CompTIA SY0-701 CompTIA Security+ Certification Exam Practice Test

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Total 175 questions
Question 1

In order to strengthen a password and prevent a hacker from cracking it, a random string of 36 characters was added to the password. Which of the following best describes this technique?



Answer : D

Adding a random string of characters, known as a 'salt,' to a password before hashing it is known as salting. This technique strengthens passwords by ensuring that even if two users have the same password, their hashes will be different due to the unique salt, making it much harder for attackers to crack passwords using precomputed tables. Reference: CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 course content and official CompTIA study resources.


Question 2

A security analyst is investigating an application server and discovers that software on the server is behaving abnormally. The software normally runs batch jobs locally and does not generate traffic, but the process is now generating outbound traffic over random high ports. Which of the following vulnerabilities has likely been exploited in this software?



Answer : A

Memory injection vulnerabilities allow unauthorized code or commands to be executed within a software program, leading to abnormal behavior such as generating outbound traffic over random high ports. This issue often arises from software not properly validating or encoding input, which can be exploited by attackers to inject malicious code. Reference: CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 course content and official CompTIA study resources.


Question 3

Which of the following would be most useful in determining whether the long-term cost to transfer a risk is less than the impact of the risk?



Answer : D

The Annual Loss Expectancy (ALE) is most useful in determining whether the long-term cost to transfer a risk is less than the impact of the risk. ALE is calculated by multiplying the Single Loss Expectancy (SLE) by the Annualized Rate of Occurrence (ARO), which provides an estimate of the annual expected loss due to a specific risk, making it valuable for long-term financial planning and risk management decisions. Reference: CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 course content and official CompTIA study resources.


Question 4

A company must ensure sensitive data at rest is rendered unreadable. Which of the following will the company most likely use?



Answer : C

Encryption is a method of transforming data in a way that makes it unreadable without a secret key necessary to decrypt the data back into plaintext. Encryption is one of the most common and effective ways to protect data at rest, as it prevents unauthorized access, modification, or theft of the data. Encryption can be applied to different types of data at rest, such as block storage, object storage, databases, archives, and so on. Hashing, tokenization, and segmentation are not methods of rendering data at rest unreadable, but rather of protecting data in other ways. Hashing is a one-way function that generates a fixed-length output, called a hash or digest, from an input, such that the input cannot be recovered from the output. Hashing is used to verify the integrity and authenticity of data, but not to encrypt it. Tokenization is a process that replaces sensitive data with non-sensitive substitutes, called tokens, that have no meaning or value on their own. Tokenization is used to reduce the exposure and compliance scope of sensitive data, but not to encrypt it. Segmentation is a technique that divides a network or a system into smaller, isolated units, called segments, that have different levels of access and security.Segmentation is used to limit the attack surface and contain the impact of a breach, but not to encrypt data at rest.Reference:CompTIA Security+ Study Guide: Exam SY0-701, 9th Edition, pages 77-781; Protecting data at rest - Security Pillar3


Question 5

Visitors to a secured facility are required to check in with a photo ID and enter the facility through an access control vestibule Which of the following but describes this form of security control?



Answer : A

A physical security control is a device or mechanism that prevents unauthorized access to a physical location or asset. An access control vestibule, also known as a mantrap, is a physical security control that consists of a small space with two sets of interlocking doors, such that the first set of doors must close before the second set opens. This prevents unauthorized individuals from following authorized individuals into the facility, a practice known as piggybacking or tailgating. A photo ID check is another form of physical security control that verifies the identity of visitors.Managerial, technical, and operational security controls are not directly related to physical access, but rather to policies, procedures, systems, and processes that support security objectives.Reference:CompTIA Security+ Study Guide: Exam SY0-701, 9th Edition, page 341; Mantrap (access control) - Wikipedia2


Question 6

After a recent vulnerability scan, a security engineer needs to harden the routers within the corporate network. Which of the following is the most appropriate to disable?



Answer : D

Web-based administration is a feature that allows users to configure and manage routers through a web browser interface. While this feature can provide convenience and ease of use, it can also pose a security risk, especially if the web interface is exposed to the internet or uses weak authentication or encryption methods. Web-based administration can be exploited by attackers to gain unauthorized access to the router's settings, firmware, or data, or to launch attacks such as cross-site scripting (XSS) or cross-site request forgery (CSRF). Therefore, disabling web-based administration is a good practice to harden the routers within the corporate network. Console access, routing protocols, and VLANs are other features that can be configured on routers, but they are not the most appropriate to disable for hardening purposes. Console access is a physical connection to the router that requires direct access to the device, which can be secured by locking the router in a cabinet or using a strong password. Routing protocols are essential for routers to exchange routing information and maintain network connectivity, and they can be secured by using authentication or encryption mechanisms. VLANs are logical segments of a network that can enhance network performance and security by isolating traffic and devices, and they can be secured by using VLAN access control lists (VACLs) or private VLANs (PVLANs). Reference:CCNA SEC: Router HardeningYour Router's Security Stinks: Here's How to Fix It


Question 7

A security analyst locates a potentially malicious video file on a server and needs to identify both the creation date and the file's creator. Which of the following actions would most likely give the security analyst the information required?



Answer : D

Metadata is data that describes other data, such as its format, origin, creation date, author, and other attributes. Video files, like other types of files, can contain metadata that can provide useful information for forensic analysis. For example, metadata can reveal the camera model, location, date and time, and software used to create or edit the video file.To query the file's metadata, a security analyst can use various tools, such as MediaInfo1, ffprobe2, or hexdump3, to extract and display the metadata from the video file. By querying the file's metadata, the security analyst can most likely identify both the creation date and the file's creator, as well as other relevant information. Obtaining the file's SHA-256 hash, checking endpoint logs, or using hexdump on the file's contents are other possible actions, but they are not the most appropriate to answer the question. The file's SHA-256 hash is a cryptographic value that can be used to verify the integrity or uniqueness of the file, but it does not reveal any information about the file's creation date or creator. Checking endpoint logs can provide some clues about the file's origin or activity, but it may not be reliable or accurate, especially if the logs are tampered with or incomplete.Using hexdump on the file's contents can show the raw binary data of the file, but it may not be easy or feasible to interpret the metadata from the hex output, especially if the file is large or encrypted. Reference:1:How do I get the meta-data of a video file?2:How to check if an mp4 file contains malware?3: [Hexdump - Wikipedia]


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