2

Security

Introduction

This chapter will test an exam candidate’s knowledge of security concepts, procedures, and security best practices. Threats and threat actors are constantly changing, and security professionals must understand how to recognize threats and mitigate them in different ways. Common environments that need to be secured include wireless networks, small office/home office (SOHO) networks, enterprise networks, and situations where securing remote access is crucial. Mobile devices and support for IoT also present many challenges for security professionals. It is important to understand the threats posed by social engineering, often referred to as hacking humans (where users are targeted). To mitigate these threats, it is important to recognize the correct controls that need to be enabled and to understand the correct response to specific threats.

In order to be successful in the CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1102) certification exam, candidates must be familiar with the following objectives:

• 2.1 Summarize various security measures and their purposes
• 2.2 Compare and contrast wireless security protocols and authentication methods
• 2.3 Given a scenario, detect, remove, and prevent malware using the appropriate tools and methods
• 2.4 Explain common social-engineering attacks, threats, and vulnerabilities
• 2.5 Given a scenario, manage and configure basic security settings in the Microsoft Windows OS
• 2.6 Given a scenario, configure a workstation to meet best practices for security
• 2.7 Explain common methods for securing mobile and embedded devices
• 2.8 Given a scenario, use common data destruction and disposal methods
• 2.9 Given a scenario, configure appropriate security settings on small office/home office (SOHO) wireless and wired networks
• 2.10 Given a scenario, install and configure browsers and relevant security settings

The rest of this chapter is committed to practice. For each of the previously defined concepts, you will be given a series of questions designed to test your knowledge of each core 2 objective as defined by the official certification exam guidance for this domain. These questions will test the candidate’s knowledge of how to implement security best practices within an organization.

Practice Exam Questions

2.1 Summarize various security measures and their purposes

1. What is the purpose of a motion sensor in a security system?
   1. To detect the presence of unauthorized individuals or objects
   2. To control the temperature of the surrounding environment
   3. To amplify the sound of nearby movements
   4. To adjust the brightness of the lighting system
2. A CISO is proposing to use an app on company-deployed smartphones as a soft token. What is the purpose of a soft token?
   1. Generating secure passwords
   2. Authenticating user identity
   3. Encrypting data
   4. Blocking malicious websites
3. A call center manager is proposing to support an initiative where workers will be able to work from home. The security team is discussing methods that will allow the use of personal equipment and the control and management of employees’ personal devices. Which of the following controls allows the team to manage this infrastructure and ensure users are given guidance to support this initiative? (Choose two.)
   1. Fingerprint scanner
   2. Multifactor authentication (MFA)
   3. BYOD policy
   4. Equipment locks
   5. MDM policy
   6. Time-based login policies
4. A chief information security manager (CISO) is reviewing the security controls that will best prevent a user from gaining unauthorized physical access to the server room. What two controls would best address this requirement?
   1. Access control vestibule
   2. Alarm
   3. Video surveillance
   4. Bollards
   5. Motion sensors
   6. Door locks
5. A cloud service provider (CSP) has recently added a number of security controls in response to a recent security audit. These controls have required the installation of perimeter fencing and security gates and additional guards to be employed to secure all external entry points. The audit also highlighted the lack of detective controls, within the CSP data center, in the event the perimeter security is breached. What detective controls would BEST address this requirement? (Choose two.)
   1. Access control vestibule
   2. Badge reader
   3. Video surveillance
   4. Equipment locks
   5. Motion sensors
   6. Door locks
6. A security team must design controls to ensure the business will be compliant with stringent requirements regarding safeguarding customer payment card details. Servers hosting customer card payment details will be physically secured in a server room. Access to the server room needs to be controlled using two-factor authentication (2FA). Currently, administrators access the server room using a fingerprint reader. What could be used in addition to fingerprints to support two-factor access control?
   1. Smart cards
   2. Retina scanner
   3. Palmprint scanner
   4. Motion detector
7. A security team is evaluating additional security controls to ensure physical equipment, including storage devices, cannot be removed by authorized members of staff from the internal data center. What control would allow security guards to be alerted if there is an attempt to remove equipment from the data center?
   1. Access control vestibule
   2. Video surveillance
   3. Equipment locks
   4. Lighting
   5. Magnetometers
8. A network administrator onboards a new user who has joined the sales team as a junior sales executive. They have created a unique account for the user and added the user to a security group with limited access rights. What best describes why this process would be adopted?
   1. To adhere to the principle of least privilege
   2. To enforce access control lists (ACLs)
   3. To ensure the user is using multifactor authentication (MFA)
   4. To support the use of organizational units
9. When a user logs in to the Windows domain, an automated process is run that assigns the user a default storage location on a Windows server. The user is able to access this network link through the explorer interface. What describes this feature and how the system automates the creation of the link? (Choose two.)
   1. Use of a login script
   2. Management of security groups
   3. Multifactor authentication
   4. Use of home folders
   5. Organizational units
10. When a user needs to access company assets from a laptop computer, they must have access to an app on their mobile phone. The app provides a time-based one-time password (TOTP) that must be provided along with a log-in ID and password. What best describes the technology used? (Choose two.)
    1. Principle of least privilege
    2. Multifactor authentication (MFA)
    3. Short Message Service (SMS)
    4. Voice call verification
    5. Use of an authenticator application
11. When a user authenticates their Active Directory account from any workstation, they can access all their common folders (Desktop, Documents, Pictures, and more). The folders contain all the up-to-date content that they saved. What two Windows features allow for centralized storage of user data and transparent network access to this data?
    1. Login script
    2. Group Policy settings
    3. Organizational units
    4. Home folder
    5. Folder redirection
12. A bank needs to ensure customers can provide an additional authentication factor when authorizing payments during online banking. The bank intends to support this using a second out-of-band mobile phone authentication. What 2FA methods require the user to have access to a mobile phone? (Choose two.)
    1. Email verification link
    2. Short Message Service (SMS)
    3. Voice call verification
    4. Use of a hard token
13. Which of the following is true about Active Directory security groups?
    1. Security groups are used to assign permissions to shared resources
    2. Security groups are used to organize user accounts
    3. Security groups are used for email distribution lists
    4. Security groups are used to control network connectivity
14. An administrator is creating...