CompTIA Security+ Question J-69

A security engineer is reviewing log data and sees the output below:
POST: /payload.php HTTP/1.1
HOST: localhost
Accept: */*
Referrer: http://localhost/
******* HTTP/1.1 403 Forbidden
Connection: close
Log: Access denied with 403. Pattern matches form bypass Which of the following technologies was MOST likely being used to generate this log?

A. Host-based Intrusion Detection System
B. Web application firewall
C. Network-based Intrusion Detection System
D. Stateful Inspection Firewall
E. URL Content Filter

Answer: B

Explanation:
A web application firewall is a device, server add-on, virtual service, or system filter that defines a strict set of communication rules for a website and all visitors. It’s intended to be an application-specific firewall to prevent cross-site scripting, SQL injection, and other web application attacks.

CompTIA Security+ Question I-91

A network administrator is responsible for securing applications against external attacks. Every month, the underlying operating system is updated. There is no process in place for other software updates.
Which of the following processes could MOST effectively mitigate these risks?

A. Application hardening
B. Application change management
C. Application patch management
D. Application firewall review

Answer: C

Explanation:
The question states that operating system updates are applied but not other software updates. The ‘other software’ in this case would be applications. Software updates includes functionality updates and more importantly security updates. The process of applying software updates or ‘patches’ to applications is known as ‘application patch management’. Application patch management is an effective way of mitigating security risks associated with software applications.

CompTIA Security+ Question I-16

Which of the following is BEST at blocking attacks and providing security at layer 7 of the OSI model?

A. WAF
B. NIDS
C. Routers
D. Switches

Answer: A

Explanation:
A web application firewall (WAF) is an appliance, server plugin, or filter that applies a set of rules to an HTTP conversation. Generally, these rules cover common attacks such as cross-site scripting (XSS) and SQL injection. By customizing the rules to your application, many attacks can be identified and blocked. The effort to perform this customization can be significant and needs to be maintained as the application is modified.

As the protocols used to access a web server (typically HTTP and HTTPS) run in layer 7 of the OSI model, then web application firewall (WAF) is the correct answer.

CompTIA Security+ Question H-96

A recent audit has revealed weaknesses in the process of deploying new servers and network devices. Which of the following practices could be used to increase the security posture during deployment? (Select TWO).

A. Deploy a honeypot
B. Disable unnecessary services
C. Change default passwords
D. Implement an application firewall
E. Penetration testing

Answer: B,C

Explanation:
Increasing security posture is akin to getting the appropriate type of risk mitigation for your company. A plan and its implementation is a major part of security posture. When new servers and network devices are being deployed your most vulnerable points will be coming from all unnecessary services that may be running from servers and network default passwords. Thus your plan should be to disable those services that are not needed and change the default password during the deployment of the new servers and network devices.

CompTIA Security+ Question G-7

Peter, the Chief Technical Officer (CTO), is concerned about new malware being introduced into the corporate network. He has tasked the security engineers to implement a technology that is capable of alerting the team when unusual traffic is on the network. Which of the following types of technologies will BEST address this scenario?

A. Application Firewall
B. Anomaly Based IDS
C. Proxy Firewall
D. Signature IDS

Answer: B

Explanation:
Anomaly-based detection watches the ongoing activity in the environment and looks for abnormal occurrences. An anomaly-based monitoring or detection method relies on definitions of all valid forms of activity. This database of known valid activity allows the tool to detect any and all anomalies. Anomaly-based detection is commonly used for protocols. Because all the valid and legal forms of a protocol are known and can be defined, any variations from those known valid constructions are seen as anomalies.

CompTIA Security+ Question F-3

When considering a vendor-specific vulnerability in critical industrial control systems which of the following techniques supports availability?

A. Deploying identical application firewalls at the border
B. Incorporating diversity into redundant design
C. Enforcing application white lists on the support workstations
D. Ensuring the systems’ anti-virus definitions are up-to-date

Answer: B

Explanation:
If you know there is a vulnerability that is specific to one vendor, you can improve availability by implementing multiple systems that include at least one system from a different vendor and so is not affected by the vulnerability.

CompTIA Security+ Question E-81

Which of the following can be implemented in hardware or software to protect a web server from cross-site scripting attacks?

A. Intrusion Detection System
B. Flood Guard Protection
C. Web Application Firewall
D. URL Content Filter

Answer: C

Explanation:
Cross-site scripting (XSS) is a form of malicious code-injection attack on a web server in which an attacker injects code into the content sent to website visitors. XSS can be mitigated by implementing patch management on the web server, using firewalls, and auditing for suspicious activity.

CompTIA Security+ Question E-4

Matt, an administrator, notices a flood fragmented packet and retransmits from an email server.
After disabling the TCP offload setting on the NIC, Matt sees normal traffic with packets flowing in sequence again. Which of the following utilities was he MOST likely using to view this issue?

A. Spam filter
B. Protocol analyzer
C. Web application firewall
D. Load balancer

Answer: B

Explanation:
A protocol analyzer is a tool used to examine the contents of network traffic. Commonly known as a sniffer, a protocol analyzer can be a dedicated hardware device or software installed onto a typical host system. In either case, a protocol analyzer is first a packet capturing tool that can collect network traffic and store it in memory or onto a storage device. Once a packet is captured, it can be analyzed either with complex automated tools and scripts or manually.

CompTIA Security+ Question B-93

The network administrator is responsible for promoting code to applications on a DMZ web server. Which of the following processes is being followed to ensure application integrity?

A. Application hardening
B. Application firewall review
C. Application change management
D. Application patch management

Answer: C

Explanation:
Change management is the structured approach that is followed to secure a company’s assets. Promoting code to application on a SMZ web server would be change management.