CompTIA Security+ Question L-63

Which of the following would a security administrator implement in order to identify a problem between two systems that are not communicating properly?

A. Protocol analyzer
B. Baseline report
C. Risk assessment
D. Vulnerability scan

Answer: A

Explanation:
A Protocol Analyzer is a hardware device or more commonly a software program used to capture network data communications sent between devices on a network. Capturing and analyzing the packets sent from two systems that are not communicating properly could help determine the cause of the issue. Well known software protocol analyzers include Message Analyzer (formerly Network Monitor) from Microsoft and Wireshark (formerly Ethereal).

CompTIA Security+ Question L-54

Ann, the software security engineer, works for a major software vendor. Which of the following practices should be implemented to help prevent race conditions, buffer overflows, and other similar vulnerabilities prior to each production release?

A. Product baseline report
B. Input validation
C. Patch regression testing
D. Code review

Answer: D

Explanation:
The problems listed in this question can be caused by problems with the application code. Reviewing the code will help to prevent the problems. The purpose of code review is to look at all custom written code for holes that may exist. The review needs also to examine changes that the code—most likely in the form of a finished application—may make: configuration files, libraries, and the like. During this examination, look for threats such as opportunities for injection to occur (SQL, LDAP, code, and so on), cross-site request forgery, and authentication. Code review is often conducted as a part of gray box testing. Looking at source code can often be one of the easiest ways to find weaknesses within the application. Simply reading the code is known as manual assessment, whereas using tools to scan the code is known as automated assessment.

CompTIA Security+ Question J-9

Which of the following would a security administrator implement in order to identify change from the standard configuration on a server?

A. Penetration test
B. Code review
C. Baseline review
D. Design review

Answer: C

Explanation:
The standard configuration on a server is known as the baseline. The IT baseline protection approach is a methodology to identify and implement computer security measures in an organization. The aim is the achievement of an adequate and appropriate level of security for IT systems. This is known as a baseline. A baseline report compares the current status of network systems in terms of security updates, performance or other metrics to a predefined set of standards (the baseline).

CompTIA Security+ Question I-75

A security manager must remain aware of the security posture of each system. Which of the following supports this requirement?

A. Training staff on security policies
B. Establishing baseline reporting
C. Installing anti-malware software
D. Disabling unnecessary accounts/services

Answer: B

Explanation:
The IT baseline protection approach is a methodology to identify and implement computer security measures in an organization. The aim is the achievement of an adequate and appropriate level of security for IT systems. This is known as a baseline. A baseline report compares the current status of network systems in terms of security updates, performance or other metrics to a predefined set of standards (the baseline).

CompTIA Security+ Question I-31

A security administrator wants to get a real time look at what attackers are doing in the wild, hoping to lower the risk of zero-day attacks. Which of the following should be used to accomplish this goal?

A. Penetration testing
B. Honeynets
C. Vulnerability scanning
D. Baseline reporting

Answer: B

Explanation:
A honeynet is a network set up with intentional vulnerabilities; its purpose is to invite attack, so that an attacker’s activities and methods can be studied and that information used to increase network security. A honeynet contains one or more honey pots, which are computer systems on the Internet expressly set up to attract and “trap” people who attempt to penetrate other people’s computer systems. Although the primary purpose of a honeynet is to gather information about attackers’ methods and motives, the decoy network can benefit its operator in other ways, for example by diverting attackers from a real network and its resources. The Honeynet Project, a non-profit research organization dedicated to computer security and information sharing, actively promotes the deployment of honeynets. In addition to the honey pots, a honeynet usually has real applications and services so that it seems like a normal network and a worthwhile target. However, because the honeynet doesn’t actually serve any authorized users, any attempt to contact the network from without is likely an illicit attempt to breach its security, and any outbound activity is likely evidence that a system has been compromised. For this reason, the suspect information is much more apparent than it would be in an actual network, where it would have to be found amidst all the legitimate network data. Applications within a honeynet are often given names such as “Finances” or “Human Services” to make them sound appealing to the attacker.

A virtual honeynet is one that, while appearing to be an entire network, resides on a single server.

CompTIA Security+ Question H-44

Several users report to the administrator that they are having issues downloading files from the file server. Which of the following assessment tools can be used to determine if there is an issue with the file server?

A. MAC filter list
B. Recovery agent
C. Baselines
D. Access list

Answer: C

Explanation:
The standard configuration on a server is known as the baseline. In this question, we can see if anything has changed on the file server by comparing its current configuration with the baseline. The IT baseline protection approach is a methodology to identify and implement computer security measures in an organization. The aim is the achievement of an adequate and appropriate level of security for IT systems. This is known as a baseline. A baseline report compares the current status of network systems in terms of security updates, performance or other metrics to a predefined set of standards (the baseline).

CompTIA Security+ Question G-84

A new application needs to be deployed on a virtual server. The virtual server hosts a SQL server that is used by several employees.
Which of the following is the BEST approach for implementation of the new application on the virtual server?

A. Take a snapshot of the virtual server after installing the new application and store the snapshot in a secure location.
B. Generate a baseline report detailing all installed applications on the virtualized server after installing the new application.
C. Take a snapshot of the virtual server before installing the new application and store the snapshot in a secure location.
D. Create an exact copy of the virtual server and store the copy on an external hard drive after installing the new application.

Answer: C

Explanation:
Snapshots are backups of virtual machines that can be used to quickly recover from poor updates, and errors arising from newly installed applications. However, the snapshot should be taken before the application or update is installed.

CompTIA Security+ Question G-66

A financial company requires a new private network link with a business partner to cater for realtime and batched data flows.
Which of the following activities should be performed by the IT security staff member prior to establishing the link?

A. Baseline reporting
B. Design review
C. Code review
D. SLA reporting

Answer: B

Explanation:
This question is asking about a new private network link (a VPN) with a business partner. This will provide access to the local network from the business partner. When implementing a VPN, an important step is the design of the VPN. The VPN should be designed to ensure that the security of the network and local systems is not compromised. The design review assessment examines the ports and protocols used, the rules, segmentation, and access control in the systems or applications. A design review is basically a check to ensure that the design of the system meets the security requirements.

CompTIA Security+ Question E-50

Which of the following techniques enables a highly secured organization to assess security weaknesses in real time?

A. Access control lists
B. Continuous monitoring
C. Video surveillance
D. Baseline reporting

Answer: B

Explanation:
Continuous monitoring point toward the never-ending review of what resources a user actually accesses, which is critical for preventing insider threats. Because the process is never-ending, assessments happen in real time.

CompTIA Security+ Question E-28

Which of the following would a security administrator implement in order to discover comprehensive security threats on a network?

A. Design reviews
B. Baseline reporting
C. Vulnerability scan
D. Code review

Answer: C

Explanation:
A vulnerability scan is the process of scanning the network and/or I.T. infrastructure for threats and vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities include computer systems that do not have the latest security patches installed. The threats and vulnerabilities are then evaluated in a risk assessment and the necessary actions taken to resolve and vulnerabilities. A vulnerability scan is the automated process of proactively identifying security vulnerabilities of computing systems in a network in order to determine if and where a system can be exploited and/or threatened. While public servers are important for communication and data transfer over the Internet, they open the door to potential security breaches by threat agents, such as malicious hackers. Vulnerability scanning employs software that seeks out security flaws based on a database of known flaws, testing systems for the occurrence of these flaws and generating a report of the findings that an individual or an enterprise can use to tighten the network’s security. Vulnerability scanning typically refers to the scanning of systems that are connected to the Internet but can also refer to system audits on internal networks that are not connected to the Internet in order to assess the threat of rogue software or malicious employees in an enterprise.