thin clients can also be easily managed and updated centrally, reducing the maintenance costs and risks. References:

• https://www.acecloudhosting.com/blog/what-is-vdi-thin-client/
• https://www.parallels.com/blogs/ras/vdi-thin-client/

A compensating control is a type of security control that is implemented in lieu of a recommended security measure that is deemed too difficult or impractical to implement at the present time. A compensating control must provide equivalent or comparable protection for the system or network and meet the intent and rigor of the original security requirement. An example of a compensating control is using a host-based firewall on a legacy Linux system to allow connections from only specific internal IP addresses, as it can provide a similar level of defense as a network firewall that may not be compatible with the system. References:

• https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/compensating-control
• https://reciprocity.com/resources/whats-the-difference-between-compensating-controls-and-mitigating-controls/

Mobile device management (MDM) is a solution that allows an organization to manage, monitor, and secure mobile devices that are used by employees for work purposes. It can protect company information on user devices by enforcing policies and controls such as encryption, password, remote wipe, etc., and detecting and preventing unauthorized access or data leakage.

Containment is an incident response strategy that aims to isolate and prevent the spread of an attack or compromise within a network or system. It can resolve the issue of unauthorized software detected on a small number of machines in a lab as quickly as possible while causing minimal disruption to the researchers by stopping the software from communicating with external sources using HTTPS and SMS and preventing it from infecting additional machines outside of the lab

SED stands for Self-Encrypting Drive, which is a type of hard drive that automatically encrypts and decrypts data using a built-in hardware encryption engine1. SEDs do not require any additional software or configuration, and they do not affect the performance or usability of the laptop2. SEDs also have a feature called Instant Secure Erase, which allows the user to quickly and securely wipe the data on the drive by deleting the encryption key1.

A single point of failure is a component or element of a system that, if it fails, will cause the entire system to fail or stop functioning. It can pose a high risk and impact for business continuity and availability. A high availability pair is a configuration that involves two identical devices or systems that operate in parallel and provide redundancy and failover capabilities. It can remove the single point of failure by ensuring that if one device or system fails, the other one can take over its functions without interruption or downtime. 

Site-to-site VPN is a type of VPN solution that connects two or more networks or sites across the public internet in a secure and encrypted way. Site-to-site VPN can be implemented using VPN appliances, such as firewalls or routers, that can establish and maintain the VPN tunnel between the sites. Site-to-site VPN can support multiple users or devices that need to access resources on the other site without requiring individual VPN clients or software. Site-to-site VPN is the best solution to support the new remote office, as it can provide secure and seamless connectivity between the office network and the main network of the organization. Verified References:

• Virtual Private Networks – SY0-601 CompTIA Security+ : 3.3 https://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-601/sy0-601-video/virtual-private-networks-sy0-601-comptia-security-3-3/ (See Site-to-Site VPN)
• VPN Technologies – CompTIA Security+ SY0-501 – 3.2 https://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-501/vpn-technologies/ (See Site-to-Site VPN)
• Security+ (Plus) Certification | CompTIA IT Certifications https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security (See Domain 3: Architecture and Design, Objective 3.3: Given a scenario, implement secure network architecture concepts.)

Isolating the infected attachment is the best course of action for the analyst to take to prevent further spread of the worm. A worm is a type of malware that can self-replicate and infect other devices without human interaction. By isolating the infected attachment, the analyst can prevent the worm from spreading to other devices or networks via email, file-sharing, or other means. Isolating the infected attachment can also help the analyst to analyze the worm and determine its source, behavior, and impact. References:

• https://www.security.org/antivirus/computer-worm/
• https://sec.cloudapps.cisco.com/security/center/resources/worm_mitigation_whitepaper.html

OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) is a non-profit organization that provides resources and guidance for improving the security of web applications. It publishes a list of the most common web application vulnerabilities, such as injection, broken authentication, cross-site scripting, etc., and provides recommendations and best practices for preventing and mitigating them

PowerShell is a scripting language and command-line shell that can be used to automate tasks and manage systems. PowerShell can also be used by malware to execute malicious commands and evade detection. The code snippet in the question is a PowerShell command that creates a new partition on disk 2, formats it with NTFS file system, and assigns it a drive letter C. This could be part of an attack that wipes out the original data on the disk or creates a hidden partition for storing malware or stolen data. References:

• https://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-601/sy0-601-video/scripting-and-automation/
• https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/storage/new-partition?view=windowsserver2022-ps

WAF stands for Web Application Firewall, which is a type of firewall that can monitor, filter and block web traffic to and from web applications. WAF can protect web applications from common attacks such as cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, directory traversal, buffer overflow and more. WAF can also enforce security policies and rules that can prevent parameter manipulation or tampering by an unknown third party. WAF is the best solution to help protect against the attack on the web API, as it can inspect the HTTP requests and responses and block any malicious or anomalous activity. Verified References:

• Other Application Attacks – SY0-601 CompTIA Security+ : 1.3 https://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-601/sy0-601-video/other-application-attacks/ (See Web Application Firewall)
• CompTIA Security+ SY0-601 Exam Cram https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/comptia-security-sy0-601/9780136798767/ch03.xhtml (See Web Application Firewall)
• Security+ domain #1: Attacks, threats, and vulnerabilities [updated 2021] https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/certification/security-domain-1-threats-attacks-and-vulnerabilities/ (See Web application firewall)

Privilege escalation describes the exploitation of an interactive process to gain access to restricted areas. It is a type of attack that allows a normal user to obtain higher privileges or access rights on a system or network, such as administrative or root access. Privilege escalation can be achieved by exploiting a vulnerability, design flaw, or misconfiguration in the system or application. Privilege escalation can allow an attacker to perform unauthorized actions, such as accessing sensitive data, installing malware, or compromising other systems. References:

• https://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-601/sy0-601-video/privilege-escalation-3/
• https://www.linkedin.com/learning/comptia-security-plus-sy0-601-cert-prep-2-secure-code-design-and-implementation/privilege-escalation

Security information and event management (SIEM) is a solution that collects, analyzes, and correlates logs and events from various sources such as firewalls, servers, applications, etc., within an organization’s network. It can centralize logs to create a baseline and have visibility on security events by providing a unified dashboard and reporting system for log management and security monitoring.

A hacktivist is a threat actor who is most likely to be motivated by ideology. A hacktivist is a person or group who uses hacking skills and techniques to promote a political or social cause. Hacktivists may target government, corporate, or religious entities that they disagree with or oppose. Hacktivists may use various methods to achieve their goals, such as defacing websites, leaking sensitive data, launching denial-of-service attacks, or spreading propaganda. Hacktivists are not motivated by financial gain or personal benefit, but rather by their beliefs and values. References:

• https://www.uscybersecurity.net/hacktivist/
• https://www.fortinet.com/resources/cyberglossary/what-is-hacktivism

 A dump file is a file that contains the contents of memory at a specific point in time. It can be used for debugging or forensic analysis of a system or an application. It can reveal what was in the memory on the compromised server, such as processes, variables, passwords, encryption keys, etc.

CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System) is a framework and a metric that provides a standardized and consistent way of assessing and communicating the severity levels of vulnerabilities. It assigns a numerical score and a vector string to each vulnerability based on various factors, such as exploitability, impact, scope, etc. It can help communicate to the leadership team the severity levels of the organization’s vulnerabilities by providing a quantitative and qualitative measure of the risks and the potential impacts. 

A buffer overflow is a type of vulnerability that occurs when an attacker sends more data than a buffer can hold, causing the excess data to overwrite adjacent memory locations such as registers. It can allow an attacker to overwrite a register with a malicious address that changes the execution path and executes arbitrary code on the target system

A business continuity plan is a document or a process that outlines how an organization can continue its critical operations and functions in the event of a disruption or disaster. It can include strategies and procedures for recovering or relocating resources, personnel, data, etc., to ensure minimal downtime and impact. The organization will most likely consult the business continuity plan when setting up offices in a temporary work space after its corporate offices were destroyed due to a natural disaster.

CMS (Cloud Management System) is a software or platform that allows an organization to manage and monitor multiple cloud services and resources from a single interface or console. It can optimize the incident response time by providing a centralized view and control of the cloud infrastructure and applications, and enabling faster detection, analysis, and remediation of security incidents across different cloud environments. 

Directory traversal is a type of web application attack that involves exploiting a vulnerability in the web server or application to access files or directories that are outside the intended scope or root directory. It can allow an attacker to read, modify, or execute files on the target system by using special characters such as …/ or %2e%2e/ to manipulate the path or URL. In this case, the attacker used …/ to access the /etc/passwd file, which contains user account information on Linux systems. 

The router is experiencing a resource exhaustion issue. The output from the command indicates that the CPU is consistently busy, with a 1-second average of 99 percent busy and a 1-minute average of 83 percent busy. This indicates that the router is struggling to keep up with the demands placed on it, potentially due to a high volume of traffic or other factors. As a result, web pages are experiencing long load times. This is an example of resource exhaustion, where the router's resources are being overwhelmed and are unable to meet the demands placed on them. A DDoS attack, memory leak, or buffer overflow would not typically cause the symptoms described in the scenario.

A false positive is a type of alert that indicates a security incident when there is none. It can be caused by misconfigured or overly sensitive security tools or systems that generate false or irrelevant alerts. In this case, the alert from the company’s SIEM that Mimikatz attempted to run on the remote systems was a false positive because it was triggered by a legitimate vulnerability scanning tool that uses Mimikatz as part of its functionality.

This option is the most likely reason for preventing the IT manager at the hospital from upgrading the specialized OS. The MRI scanner is a complex and sensitive device that requires a specific OS to control and operate it. The MRI vendor may not have developed or tested newer versions of the OS for compatibility and functionality with the scanner. Upgrading the OS without the vendor’s support may cause the scanner to malfunction or stop working altogether.

Lessons learned is a process that would most likely help an organization that has conducted an incident response exercise to improve performance and identify challenges. Lessons learned is a process that involves reviewing and evaluating the incident response exercise to identify what went well, what went wrong, and what can be improved. Lessons learned can help an organization enhance its incident response capabilities, address any gaps or weaknesses, and update its incident response plan accordingly.

References: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#examdetails https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/comptia-security-sy0-601-exam-objectives https://www.sans.org/reading-room/whitepapers/incident/incident-handlers-handbook-33901

NAT (Network Address Translation) is a technology that allows multiple devices to share a single IP address, allowing them to access the internet while still maintaining security and privacy. VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a technology that creates a secure, encrypted tunnel between two or more devices, allowing users to access the internet and other network resources securely and privately. Additionally, VPNs can also be used to restrict access to certain websites and services, such as social media sites and external email services.

Thin clients are devices that have minimal hardware and software components and rely on a remote server to provide access to computing resources, an operating system, and centralized configuration and data. Thin clients can reduce the cost, complexity, and security risks of managing multiple devices.

Disabling remote logins to the NAS likely involved turning off SSH instead of modifying the configuration file. This would prevent users from using SCP to transfer files to the NAS, even though the data is still viewable from the users' PCs. Source: TechTarget

Syslogs are log files that are generated by devices on the network and contain information about network activity, including user logins, device connections, and other events. By analyzing these logs, the IT security team can identify the source of the threatening voicemail messages and take the necessary steps to address the issue

Data loss prevention (DLP) is a set of tools and processes that aim to prevent unauthorized access, use, or transfer of sensitive data. DLP can help reduce the risk of further exfiltration using file storage sites on the internet by monitoring and controlling data flows across endpoints, networks, and cloud services. DLP can also detect and block attempts to copy, upload, or download sensitive data to or from file storage sites based on predefined policies and rules.

References: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#examdetails https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/comptia-security-sy0-601-exam-objectives https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/security-101/what-is-data-loss-prevention-dlp

802.1X is a standard for network access control that provides authentication and encryption for devices that connect to a LAN/WLAN. 802.1X uses the Extensible Authentication Protocol (EAP) to exchange authentication messages between a supplicant (the device requesting access), an authenticator (the device granting access), and an authentication server (the device verifying credentials). 802.1X can prevent on-path attacks and evil twin attacks by requiring users to provide valid credentials before accessing the network and encrypting the data transmitted over the network.

On-path attacks are attacks that involve intercepting or modifying network traffic between two endpoints. An on-path attacker can eavesdrop on sensitive information, alter or inject malicious data, or redirect traffic to malicious destinations. On-path attacks are frequently perpetrated over WiFi networks1.

Evil twin attacks are attacks that involve setting up a fake WiFi access point that mimics a legitimate one. An evil twin attacker can trick users into connecting to the fake network and then monitor or manipulate their online activity. Evil twin attacks are more common on public WiFi networks that are unsecured and leave personal data vulnerable23.

A communication plan is a plan that would fulfill the requirement of keeping stakeholders at an organization aware of any incidents and receiving updates on status changes as they occur. A communication plan is a document that outlines the communication objectives, strategies, methods, channels, frequency, and audience for an incident response process. A communication plan can help an organization communicate effectively and efficiently with internal and external stakeholders during an incident and keep them informed of the incident’s impact, progress, resolution, and recovery.

References: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#examdetails https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/comptia-security-sy0-601-exam-objectives https://www.ready.gov/business-continuity-plan

Compensating controls are additional security measures that are implemented to reduce the risk of non-compliant controls. They do not fix the underlying issue, but they provide an alternative way of achieving the same security objective. For example, if a system does not have encryption, a compensating control could be to restrict access to the system or use a secure network connection.

Telnet is an insecure protocol that transmits data in cleartext over the network. This means that anyone who can intercept the network traffic can read the data, including the username and password of the server administrator. A packet capture tool is a software or hardware device that can capture and analyze network packets. An attacker can use a packet capture tool to steal the password and use it to install malicious software on the server. References: https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/what-is-network-security

There are three main models for cloud computing: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), and Software as a Service (SaaS)12. Each model represents a different part of the cloud computing stack and provides different levels of control, flexibility, and management.

According to one source1, a public cloud is a type of cloud deployment where the cloud resources (such as servers and storage) are owned and operated by a third-party cloud service provider and delivered over the Internet. A public cloud can be shared with multiple organizations or users who pay for the service on a subscription or pay-as-you-go basis.

Content management is a policy that controls what types of data can be accessed, modified, shared, or transferred by users or applications. Content management can prevent data leakage or exfiltration by blocking or restricting certain actions, such as copying, printing, emailing, or sending data via SMS. If the user downloaded the images from a corporate email account on a work phone, the content management policy may prevent the user from sending the images via SMS to protect the confidentiality and integrity of the data. References: 1 CompTIA Security+ Certification Exam Objectives, page 10, Domain 2.0: Architecture and Design, Objective 2.4: Explain the importance of embedded and specialized systems security 2 CompTIA Security+ Certification Exam Objectives, page 12, Domain 3.0: Implementation, Objective 3.1: Implement secure network architecture concepts 3 https://www.comptia.org/blog/what-is-data-loss-prevention

Chain of custody is a process that documents the chronological and logical sequence of custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of materials, including physical or electronic evidence. Chain of custody is important to ensure the integrity and admissibility of evidence in legal proceedings. Chain of custody can help evidence collection assurance by providing proof that the evidence has been handled properly and has not been tampered with or contaminated.

References: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#examdetails https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/comptia-security-sy0-601-exam-objectives https://www.thoughtco.com/chain-of-custody-4589132

A digital forensics chain-of-custody form is a document that records the chronological and logical sequence of custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of digital evidence. A digital forensics chain-of-custody form should include the following information:

• The provenance of the artifacts: The provenance of the artifacts refers to the origin and history of the digital evidence, such as where, when, how, and by whom it was collected, handled, analyzed, or otherwise controlled.
• The date and time: The date and time refer to the specific moments when the digital evidence was collected, handled, analyzed, transferred, or disposed of by each person involved in the chain of custody.

Other information that may be included in a digital forensics chain-of-custody form are:

• The identification of the artifacts: The identification of the artifacts refers to the unique identifiers or labels assigned to the digital evidence, such as serial numbers, barcodes, hashes, or descriptions.
• The signatures of the custodians: The signatures of the custodians refer to the names and signatures of each person who had custody or control of the digital evidence at any point in the chain of custody.
• The location of the artifacts: The location of the artifacts refers to the physical or logical places where the digital evidence was stored or processed, such as a lab, a server, a cloud service, or a device.

References: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#examdetails https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/comptia-security-sy0-601-exam-objectives https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/topic/chain-of-custody-in-digital-forensics/

Key exchange Short Explanation: Key exchange is the process of securely sharing cryptographic keys between two parties over a public network. This allows them to establish a secure communication channel and encrypt their messages. There are different methods of key exchange, such as Diffie-Hellman or RSA. References: https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/what-is-encryption

CASB stands for cloud access security broker, which is a software tool or service that acts as an intermediary between users and cloud service providers. CASB can help protect data stored in cloud services by enforcing security policies and controls such as encryption, tokenization, authentication, authorization, logging, auditing, and threat detection. Tokenization is a process that replaces sensitive data with non-sensitive substitutes called tokens that have no intrinsic value. Tokenization can help prevent data leakage by ensuring that only authorized users can access the original data using a tokenization system.

References: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#examdetails https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/comptia-security-sy0-601-exam-objectives https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/security/what

SIEM stands for Security Information and Event Management, which is a technology that collects, analyzes, and correlates data from multiple sources, such as firewall logs, IDS/IPS alerts, network devices, applications, and endpoints. SIEM provides real-time monitoring and alerting of security events, as well as historical analysis and reporting for compliance and forensic purposes.

A SIEM technology would be best to correlate the activities between the different endpoints that are beaconing to a malicious domain. A SIEM can detect the malicious domain by comparing it with threat intelligence feeds or known indicators of compromise (IOCs). A SIEM can also identify the endpoints that are communicating with the malicious domain by analyzing the firewall logs and other network traffic data. A SIEM can alert the security team of the potential compromise and provide them with relevant information for investigation and remediation.

 User-agent spoofing is a technique that allows an attacker to modify the user-agent header of an HTTP request to impersonate another browser or device12. User-agent spoofing can be used to bypass security controls that rely on user-agent filtering or validation12. In this case, the attacker spoofed the user-agent header to match the company’s mobile application, which was allowed to access the back-end server’s API2.

A log collector is a component that forwards the logs from all security devices to a central source. A log collector can be a software tool or a hardware appliance that collects logs from various sources, such as firewalls, routers, servers, applications, or endpoints. A log collector can also perform functions such as log filtering, parsing, aggregation, normalization, and enrichment. A log collector can help centralize logging by sending the collected logs to a central log server or a security information and event management (SIEM) system for further analysis and correlation.

References: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#examdetails https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/comptia-security-sy0-601-exam-objectives https://geekflare.com/open-source-centralized-logging/

SSL/TLS encryption is a method of securing the syslog traffic by using cryptographic protocols to encrypt and authenticate the data. SSL/TLS encryption can prevent eavesdropping, tampering, or spoofing of the syslog messages. TCP 6514 is the standard port for syslog over TLS, as defined by RFC 5425. Using this port can ensure compatibility and interoperability with other syslog implementations that support TLS.

The administrator should use a round-robin algorithm to split the number of connections on each server in half. Round-robin is a load-balancing algorithm that distributes incoming requests to the available servers one by one in a cyclical order. This helps to evenly distribute the load across all of the servers, ensuring that no single server is overloaded.

Containers are a method of virtualization that allow you to run multiple isolated applications on a single server. Containers are lightweight, portable, and scalable, which means they can save resources, improve performance, and simplify deployment. Containers also enable centralized monitoring and management of the applications running on them, using tools such as Docker or Kubernetes. Containers are different from edge computing, which is a distributed computing paradigm that brings computation and data storage closer to the location where it is needed. Microservices are a software architecture style that breaks down complex applications into smaller, independent services that communicate with each other. Thin clients are devices that rely on a server to perform most of the processing tasks and only provide a user interface.

Memory management is a technique that can allocate and deallocate memory for applications and processes. Memory management can reduce vulnerabilities by avoiding code reuse, which is a technique that exploits a memory corruption vulnerability to execute malicious code that already exists in memory. Memory management can prevent code reuse by implementing features such as address space layout randomization (ASLR), data execution prevention (DEP), or stack canaries.

NAC stands for network access control, which is a security solution that enforces policies and controls on devices that attempt to access a network. NAC can help prevent unauthorized devices from accessing the internal network by verifying their identity, compliance, and security posture before granting them access. NAC can also monitor and restrict the activities of authorized devices based on predefined rules and roles.

References: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#examdetails https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/comptia-security-sy0-601-exam-objectives https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/security/what-is-network-access-control-nac.html

Graphical user interface, application Description automatically generated

The total loss expected per year due to a threat targeting an asset can be calculated using the Single Loss Expectancy (SLE) multiplied by the Annualized Rate of Occurrence (ARO). SLE is the monetary loss expected from a single event, while ARO is the estimated frequency of that event occurring in a year. Reference: CompTIA Security+ Study Guide: Exam SY0-501, 7th Edition, by Emmett Dulaney and Chuck Easttom, Chapter 9: Risk Management, page 414.

Containment is the phase where the incident response team tries to isolate and stop the spread of the incident12. Before containing the incident, the team should collect and preserve any evidence that may be useful for analysis and investigation12. This includes documenting the incident details, such as date, time, location, source, and impact12. It also includes establishing a chain of custody, which is a record of who handled the evidence, when, where, how, and why3. A chain of custody ensures the integrity and admissibility of the evidence in court or other legal proceedings3.

Mitigating controls are designed to reduce the impact or severity of an event that has occurred or is likely to occur. They do not prevent or detect the event, but rather limit the damage or consequences of it. For example, a backup system is a mitigating control that can help restore data after a loss or corruption.

In this case, the company is focused on reducing risks from removable media threats, which are threats that can compromise data security, introduce malware infections, or cause media failure123. Removable media threats can be used to bypass network defenses and target industrial/OT environments2. The company cannot prohibit removable media entirely because of certain primary applications that require them, so it implements mitigating controls to lessen the potential harm from these threats.

Some examples of mitigating controls for removable media threats are:

• Encrypting data on removable media
• Scanning removable media for malware before use
• Restricting access to removable media ports
• Implementing policies and procedures for removable media usage and disposal
• Educating users on the risks and best practices of removable media

The reason for this is that older versions of Windows may have known vulnerabilities that have been patched in more recent versions. If a company is not regularly patching their systems, they are leaving those vulnerabilities open to exploit, which can allow malware to infect the systems.

It is important to regularly update and patch systems to address known vulnerabilities and protect against potential malware infections. This is an important aspect of proper security management.

Here is a reference to the CompTIA Security+ certification guide which states that "Properly configuring and maintaining software, including patch management, is critical to protecting systems and data."

Input validation is a technique that involves checking the user input for any malicious or unexpected characters or commands that could be used to perform SQL injection attacks. Input validation can be done by using allow-lists or deny-lists to filter out the input based on predefined criteria. Input validation can prevent SQL injection attacks by ensuring that only valid and expected input is passed to the database queries.

One possible way to address this type of alert in the future is to use a SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) playbook to automatically remove the phishing message from the inbox3. A SOAR playbook is a set of predefined actions that can be triggered by certain events or conditions. This can help reduce the response time and human error in dealing with phishing alerts.

Three-factor authentication combines three types of authentication methods: something you know (password), something you have (physical token), and something you are (fingerprint scan). Option C satisfies these requirements, as it uses a password (something you know), a physical token (something you have), and a fingerprint scan (something you are) for authentication.

A dump file is the first thing that a security analyst should review to determine more information about a compromised device that displayed an error screen and shut down. A dump file is a file that contains a snapshot of the memory contents of a device at the time of a system crash or error. A dump file can help a security analyst analyze the cause and source of the crash or error, as well as identify any malicious code or activity that may have triggered it.

References: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#examdetails https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/comptia-security-sy0-601-exam-objectives https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/debugger/introduction-to-crash-dump-files

Invest in secure coding training and application security guidelines is the most effective approach for the manager to use to address the issue of common vulnerabilities in the applications developed by the team. Secure coding training can help the developers learn how to write code that follows security best practices and avoids common mistakes or flaws that can introduce vulnerabilities. Application security guidelines can provide a set of standards and rules for developing secure applications that meet the company’s security requirements and policies. By investing in secure coding training and application security guidelines, the manager can improve the security awareness and skills of the development team and reduce the number of vulnerabilities in their applications. References: 1 CompTIA Security+ Certification Exam Objectives, page 9, Domain 2.0: Architecture and Design, Objective 2.3: Summarize secure application development, deployment, and automation concepts 2 CompTIA Security+ Certification Exam Objectives, page 10, Domain 2.0: Architecture and Design, Objective 2.4: Explain the importance of embedded and specialized systems security 3 https://www.comptia.org/blog/what-is-secure-coding

the measure that calculates the average time that equipment will operate before it breaks is MTBF12. MTBF stands for Mean Time Between Failures and it is a metric that represents the average time between two failures occurring in a given period12. MTBF is used to measure the reliability and availability of a product or system12. The higher the MTBF, the more reliable and available the product or system is12.

 Content management is a security control that can limit the sites that can be accessed by corporate-issued mobile devices. It can also restrict employees from downloading images from company email by filtering or blocking certain types of content1. Geofencing is a security control that can only allow access to internal resources while physically on campus. It can use GPS or other location services to define a virtual boundary around a physical area and enforce policies based on the device’s location2.

References:

1: https://www.cyber.gov.au/resources-business-and-government/maintaining-devices-and-systems/system-hardening-and-administration/web-ha rdening/securing-content-management-systems 2: https://www.makeuseof.com/how-to-secure-your-content-management-system/

A UPS (uninterruptible power supply) device is a battery backup system that can provide consistent power levels in case of brownouts or voltage spikes. It can also provide a minimum of 30 minutes runtime following a power outage, depending on the size and load of the device. A network-connected UPS device can also communicate with critical systems and trigger graceful shutdowns if the battery level is low or the power is not restored. 

According to GitHub user JSGetty196’s notes1, a PowerShell code that uses rundll32.exe to execute a DLL file is performing a DLL injection attack. This is a type of code injection attack that exploits the Windows process loading mechanism.

https://www.comptia.org/training/books/security-sy0-601-study-guide

A server farm’s logs are records of events that occur on a group of servers that provide the same service or function. Logs can contain information such as date, time, source, destination, message, error code, and severity level. Logs can help administrators monitor the performance, security, and availability of the servers and troubleshoot any issues.

To determine the sequence of a server farm’s logs, the administrator should consider the following factors:

• Time stamps: Time stamps are indicators of when an event occurred on a server. Time stamps can help administrators sort and correlate events across different servers based on chronological order. However, time stamps alone may not be sufficient to determine the sequence of events if the servers have different time zones or clock settings.
• Time offset: Time offset is the difference between the local time of a server and a reference time, such as Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Time offset can help administrators adjust and synchronize the time stamps of different servers to a common reference time and eliminate any discrepancies caused by time zones or clock settings.

References: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#examdetails https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/comptia-security-sy0-601-exam-objectives https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/administration/server-manager/view-event-logs

ARP poisoning is a type of attack that exploits the ARP protocol to associate a malicious MAC address with a legitimate IP address on a network1. This allows the attacker to intercept, modify or drop traffic between the victim and other hosts on the same network. In this case, the ARP table of the access switch shows that the same MAC address (00-0c-29-58-35-3b) is associated with two different IP addresses (192.168.1.100 and 192.168.1.101) on port Fa0/12. This indicates that an attacker has poisoned the ARP table to redirect traffic intended for 192.168.1.100 to their own device with MAC address 00-0c-29-58-35-3b. The other options are not related to this scenario. DDoS is a type of attack that overwhelms a target with excessive traffic from multiple sources3. MAC flooding is a type of attack that floods a switch with fake MAC addresses to exhaust its MAC table and force it to operate as a hub4. DNS poisoning is a type of attack that corrupts the DNS cache with fake entries to redirect users to malicious websites.

References: 1: https://www.imperva.com/learn/application-security/arp-spoofing/  2: https://community.cisco.com/t5/networking-knowledge-base/network-tables-mac-routing-arp/ta- p/4184148 3: https://www.imperva.com/learn/application-security/ddos-att ack/ 4: https://www.imperva.com/learn/application-security/mac-flooding/ : https://www.imperva.com/learn/application-security/dns-spoofing-poisoning/

Nmap is a tool that is used to scan IP addresses and ports in a network and to detect installed applications. Nmap can help a security administrator determine the services running on a server by sending various packets to the target and analyzing the responses. Nmap can also perform various tasks such as OS detection, version detection, script scanning, firewall evasion, and vulnerability scanning.

References: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#examdetails https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/comptia-security-sy0-601-exam-objectives https://nmap.org/

Approved list is a list of applications or programs that are allowed to run on a system or network. An approved list can prevent unauthorized or malicious software from running and compromising the security of the system or network. An approved list can also help with patch management and compatibility issues. If the security engineer updated an application on the company workstations, the application may need to be added or updated on the approved list to be able to launch successfully. References: 1 CompTIA Security+ Certification Exam Objectives, page 10, Domain 2.0: Architecture and Design, Objective 2.4: Explain the importance of embedded and specialized systems security 2 CompTIA Security+ Certification Exam Objectives, page 12, Domain 3.0: Implementation, Objective 3.1: Implement secure network architecture concepts 3 https://www.comptia.org/blog/what-is-application-whitelisting

A replay attack is a form of network attack in which valid data transmission is maliciously or fraudulently repeated or delayed12. This can allow an attacker to compromise a host by resending a previously captured message, such as a password or a session token, that looks legitimate to the receiver1. A replay attack can be prevented by using methods such as random session keys, timestamps, or one-time passwords that expire after use12. A replay attack is different from an integer overflow, which is a type of software vulnerability that occurs when an arithmetic operation attempts to create a numeric value that is too large to be represented within the available storage space3. A race condition is another type of software vulnerability that occurs when multiple processes access and manipulate the same data concurrently, and the outcome depends on the order of execution3. A memory leak is a type of software defect that occurs when a program fails to release memory that is no longer needed, causing the program to consume more memory than necessary and potentially affecting the performance or stability of the system3.

Continuous validation is a process that involves performing regular and automated tests to verify the security and functionality of a system or an application. Continuous validation can help identify and remediate vulnerabilities, bugs, or misconfigurations before they cause any damage or disruption. The security administrator’s activities of performing weekly vulnerability scans on all cloud assets and providing a detailed report are examples of continuous validation.

Bollards are posts designed to prevent vehicles from entering an area. They are usually made of steel or concrete and are placed close together to make it difficult for vehicles to pass through. In addition to preventing vehicles from entering an area, bollards can also be used to protect buildings and pedestrians from ramming attacks. They are an effective and cost-efficient way to protect buildings and pedestrians from unauthorized access.

The account lockout can be attributed to a brute-force attack. A brute-force attack is a type of attack where an attacker attempts to guess a user's password by continually trying different combinations of characters. In this case, it is likely that the security engineer's account was locked out due to an attacker attempting to guess their password. Backdoor, rootkit, and Trojan attacks are not relevant in this scenario.

According to NIST Special Publication 1800-4B1, some of the security controls that can be used to protect mobile devices include:

• Root and jailbreak detection: ensures that the security architecture for a mobile device has not been compromised.
• Encryption: protects the data stored on the device and in transit from unauthorized access.
• Authentication: verifies the identity of the user and the device before granting access to enterprise resources.
• Remote wipe: allows the organization to erase the data on the device in case of loss or theft.
• Screen lock timer: sets a time limit for the device to lock itself after a period of inactivity.

Placing all known-infected hosts on an isolated network is the best way to stop the spread of a worm infection. This will prevent the worm from reaching other hosts on the network and allow the infected hosts to be cleaned and restored. Disconnecting every host from the network is not practical and may disrupt business operations. Running an AV scan on the entire network or scanning the hosts that show signs of infection may not be effective or fast enough to stop a fast-spreading worm.

Tokenization replaces sensitive data with non-sensitive data, such as a unique identifier. This means that the data is still present in the system, but the sensitive information itself is replaced with the token. Tokenization is more secure than masking, which only obscures the data but does not eliminate it. DLP is not suitable for this task, as it is designed to prevent the loss or leakage of data from the system. SSL/TLS can be used to secure the transmission of data, but it cannot prevent the data itself from being exposed or reused. For more information, please refer to CompTIA Security+ SY0-601 Exam Objectives, Section 3.3: Explain the security purpose of authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) services, and Section 4.7: Explain the purpose and characteristics of various types of encryption.

F. Redundancy is a security objective that aims to ensure availability and resilience of systems and data by having backup or alternative components or resources that can take over in case of a failure. By purchasing two firewalls and two switches from different vendors, the security manager is creating redundancy for the network devices and reducing the single point of failure risk. E. Replication is a security objective that aims to ensure integrity and availability of data by creating copies or duplicates of the data across different locations or devices. By purchasing two firewalls and two switches from different vendors, the security manager is enabling replication of the network traffic and data across different paths and devices. References: 1 CompTIA Security+ Certification Exam Objectives, page 9, Domain 2.0: Architecture and Design, Objective 2.3: Summarize secure application development, deployment, and automation concepts 2 CompTIA Security+ Certification Exam Objectives, page 11, Domain 2.0: Architecture and Design, Objective 2.5: Explain the importance of physical security controls 3 CompTIA Security+ Certification Exam Objectives, page 13, Domain 3.0: Implementation, Objective 3.2: Implement secure protocols

Using cable locks on the hardware can be an effective way to secure a desktop computer and deter future theft. Cable locks are physical security devices that attach to the computer case and to a nearby stationary object, such as a desk or wall. This makes it more difficult for a thief to remove the computer without damaging it or attracting attention.

Installing proximity card readers on all entryway doors can enhance physical security by limiting access to authorized individuals. Deploying motion sensor cameras in the lobby can also help deter theft by capturing images of any unauthorized individuals entering the premises or attempting to steal the computer. Encrypting the hard drive on the replacement desktop can also help protect sensitive data in the event of theft, but it does not provide physical security for the device itself.

Preventing information exposure is a secure application development concept that aims to block verbose error messages from being shown in a user’s interface. Verbose error messages are detailed messages that provide information about errors or exceptions that occur in an application. Verbose error messages may reveal sensitive information about the application’s structure, configuration, logic, or data that could be exploited by attackers. Therefore, preventing information exposure involves implementing proper error handling mechanisms that display generic or user-friendly messages instead of verbose error messages.

References: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#examdetails https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/comptia-security-sy0-601-exam-objectives https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/2017/A6_2017-Security_Misconfiguration

zero trust is a security strategy that assumes breach and verifies each request as though it originates from an untrusted network12. A zero trust policy is a set of “allow rules” that specify conditions for accessing certain resources3.

According to one source4, the first step in implementing a zero trust policy is to identify and classify all data and assets in the organization. This helps to determine the level of sensitivity and risk associated with each resource and apply appropriate access controls.

Classifying all data on the file servers is the first step in implementing a zero trust policy because it helps to determine the level of sensitivity and risk associated with each resource and apply appropriate access controls.

 DLP stands for data loss prevention, which is a set of tools and processes that aim to prevent unauthorized access, use, or transfer of sensitive data. DLP can help mitigate the risk of data exfiltration by disgruntled employees or external attackers by monitoring and controlling data flows across endpoints, networks, and cloud services. DLP can also detect and block attempts to copy, transfer, or upload sensitive data to a USB drive or other removable media based on predefined policies and rules.

References: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#examdetails https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/comptia-security-sy0-601-exam-objectives https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/business/security-101/what-is-data-loss-prevention-dlp

Access control vestibules are physical security controls that consist of two sets of doors or gates that create a small enclosed space between them. Only one door or gate can be opened at a time, and only one person can enter or exit the vestibule at a time. Access control vestibules can prevent multiple people from using a unique card swipe and being admitted to a secure entrance, as they require each person to authenticate individually and prevent tailgating or piggybacking.

A VPN (virtual private network) is a secure tunnel used to encrypt traffic and prevent unauthorized access to the internal network. It is a secure way to extend a private network across public networks, such as the Internet, and can be used to allow remote users to securely access resources on the internal network. Additionally, a VPN can be used to prevent malicious traffic from entering the internal network.

Correlation dashboards are tools that allow security analysts to monitor and analyze multiple sources of data and events in real time. They can help identify patterns, trends, anomalies, and threats by correlating different types of data and events, such as network traffic, logs, alerts, and incidents. Correlation dashboards can help investigate network flooding by showing the source, destination, volume, and type of malicious packets and their impact on the network performance and availability. References: https://www.comptia.org/blog/what-is-a-correlation-dashboard

SDN stands for software-defined networking, which is an approach to networking that uses software-based controllers or application programming interfaces (APIs) to communicate with underlying hardware infrastructure and direct traffic on a network. SDN decouples the network control plane from the data plane, enabling centralized management and programmability of network resources. SDN can help an engineer use scripting to deploy a network in a cloud environment by allowing them to define and automate network policies, configurations, and services through software commands.

References: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#examdetails https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/comptia-security-sy0-601-exam-objectives https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/software-defined-networking/overview.html

An evil twin attack is when an attacker sets up a fake Wi-Fi network that looks like a legitimate network, but is designed to capture user data that is sent over the network. In this case, the user's laptop is constantly disconnecting and reconnecting to the Wi-Fi network, indicating that it is connecting to the fake network instead of the legitimate one. Once the user connects to the fake network, they are unable to access shared folders or other network resources, as those are only available on the legitimate network.

The best technique for the digital forensics team to use to obtain a sample of the malware binary is to image volatile memory. Volatile memory imaging is a process of collecting a snapshot of the contents of a computer's RAM, which can include active malware programs. According to the CompTIA Security+ SY0-601 Official Text Book, volatile memory imaging can be used to capture active malware programs that are running in memory, but have not yet been committed to disk. This technique is especially useful in cases where the malware is designed to self-destruct or erase itself from the disk after execution.

SQL injection is a web application attack that involves inserting malicious SQL statements into an input field, such as a web form, to manipulate or access the database behind the application. SQL injection can be used to perform various actions, such as reading, modifying, or deleting data, executing commands on the database server, or bypassing authentication. In this scenario, the attacker is trying to use a SQL statement “SELECT * FROM customername” to retrieve all data from the customername table in the database.

SIEM stands for Security Information and Event Management, which is a solution that can collect, correlate, and analyze security logs and events from various devices on a network. SIEM can provide better visibility into user activities by generating reports, alerts, dashboards, and metrics. SIEM can also help detect and respond to security incidents, comply with regulations, and improve security posture.

Patch management is a process that involves applying updates or fixes to software to address bugs, vulnerabilities, or performance issues. Patch management is classified under corrective control type, which is a type of control that aims to restore normal operations after an incident or event has occurred. Corrective controls can help mitigate the impact or damage caused by an incident or event and prevent it from happening again.

References: https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security#examdetails https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/comptia-security-sy0-601-exam-objectives https://www.csoonline.com/article/2124681/why-third-party-security-is-your-security.html

A cold aisle and a hot aisle are design strategies for data centers that aim to improve the cooling efficiency and reduce the energy consumption. They involve lining up server racks in alternating rows with cold air intakes facing one side (the cold aisle) and hot air exhausts facing the other side (the hot aisle). This prevents the mixing of hot and cold air and creates a more uniform temperature distribution. The cold aisles receive cold air from the cooling units, while the hot aisles return hot air to the cooling units. This improves the performance and reliability of the IT equipment and lowers the cooling costs. References: Hot and Cold-Aisle Containment - Advantages & Disadvantages - AKCP; Hot Aisle Containment vs. Cold Aisle Containment: Which is Better for the Data Center? - Upsite; Aisle Containment Systems FAQ for Hot & Cold Aisle Solutions - Cool Shield; Hot and Cold Aisle Containment Differences - AKCP Monitoring; What is Hot Aisle/Cold Aisle? - Definition from Techopedia

The attacker is most likely attempting a watering-hole attack. A watering-hole attack is a type of attack that targets a specific group of users by compromising a website that they frequently visit. The attacker then installs malware on the website that infects the visitors’ devices or redirects them to malicious sites. The attacker hopes to gain access to the users’ credentials, data, or networks by exploiting their trust in the legitimate website2.

The MITRE ATT&CK framework would best support the analyst’s review of the tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) the threat actor was observed using in previous campaigns. The MITRE ATT&CK framework is a knowledge base that describes the common TTPs used by various threat actors across different stages of an attack lifecycle. The framework can help security analysts understand how adversaries operate, what tools they use, what vulnerabilities they exploit, what indicators they leave behind, etc. The framework can also help security analysts improve their detection and response capabilities by providing recommendations and best practices.

An on-path attack is an attack that took place when an attacker was eavesdropping on a user who was shopping online and was able to spoof the IP address associated with the shopping site. An on-path attack is a type of network attack that involves intercepting or modifying traffic between two parties by placing oneself in the communication path. An on-path attack can also be called a man-in-the-middle attack or a session hijacking attack. An on-path attacker can steal sensitive information, such as credit card details, or redirect the user to a malicious website. References: https://www.comptia.org/blog/what-is-a-man-in-the-middle-attack https://www.certblaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CompTIA-Security-SY0-601-Exam-Objectives-1.0.pdf

Monitoring outbound traffic is a technique that can detect the behavior of malware that allows the unauthorized movement of data from a system. Outbound traffic refers to the data that leaves a system or network and goes to an external destination, such as another network, server, or website. Monitoring outbound traffic can help identify any suspicious or anomalous patterns, such as large volumes of data being sent to unknown or malicious destinations, which could indicate a malware infection or a data exfiltration attempt. Monitoring outbound traffic can also help prevent malware from communicating with command-and-control servers or downloading additional payloads101112 References: CompTIA Security+ SY0-601 Certification Study Guide, Chapter 11: Explaining Digital Forensics Concepts, page 496; Outbound Traffic Monitoring: Why It’s Important for Your Network | SolarWinds MSP; How to Monitor Outbound Traffic on Your Network | NetFort Blog; Why You Should Monitor Outbound Traffic on Your Network | CSO Online

A SCADA system is a control system architecture that allows high-level supervision of machines and processes, such as those in a water treatment plant. A surveillance system, a smart watch, and a Wi-Fi-enabled thermostat are not examples of SCADA systems, as they do not involve industrial control or data acquisition. 

An insider threat is a threat to an organization that comes from negligent or malicious insiders, such as employees, former employees, contractors, third-party vendors, or business partners, who have inside information about cybersecurity practices, sensitive data, and computer systems. The action described in the question is an example of a malicious insider threat, where an employee intentionally misused their authorized access to harm the organization by stealing customer records and diverting funds to their personal bank account. References: What Is an Insider Threat? Definition, Types, and Prevention - Fortinet; What are insider threats? | IBM; What Is an Insider Threat? Definition, Examples, and Mitigations; Insider Threat Mitigation | Cybersecurity and Infrastructure … - CISA

Facial recognition is a type of biometric authentication that uses the unique features of a person’s face to verify their identity. Facial recognition is not something you know or have, but something you are, which is one of the three factors of authentication. Facial recognition can use various methods and technologies, such as 2D or 3D images, infrared sensors, machine learning and more, to capture, analyze and compare facial data. Facial recognition can provide a convenient and secure way to authenticate users on personal mobile devices, as it does not require any additional hardware or input from the user. Facial recognition can also be used in conjunction with other factors, such as passwords or tokens, to provide multi-factor authentication. Verified References:

• Biometrics - SY0-601 CompTIA Security+ : 2.4 - Professor Messer IT Certification Training Courses https://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-601/sy0-601-video/biometrics/ (See Facial Recognition)
• Security+ (Plus) Certification | CompTIA IT Certifications https://www.comptia.org/certifications/security (See Domain 2: Architecture and Design, Objective 2.4: Given a scenario, implement identity and access management controls.)
• Biometric and Facial Recognition - CompTIA Security+ Certification (SY0-501) https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/comptia-security-certification/9781789953091/video9_6.html (See Biometric and Facial Recognition)

Masking is the process of replacing sensitive data with random characters in the same format, without a way to retrieve the original data. This is different from tokenization, which uses a token server to store the relationship between the original and token values. Obfuscation is a broader term that includes masking, but also other methods such as encryption or hashing. Hashing is a one-way function that converts data into a fixed-length output that cannot be reversed. 

Tokenization is a privacy technique that replaces sensitive data elements, such as credit card numbers, with non-sensitive equivalents, called tokens, that have no intrinsic or exploitable value. Tokenization can be used to enable established customers to safely store credit card information without exposing their actual card numbers to potential theft or misuse. The tokens can be used to process payments without revealing the original data456 References: CompTIA Security+ SY0-601 Certification Study Guide, Chapter 8: Implementing Secure Protocols, page 362; What is tokenization? | McKinsey; What is Tokenization? Definition and Examples | OpenText - Micro Focus; Tokenization (data security) - Wikipedia

Submitting the application to QA before releasing it would best help the team ensure the application is ready to be released to production. QA stands for quality assurance, which is a process of testing and verifying that a software product meets the specified requirements and standards. QA can help identify and fix any bugs, errors, vulnerabilities, or performance issues before the software is deployed to the end users. QA can also ensure that the software meets the security objectives and complies with the best practices and regulations.

The directory traversal attack was successfully implemented based on the output. The output shows that the administrator used a tool called Nikto, which is a web server scanner that can detect vulnerabilities and misconfigurations3. The output also shows that Nikto found several files and directories that should not be accessible by web users, such as “/etc/passwd”, “/var/log”, “/etc/shadow”, etc. This indicates that the web server or application has a vulnerability that allows an attacker to manipulate the file path and access arbitrary files on the server. This is a type of attack known as directory traversal, which can lead to information disclosure, privilege escalation, or remote code execution.

Impossible travel time is an anomaly detection that indicates a possible compromise of a user account. It occurs when the same user connects from two different countries and the time between those connections is shorter than the time it would take to travel from the first location to the second by conventional means. This suggests that a different user is using the same credentials or that a proxy or VPN is being used to mask the true location. The log activity shows that the user connected from two different IP addresses in different countries (US and Brazil) within a span of 37 minutes, which is impossible to achieve by normal travel. References: Detecting and Remediating Impossible Travel - Microsoft Community Hub; Anomaly detection policies - Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps; Understanding Microsoft 365 Impossible Travel Rules | Blumira

A cloud access security broker (CASB) is a security solution that enforces access policies for cloud resources and applications, providing visibility, data control and analytics. A CASB can meet the requirements of the company by offering the following benefits:

• Visibility into how teams are using cloud-based services, such as shadow IT assessment and management, granular cloud usage control, and risk visibility.
• Ability to identify when data related to payment cards is being sent to the cloud, such as data loss prevention (DLP) capabilities that can protect sensitive information and prevent unauthorized sharing.
• Data availability regardless of the end user’s geographic location, such as inter-Region peering encryption on the AWS global private network or other cloud platforms.
• Single pane-of-glass view into traffic and trends, such as central policy engine, continuous monitoring, and threat prevention. References: What Is a Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB)? | Microsoft; Top 10 Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) Solutions for 2023; Definition of Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) - Gartner

Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) is used to validate a certificate when it is presented to a user. OCSP is a protocol that allows a client or browser to query the status of a certificate from an OCSP responder, which is a server that maintains and provides the revocation status of certificates issued by a certificate authority (CA). OCSP can help to verify the authenticity and validity of a certificate and prevent the use of revoked or expired certificates. References: https://www.comptia.org/blog/what-is-ocsp https://www.certblaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CompTIA-Security-SY0-601-Exam-Objectives-1.0.pdf

The attacker in this scenario is using "Vishing" (Option D). Vishing stands for "voice phishing," and it involves a social engineering attack where an attacker makes phone calls, impersonates someone they are not, and tries to manipulate the victim into revealing sensitive information or taking specific actions, such as purchasing gift cards. In this case, the attacker is posing as the CEO and attempting to trick the employee over the phone.

chmod is a Linux command that can be used to change or modify the permissions of files and directories. The /etc/shadow file is a system file that stores the encrypted passwords of user accounts in Linux. The /etc/shadow file should have restricted permissions to prevent unauthorized access or modification of the passwords. The recommended permissions for the /etc/shadow file are read/write for root user only (600). If the systems administrator observes that the /etc/shadow file has permissions beyond the baseline recommendation, they can use the chmod command to resolve this issue by setting the appropriate permissions for the file. For example, chmod 600 /etc/shadow would set the permissions of the /etc/shadow file to read/write for root user only. 181920 References: CompTIA Security+ SY0-601 Certification Study Guide, Chapter 9: Implementing Identity and Access Management Controls, page 404; chmod - Wikipedia; Linux /etc/shadow file - nixCraft; How to Change File Permissions in Linux - Linuxize

Risk avoidance is the strategy of eliminating or minimizing exposure to risk by not engaging in an activity or process that may result in a negative outcome. Not installing new software to prevent compatibility errors is an example of risk avoidance, as it avoids the possibility of introducing new vulnerabilities or disrupting existing functionality.

CSRF stands for Cross-Site Request Forgery, which is an attack that forces an end user to execute unwanted actions on a web application in which they are currently authenticated1. In this case, the attacker may have tricked the user into clicking a malicious link or visiting a malicious website that sends forged requests to the web server of the bank, using the user’s session cookie or other credentials. The web server then performs the money transfer requests as if they were initiated by the user, without verifying the origin or validity of the requests.

A. SQLi. This is not the correct answer, because SQLi stands for SQL Injection, which is an attack that exploits a vulnerability in a web application’s database layer, where malicious SQL statements are inserted into an entry field for execution2. The output of the web server log does not show any SQL statements or commands.

B. CSRF. This is the correct answer, because CSRF is an attack that exploits the trust a web server has in a user’s browser, where malicious requests are sent to the web server using the user’s credentials1. The output of the web server log shows multiple GET requests with different account numbers and amounts, which may indicate a CSRF attack.

C. Spear phishing. This is not the correct answer, because spear phishing is an attack that targets a specific individual or organization with a personalized email or message that contains a malicious link or attachment3. The output of the web server log does not show any email or message content or headers.

D. API. This is not the correct answer, because API stands for Application Programming Interface, which is a set of rules and specifications that allow software components to communicate and exchange data. API is not an attack method, but rather a way of designing and developing software applications.

Organized crime is a term that describes groups of criminals who operate in a coordinated and systematic manner to pursue illicit activities for profit. Organized crime groups often use sophisticated tools and techniques to evade law enforcement and exploit vulnerabilities in various sectors, such as finance, transportation, or healthcare. Organized crime groups may also collaborate with other criminal groups or actors to share resources, information, or expertise.

Ransomware as a service (RaaS) is an example of a business model used by organized crime groups to conduct ransomware and extortion attacks. RaaS is an arrangement between an operator, who develops and maintains the tools to power extortion operations, and an affiliate, who deploys the ransomware payload. When the affiliate conducts a successful ransomware and extortion attack, both parties profit. The RaaS model lowers the barrier to entry for attackers who may not have the skill or technical wherewithal to develop their own tools but can manage ready-made penetration testing and sysadmin tools to perform attacks12.

Insider threat is a term that describes individuals who have legitimate access to an organization’s systems or data and use it for malicious purposes, such as theft, sabotage, or espionage. Insider threats may be motivated by various factors, such as greed, revenge, ideology, or coercion. Insider threats may also be unintentional, such as when an employee falls victim to phishing or social engineering.

Hacktivist is a term that describes individuals or groups who use hacking or cyberattacks to promote a political or social cause. Hacktivists may target governments, corporations, or other entities that they perceive as oppressive, corrupt, or unethical. Hacktivists may also use cyberattacks to expose information, disrupt services, or deface websites.

Nation-state is a term that describes a sovereign state that has a centralized government and a defined territory. Nation-state actors are individuals or groups who conduct cyberattacks on behalf of or with the support of a nation-state. Nation-state actors may target other states, organizations, or individuals for various reasons, such as espionage, sabotage, influence, or retaliation.

A web application firewall (WAF) is a security solution that monitors and filters the traffic between a web application and the internet. It can prevent code injection attacks by blocking malicious requests that contain code snippets or commands that could compromise the web application. A WAF can also enforce input validation rules and sanitize user inputs to prevent code injection. References: CompTIA Security+ SY0-601 Certification Study Guide, Chapter 4: Implementing Secure Network Designs, page 194; 5 ways to prevent code injection in JavaScript and Node.js

The order of volatility is the order of how quickly data can be lost or changed in a system. The order of volatility is important for digital forensics and evidence collection, as it determines the priority and sequence of data preservation. The correct order of volatility from most to least volatile is cache, memory, temporary filesystems, disk, archival media. Cache is the fastest and most volatile type of memory that stores frequently used data. Memory is the main memory or RAM that stores data for active processes. Temporary filesystems are files that are created and deleted during normal system operations, such as swap files, print spool files, etc. Disk is the permanent storage device that stores data on magnetic or solid-state media. Archival media are devices that store data for long-term preservation, such as optical disks, tapes, etc.

The web server logs are records of the requests and responses that occur between a web server and a web client, such as a browser. The web server logs can show where the malware originated by indicating the source IP address, the destination URL, the date and time, the HTTP status code, the user agent, etc., of each request and response. The web server logs can help the incident response team to trace back the malicious website that infected the host with malware.

A file integrity monitor is a tool that checks the permissions, hashes, and other attributes of files to detect unauthorized changes. The error message indicates that the tool tried to access the /etc/shadow file, which contains the encrypted passwords of the users, but was denied due to insufficient permissions. This file is usually protected by the root user and the shadow group, and only tools with the suid bit set or running as root can access it12. A pass-the-hash monitor, a forensic analysis tool, and a password cracker would not generate this error message, as they have different purposes and methods. 

A threat actor who used a sophisticated attack to breach a well-known ride-sharing company and posted on social media that this action was in response to the company’s treatment of its drivers is most likely a hacktivist. A hacktivist is a person who uses hacking skills to promote a social or political cause, such as human rights, environmentalism, or anti-corporatism5.

A false positive is a result that indicates a problem when there is no actual problem. In this case, the vulnerability scan flagged the domain controller with a critical vulnerability, but the domain controller does not run the application that is vulnerable. Therefore, the scan result is inaccurate and should be documented as a false positive.

A. Ensure the scan engine is configured correctly. This is not the next step, because the scan engine may be configured correctly and still produce false positives due to various factors, such as outdated signatures, network latency, or misconfigured devices.

B. Apply a patch to the domain controller. This is not the next step, because applying a patch to a system that does not have the vulnerability may cause unnecessary problems or conflicts.

C. Research the CVE. This is not the next step, because the systems administrator already researched the vulnerability and discovered that it does not affect the domain controller.

D. Document this as a false positive. This is the correct answer, because documenting false positives helps to improve the accuracy and efficiency of future scans and audits.

The most likely cause of the issue is that the S/MIME plug-in is not enabled. S/MIME stands for Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, which is a standard that allows email users to encrypt and digitally sign their messages. S/MIME uses public key cryptography and certificates to ensure confidentiality, integrity, authenticity, and non-repudiation of email communications. However, S/MIME requires both the sender and the receiver to have compatible email clients and plug-ins that support S/MIME functionality. If the receiver does not have the S/MIME plug-in enabled, they will not be able to decrypt or verify the encrypted message.

A dynamic code analysis tool is a security tool that can improve vulnerability detection on this environment by testing and analyzing the software during runtime. Dynamic code analysis can identify potential vulnerabilities, errors, or performance issues that may not be visible in the source code or during static analysis, such as memory leaks, buffer overflows, or input validation errors. Dynamic code analysis can also simulate real-world scenarios and user inputs to evaluate the behavior and functionality of the software

A geolocation policy is a policy that restricts access to data or resources based on the physical location of the user or device. A geolocation policy can be implemented using technologies such as IP address filtering, GPS tracking, VPN blocking, etc. A geolocation policy can help the company’s legal department to ensure the documents cannot be accessed by individuals in high-risk countries by denying access requests from those countries.

Utilizing split tunneling so only traffic for corporate resources is encrypted would best maintain high-quality videoconferencing while minimizing latency when connected to the VPN. Split tunneling is a technique that allows a VPN user to access both the public internet and the private network simultaneously, without routing all traffic through the VPN. This can improve the performance and quality of videoconferencing applications that rely on low latency and high bandwidth, as well as reduce the load on the VPN server.

A purple team combines both offensive and defensive testing techniques to protect an organization’s critical systems. A purple team is a type of cybersecurity team that consists of members from both the red team and the blue team. The red team performs simulated attacks on the organization’s systems, while the blue team defends against them. The purple team facilitates the collaboration and communication between the red team and the blue team, and provides feedback and recommendations for improvement. A purple team can help the organization identify and remediate vulnerabilities, enhance security controls, and increase resilience. References: https://www.comptia.org/blog/red-team-blue-team-purple-team https://www.certblaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CompTIA-Security-SY0-601-Exam -Objectives-1.0.pdf

The SIEM log shows that the user opened an email attachment named “Invoice.xlsx” and then executed a PowerShell script that downloaded and ran a malicious file from a remote server. This indicates that the attacker was able to bypass the application approve list by emailing a spreadsheet attachment with an embedded PowerShell in the file. This is a common technique used by malware authors to evade detection and deliver their payloads1.

A tabletop exercise is a type of simulation exercise that involves discussing hypothetical scenarios and testing the incident response plan in a low-stress environment. A tabletop exercise can help the CSO to validate the business’s involvement in the incident response plan by involving key stakeholders, such as senior management, business units, legal department, etc., in the discussion and evaluation of the plan.

Residual risk is the risk that remains after applying risk mitigation measures, such as controls, policies, or procedures. It reflects the level of uncertainty and potential impact that cannot be completely eliminated by risk management efforts. Residual risk is calculated by subtracting the risk reduction from the inherent risk, or by multiplying the inherent risk by the risk control effectiveness. Residual risk should be compared to the acceptable level of risk to determine if further action is needed or if the risk can be accepted by the management. References: CompTIA Security+ SY0-601 Certification Study Guide, Chapter 10: Summarizing Risk Management Concepts, page 456; Residual risk - Wikipedia; Residual risk definition and why it’s important - Advisera

Impossible travel time is a security metric that detects anomalous login attempts based on the time and distance between two locations. Impossible travel time can help prevent email account compromises by flagging login attempts that occur within a short time span from locations that are far apart, such as France and Brazil. Impossible travel time can indicate that an attacker has stolen or guessed the user’s credentials and is trying to access their email account from another location.

A next-generation firewall (NGFW) is a solution that can defend against malicious actors misusing protocols and being allowed through network defenses. A NGFW is a type of firewall that can perform deep packet inspection, application-level filtering, intrusion prevention, malware detection, and identity-based access control. A NGFW can also use threat intelligence and behavioral analysis to identify and block malicious traffic based on protocols, signatures, or anomalies. References: https://www.comptia.org/blog/what-is-a-next-generation-firewall https://www.certblaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CompTIA-Security-SY0-601-Exam-Objectives-1.0.pdf

Detailed Explanation: WPA2-Enterprise can accommodate all of the requirements listed. WPA2-Enterprise uses 802.1X authentication to differentiate between users, supports the use of RADIUS for authentication, and allows for the use of dynamic encryption keys that can be changed without disrupting the users or requiring reauthentication. Additionally, WPA2-Enterprise does not allow for open SSIDs.

References: CompTIA Security+ Study Guide: Exam SY0-601, Chapter 7: Securing Networks, p. 317

An uncredentialed scan would miss missing patches for third-party software on Windows workstations and servers. A credentialed scan, however, can scan the registry and file system to determine the patch level of third-party applications. References: CompTIA Security+ Study Guide by Emmett Dulaney, Chapter 4: Identity and Access Management, The Importance of Credentialing Scans

S/MIME (Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) is a protocol that enables secure email messages to be sent and received. It provides email encryption, as well as digital signatures, which can be used to verify the authenticity of the sender. S/MIME can be used with a variety of email protocols, including POP and IMAP.

References:

• https://www.comptia.org/content/guides/what-is-smime
• CompTIA Security+ Study Guide, Sixth Edition (SY0-601), page 139

The test environment is used to assess the execution of component parts of a system at both the hardware and software levels and to measure performance characteristics. References: CompTIA Security+ Study Guide 601, Chapter 2