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Comptia Security +: Vocab

Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
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  • 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. Also known as Rijndael - is a block cipher adopted as an encryption standard by the US government. It is expected to be used worldwide and analyzed extensively - as was the case with its predecessor - the Data Encryption Standard (DES). AES was adopt






2. An attempt to trick the system into believing that something false is real






3. Good for distance - longer than 100M






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






5. A type of hash function used to produce a checksum - which is a small - fixed number of bits - against a block of data. This is used to detect errors after transmission or storage.






6. A method of encrypting text to produce cipher text in which a cryptographic key and algorithm are applied to a block of data as a group instead of one bit at a time






7. An attack that is similar to smurf but instead of using ICMP (ping) it uses UDP as its weapon of choice. It broadcasts a spoofed UDP packet to the amplifying network.






8. Using ICMP to diagram a network






9. In cryptanalysis and computer security - this attack is a technique for defeating a cipher or authentication mechanism by trying to determine its decryption key or passphrase by searching a large number of possibilities. In contrast with a brute forc






10. A gas used in fire suppression. Not human safe. Chemical reaction.






11. Demilitarized Zone. A part of the network that is neither part of the internal network nor directly part of the Internet. Basically a network sitting between two networks.






12. A person able to exploit a system or gain unauthorized access through skill and tactics. This usually refers to a black hat hacker. There are also white hats (ethical hackers) - and grey hats.






13. Common Object Request Broker Architecture.






14. A set of exclusive rights granted by a state to a person for a fixed period of time in exchange for the regulated - public disclosure of certain details of a device - method - process or composition of matter (substance) (known as an invention) which






15. Packet sniffers (also known as Network Analyzers or Ethernet Sniffers) are software programs that can see the traffic passing over a network or part of a network. As data streams travel back and forth over the network - the program captures each pack






16. The process of developing a planned approach to change in an organization. Typically the objective is to maximize the collective benefits for all people involved in the change and minimize the risk of failure of implementing the change.






17. A class of storage media used in computers and other electronic devices. Because it cannot (easily) be written to - its main uses lie in the distribution of firmware.






18. 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






19. A network entity that provides a single entrance / exit point to the Internet.






20. An agreement that you make with another company to be able to use their facilities in the event of a disaster. The least expensive - and not usually enforceable.






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






22. A technique to eliminate data redundancy.






23. Object Linking and Embedding. The ability of an object to be embedded into another object.






24. Hardware - software - and firmware elements of a TCB that implement the fundamental security procedures for controlling access to system resources






25. 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.






26. Network devices that operate at layer 2. Every port on a switch is a separate collision domain






27. In a separation of duties model - this is where code is checked in and out






28. Emanations from one wire coupling with another wire






29. An AAA (Authentication - Authorization - and Accounting) protocol for applications such as network access or IP mobility. It is intended to work in both local and roaming situations.






30. A hash function (or hash algorithm) is a way of creating a small digital 'fingerprint' from any kind of data. The function chops and mixes the data to create the fingerprint - often called a hash value. The hash value is commonly represented as a sho






31. RFC 1918 defined the following addresses as the private addressing ranges: 192.168.x.x - 10.x.x.x - 172.16.x.x - 172.31.x.x






32. Refers to any of the various programs by which a computer controls aspects of its operations - such as those for translating data from one form to another - as contrasted with hardware - which is the physical equipment comprising the installation.






33. 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






34. (OLE) is a distributed object system and protocol developed by Microsoft. OLE allows an editor to 'farm out' part of a document to another editor and then reimport it. Its primary use is for managing compound documents - but it is also used for trans






35. A specialized form of software authentication that enables a user to authenticate once and gain access to the resources of multiple software systems.






36. The physical part of a computer - as distinguished from the computer software that executes within the hardware.






37. Basic Input/Output System






38. In computing - the Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol authenticates a user to an Internet access provider. CHAP provides protection against playback attack by the peer through the use of an incrementally changing identifier and of a variable






39. They all deal with objects or identifiers that are used during authentication. They provide information that will allow the authentication to happen. There are many types.






40. 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






41. In a distributed attack - the attacking computer hosts are often zombie computers with broadband connections to the Internet that have been compromised by viruses or Trojan horse programs that allow the perpetrator to remotely control the machine and






42. A remote authentication protocol that is used to communicate with an authentication server commonly used in UNIX networks. TACACS allows a remote access server to communicate with an authentication server in order to determine if the user has access






43. Animals with teeth. Not as discriminate as guards






44. Motive - Opportunity - and Means. These deal with crime.






45. A standard protocol for interfacing external application software with an information server - commonly a web server. This allows the server to pass requests from a client web browser to the external application. The web server can then return the ou






46. 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.






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






48. Public Key Infrastructure






49. A little piece of information that is put on your computer to allow communications with the server and that also allow some servers to track everything you go to on the Internet






50. In cryptography - it is one of the simplest and most widely-known encryption techniques. It is a type of substitution cipher in which each letter in the plaintext is replaced by a letter some fixed number of positions further down the alphabet.