Test your basic knowledge |

Comptia Security +: Vocab

Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. An arrangement in which the keys needed to decrypt encrypted data are held in escrow by a third party - so that someone else (typically government agencies) can obtain them to decrypt messages which they suspect to be relevant to national security.






2. Degaussing is the process of reducing or eliminating an unwanted magnetic field. The Degausser is what actually performs the degaussing.






3. The attacker sends a SYN request to the victims machine and the victim machine allocates resources for that request and sends a SYN/ACK back. The attacking machine doesn't respond however - but instead sends another SYN and continues to do so until t






4. Using ICMP to diagram a network






5. In computer science - it means allowing a single definition to be used with different types of data (specifically - different classes of objects). For instance - a polymorphic function definition can replace several type-specific ones - and a single






6. In the context of computer software - a Trojan horse is a malicious program that is disguised as or embedded within legitimate software.






7. Deals with the same things as due diligence except that they deal with accepting responsibility instead of liability.






8. Issued by the United States National Computer Security Center (NCSC - an arm of the NSA) as 'Trusted Computer System Evaluation Criteria' - a DOD standard 5200.23-STD in December 1985 superseding CSC-STD-001-83 - the TCSEC (frequently referred to as






9. Also known as a tunnel)






10. White hat l0pht






11. A RFC standard. A mechanism for performing commands on a remote system






12. Common Object Request Broker Architecture.






13. 'If you cant see it - its secure'. Bad policy to live by.






14. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol.






15. In computer terminology - a honeypot is a trap set to detect - deflect or in some manner counteract attempts at unauthorized use of information systems. Generally it consists of a computer - data or a network site that appears to be part of a network






16. In the broadest sense - a fraud is a deception made for personal gain






17. Provides a means to obtain passwords or encryption keys and thus bypass other security measures. This can be accomplished through hardware or software means.






18. The art of breaking code. Testing the strength of an algorithm.






19. A computer network authentication protocol which allows individuals communicating over an insecure network to prove their identity to one another in a secure manner. Kerberos prevents eavesdropping or replay attacks - and ensures the integrity of the






20. This is an attack in which an attacker is able to read - insert and modify at will - messages between two parties without either party knowing that the link between them has been compromised. The attacker must be able to observe and intercept message






21. Defines the objects and their attributes that exist in a database.






22. When security is managed at a central point in an organization






23. The process of training end users / employees in the ways and processes of security. This helps to mitigate risk to the company (if the employees know what to do) and also helps the employees to know what is expected of them security-wise - so that t






24. The study of automated methods for uniquely recognizing humans based upon one or more intrinsic physical or behavioral traits. In information technology - biometric authentication refers to technologies that measure and analyze human physical and beh






25. Differs from ordinary composition in that it does not imply ownership. In composition - when the owning object is destroyed - so are the contained objects. In aggregation - this is not necessarily true.






26. Continuation of Operations Plan






27. Good for distance - longer than 100M






28. This is the file on a UNIX system where usernames to password MD5 hash outputs are stored. The system uses this file to determine if the password entered for a given username is correct.






29. CISSPs subscribe to a code of ethics for building up the security profession






30. In computer networking - this is the method for finding a host's hardware address when only its IP address is known. Due to the overwhelming prevalence of IPv4 and ethernet - ARP is primarily used to translate ethernet MAC addresses from IP addresses






31. An attacker spoofs the source IP in a packet header - to make a ping request appear to have originated from the future victim's network - then the responding network responds in full force to these requests and brings down the victim's network.






32. The person that controls access to the data






33. Network devices that operate at layer 3. This device separates broadcast domains.






34. A site that is ready and available within minutes or hours to continue processing. This is a site that is fully configured and ready to go.






35. An international standard defining security assurance and functionality profiles. Replaced the TCSEC - ITSEC - etc.






36. Animals with teeth. Not as discriminate as guards






37. These cryptographic protocols provide secure communications on the Internet. SSL provides endpoint authentication and communications privacy over the Internet using cryptography. In typical use - only the server is authenticated while the client rema






38. Packet sniffers (also known as network or protocol analyzers or Ethernet sniffers) are computer software (usually) or computer hardware that can intercept and log traffic passing over a digital network or part of a network. As data streams travel bac






39. Class A (1-126.x.x.x) - Class B (128-191.x.x.x) - Class C (192-223.x.x.x)






40. When a security event occurs - this is the order in which people will be contacted. This is a predefined list.






41. The fraudulent appropriation by a person to his own use of property or money entrusted to that person's care but owned by someone else.






42. Once authenticated - the level of access you have to a system






43. A war dialing utility






44. A unit that will detect motion for the purpose of setting of the alarms to alert for unauthorized access.






45. A meme and a joke are the same thing. e.g. When someone says to delete a file that is really just fine and they call it a virus






46. Rotating employee's job duties so that things can be checked that they are doing to make sure nothing fraudulent is occurring.






47. Assuming someone's session who is unaware of what you are doing






48. A self-replicating computer program - similar to a computer virus. A virus attaches itself to - and becomes part of - another executable program; however - a worm is self-contained and does not need to be part of another program to propagate itself.






49. Business Impact Analysis. A BIA is a functional analysis in which a team collects data through interviews and documentary sources. It documents business functions - activities - and transactions.






50. Computer Incident Response Team