Security+ SY0-701 Practice Test

A. ✓ Correct: Higher likelihood of cyber attacks is correct because failing to apply security updates leaves systems vulnerable to known exploits, increasing the likelihood of cyber attacks.

B. × Incorrect: Reduced system availability is incorrect because it is outdated software, but it can lead to reduced system availability due to bugs and crashes, this is not the primary risk compared to exposure to cyber threats.

C. × Incorrect: Increased operational costs is incorrect because although maintaining up-to-date security patches might involve costs, these are generally lower than the operational expenses incurred from dealing with a successful cyber attack.

D. × Incorrect: Decreased user satisfaction is incorrect because user satisfaction may decrease if systems become unstable or unavailable due to outdated software, but this is not the main risk compared to increased vulnerability to attacks.

A. × Incorrect: As non-classified information that can be shared freely is incorrect because pII contains personal information that must be protected and cannot be shared freely.

B. × Incorrect: As public information that does not need special handling is incorrect because pII is sensitive data that requires special handling to comply with regulations, not public information.

C. ✓ Correct: As sensitive data requiring enhanced security measures is correct because classifying PII as sensitive data ensures it receives the necessary security measures to protect privacy and meet legal requirements.

D. × Incorrect: As standard business data without additional classification is incorrect because standard business data classification does not provide adequate protection for the personal nature of PII.

A. × Incorrect: Confidentiality is incorrect because it pertains to protecting data from unauthorized access rather than ensuring that data remains unchanged.

B. × Incorrect: Availability is incorrect because concerns the accessibility of data and systems, not whether data has been altered.

C. ✓ Correct: Integrity is correct because it directly addresses the assurance that data has not been modified without proper authorization.

D. × Incorrect: Authentication is incorrect because verifies user identity but does not address changes to document integrity.

A. ✓ Correct: Inventory management is correct because asset tagging enables organizations to track and manage their assets accurately.

B. × Incorrect: User authentication is incorrect because it involves verifying identities, not tracking physical or digital assets.

C. × Incorrect: Risk assessment is incorrect because it focuses on identifying potential threats and vulnerabilities, unrelated to asset identification.

D. × Incorrect: Vulnerability scanning is incorrect because aims at detecting security weaknesses in systems, distinct from inventory management.

A. × Incorrect: Identify compliance requirements for third-party vendors is incorrect because it focuses on identifying compliance requirements rather than assessing financial risks.

B. × Incorrect: Determine the technical capabilities of vendor products is incorrect because it concentrates on technical capabilities instead of evaluating the potential cost and likelihood of data loss.

C. ✓ Correct: Assess the likelihood and potential cost of a vendor's data loss is correct because it accurately describes assessing the probability and expense associated with a vendor's data breach.

D. × Incorrect: Evaluate the vendor's reputation in the industry is incorrect because it emphasizes reputation over the actual risk assessment of potential financial impact.

A. × Incorrect: Phishing is incorrect because it involves tricking individuals into revealing sensitive information rather than exploiting software vulnerabilities.

B. × Incorrect: Man-in-the-Middle is incorrect because it is a man-in-the-middle attack intercepts communication between two parties without directly targeting software flaws.

C. × Incorrect: SQL Injection is incorrect because exploits vulnerabilities in web applications' database queries, but it specifically targets known issues with input validation, not previously unknown vulnerabilities.

D. ✓ Correct: Zero-Day Exploit is correct because it is a Zero-Day Exploit occurs when an attacker uses a newly discovered vulnerability before the developers can release a patch.

A. ✓ Correct: Access control is correct because network segmentation supports access control by dividing a network into smaller segments to restrict unauthorized access and limit threat spread.

B. × Incorrect: Data encryption is incorrect because it focuses on protecting the confidentiality of data in transit or at rest, not on controlling network traffic flow or segmenting networks.

C. × Incorrect: Firewall rules is incorrect because they manage inbound and outbound traffic based on predefined criteria but do not inherently create separate network segments for enhanced security isolation.

D. × Incorrect: Antivirus software is incorrect because it detects and removes malicious software from systems but does not involve the structural division of a network into distinct, secure zones.

A. ✓ Correct: Firewall is correct because it is a firewall monitors and controls network traffic to block unauthorized access before it becomes an incident.

B. × Incorrect: Antivirus software is incorrect because it detects and removes malware after it has entered the system, not preventing incidents beforehand.

C. × Incorrect: Access controls is incorrect because they manage who can view or use resources but do not stop incidents before they happen; they limit damage once an incident occurs.

D. × Incorrect: Incident response plans is incorrect because they are designed to handle security breaches after they occur, rather than stopping them before.

A. × Incorrect: Network optimization is incorrect because it does not relate to preventing DNS queries from reaching public servers.

B. × Incorrect: Data encryption is incorrect because it deals with securing data transmission, not isolating internal DNS traffic.

C. × Incorrect: IP address management is incorrect because it involves assigning and tracking IP addresses, unrelated to DNS query isolation.

D. ✓ Correct: Domain isolation prevents internal DNS queries from being forwarded to external DNS servers.

A. ✓ Correct: Evaluate the effectiveness of security controls is correct because it directly addresses how phishing simulations can assess whether security policies are effectively implemented and enforced.

B. × Incorrect: Estimate the cost of recovering from a simulated attack is incorrect because it focuses on cost estimation rather than evaluating the actual effectiveness of security controls during a simulation.

C. × Incorrect: Identify areas for improvement in physical security is incorrect because physical security is unrelated to phishing simulations, which target digital vulnerabilities through social engineering tactics.

D. × Incorrect: Assess the compliance with industry standards is incorrect because assessing compliance with industry standards does not measure how well an organization's specific policies work against simulated attacks.

A. × Incorrect: Implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) is incorrect because it adds an extra layer of security but does not directly limit brute-force attempts on passwords.

B. × Incorrect: Enforcing strong password policies is incorrect because helps create secure passwords but does not restrict the number of login tries.

C. ✓ Correct: Limiting login attempts per account reduces the risk of brute-force attacks by locking out after a certain number of failed attempts.

D. × Incorrect: Using encryption for data transmission is incorrect because it secures data in transit and has no direct impact on preventing multiple password guessing attempts.

A. × Incorrect: Redundancy reduces the overall cost of the system is incorrect because redundancy does not reduce costs; it increases them by adding extra components.

B. × Incorrect: Redundancy increases the speed of data transfer is incorrect because redundancy focuses on system reliability and failover, not on improving data transfer speeds.

C. × Incorrect: Redundancy enhances the security of the network is incorrect because it is redundancy, but it can indirectly enhance security through increased availability, its primary purpose is to ensure operational continuity in case of component failure.

D. ✓ Correct: Redundancy ensures that there is a backup for critical components, allowing the system to continue operating even if one component fails is correct because it accurately describes how redundancy provides backup components that keep the system running when critical parts fail.

A. ✓ Correct: Security-control impact review is correct because it is a security-control impact review documents how the proposed change may affect existing controls.

B. × Incorrect: Acceptable use policy is incorrect because it is an acceptable use policy tells users what behavior is allowed; it does not analyze a technical change.

C. × Incorrect: Disaster recovery test is incorrect because it is a disaster recovery test validates recovery capability, not the security effect of a routine change.

D. × Incorrect: User awareness newsletter is incorrect because it is a newsletter supports training or communication, not change-risk evaluation.

A. × Incorrect: Cost-effective and efficient resource allocation is incorrect because it focuses on resource allocation rather than security measures.

B. × Incorrect: Compliance with industry standards and regulations is incorrect because compliance with standards and regulations is important but secondary to direct protection against threats.

C. ✓ Correct: Protection against known vulnerabilities and threats is correct because it directly addresses the primary goal of a secure baseline: protecting against known vulnerabilities and threats.

D. × Incorrect: Enhanced user experience across all systems is incorrect because enhancing user experience does not align with the core purpose of security baselines.

A. ✓ Correct: It provides independent and objective assurance is correct because internal audit is expected to provide independent and objective assurance.

B. × Incorrect: It disables every control before testing is incorrect because audits evaluate controls; they do not require disabling every control.

C. × Incorrect: It is performed only by law enforcement is incorrect because internal audit is not performed only by law enforcement.

D. × Incorrect: It avoids evidence collection is incorrect because audit work depends on collecting and evaluating evidence.

A. ✓ Correct: Patch management applies updates that correct known software weaknesses.

B. × Incorrect: Phishing simulation is incorrect because trains users and measures awareness; it does not update vulnerable software.

C. × Incorrect: Password spraying is incorrect because it is an attack technique, not a remediation practice.

D. × Incorrect: Data masking is incorrect because hides sensitive values; it does not fix software flaws.

A. ✓ Correct: Identity governance and data access policy is correct because in a SaaS model, the customer retains responsibility for managing user identities and access policies to ensure proper data security and compliance.

B. × Incorrect: Hypervisor patching is incorrect because falls under the provider's responsibilities since they manage the underlying infrastructure.

C. × Incorrect: Physical data center guards and locks is incorrect because they are not relevant in a SaaS environment as the customer does not have direct control over the physical location of the servers.

D. × Incorrect: Host operating system hardening is incorrect because it is typically managed by the service provider, who oversees the application stack and security measures.

A. ✓ Correct: Digital certificate is correct because it is a digital certificate binds an identity to a public key for authentication purposes.

B. × Incorrect: Certificate revocation list (CRL) is incorrect because it is a Certificate Revocation List (CRL) lists certificates that have been revoked and does not bind identities to keys.

C. × Incorrect: Certificate signing request (CSR) is incorrect because it is a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) requests the issuance of a digital certificate but does not itself bind an identity to a public key.

D. × Incorrect: Symmetric session key is incorrect because it is a symmetric session key is used for encryption between two parties and does not involve binding identities or public keys.

A. × Incorrect: Restart the server immediately is incorrect because restarting the server immediately could disrupt critical business operations and lose important data without addressing the underlying issue.

B. × Incorrect: Contact the IT department to escalate the issue is incorrect because contacting the IT department should be a secondary step after initial assessment to ensure immediate action can be taken while waiting for further support.

C. ✓ Correct: Run a full system scan for malware is correct because running a full system scan for malware helps identify potential threats without causing further disruption, allowing the analyst to assess and address the issue effectively.

D. × Incorrect: Change all user passwords is incorrect because changing all user passwords immediately does not guarantee that the threat has been neutralized or identified, potentially leaving the server vulnerable.

A. ✓ Correct: To align security efforts with business objectives and risk management strategies is correct because it ensures that security efforts are aligned with an organization's overall goals and risk management strategies.

B. × Incorrect: To ensure compliance with regulatory requirements only is incorrect because it focuses solely on compliance without considering broader business objectives and strategic alignment.

C. × Incorrect: To manage day-to-day technical operations of security systems is incorrect because managing day-to-day technical operations falls under operational responsibilities, not governance.

D. × Incorrect: To handle employee training and awareness programs is incorrect because handling employee training and awareness programs is part of security awareness initiatives, not the primary role of security governance.

A. ✓ Correct: Phishing specifically targets users to trick them into revealing sensitive information like login credentials through deceptive emails.

B. × Incorrect: Man-in-the-Middle is incorrect because it is a Man-in-the-Middle attack involves an attacker intercepting and possibly altering communication between two parties, not directly tricking the user via email for credentials.

C. × Incorrect: SQL Injection is incorrect because attacks target vulnerabilities in databases by inserting malicious code into queries, unrelated to deceiving users through emails for login information.

D. × Incorrect: Zero-Day Exploit is incorrect because it is a Zero-Day Exploit targets software vulnerabilities that are unknown to the developers and thus unpatched; it does not involve tricking users via email.

A. × Incorrect: To facilitate easy data sharing with external partners is incorrect because it facilitates data sharing with external partners, which contradicts the need to protect sensitive PII.

B. × Incorrect: To reduce the complexity of data management processes is incorrect because reducing complexity does not address the critical need for stringent security measures around PII.

C. × Incorrect: To simplify access control policies across the organization is incorrect because simplifying access control policies undermines the necessary strict controls required for protecting PII.

D. ✓ Correct: To ensure compliance with legal and regulatory requirements is correct because it ensures compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, which mandates high-security classification of PII.

A. × Incorrect: Firewalls is incorrect because it monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules but does not specifically target malicious software.

B. × Incorrect: Incident response plans is incorrect because it outlines steps to take after a security incident occurs, rather than preventing infections from malicious software.

C. × Incorrect: Access controls is incorrect because it manages who can access what resources within an organization's systems, which is unrelated to detecting and removing malicious software.

D. ✓ Correct: Antivirus software detects, blocks, or removes malicious code before it can infect systems.

A. ✓ Correct: By reducing the number of security personnel needed is correct because it reduces the number of security personnel needed by automating routine tasks, leading to cost savings.

B. × Incorrect: By increasing the speed of incident response times is incorrect because although faster incident response times are beneficial, they do not directly address reducing costs through fewer staff members.

C. × Incorrect: By automating repetitive tasks to free up human resources is incorrect because they are freeing up human resources for more complex tasks, but they are a benefit of automation, the primary focus here is on cost reduction by minimizing personnel needs.

D. × Incorrect: By enhancing the complexity of security systems is incorrect because enhancing complexity does not contribute to cost management; in fact, increased system complexity can lead to higher operational costs.

A. × Incorrect: A legal requirement for data protection is incorrect because it refers to legal requirements for data protection, which are unrelated to an organization's willingness to accept risk.

B. ✓ Correct: The maximum amount of risk an organization is willing to take on accurately defines its risk appetite in pursuit of strategic objectives.

C. × Incorrect: The frequency of security audits conducted by the organization is incorrect because it is the frequency of security audits does not define how much risk an organization is willing to tolerate; it is a separate aspect of risk management.

D. × Incorrect: The process of securing physical assets is incorrect because securing physical assets pertains to specific security measures and has no direct relation to the overall willingness to accept risk.

A. × Incorrect: Increased system performance is incorrect because updating software typically does not improve system performance; it addresses security and functionality issues.

B. × Incorrect: Enhanced user interface is incorrect because updates often include new features rather than enhancing the user interface specifically.

C. × Incorrect: Reduced hardware requirements is incorrect because software updates do not reduce hardware requirements; they may even increase them to support new features or security measures.

D. ✓ Correct: Greater risk of security breaches is correct because it is not updating software exposes systems to known vulnerabilities, increasing the risk of security breaches.

A. × Incorrect: It increases the attack surface by creating more entry points is incorrect because it increases network security by reducing the attack surface rather than expanding it.

B. × Incorrect: It eliminates the need for firewalls and other security measures is incorrect because segmentation does not eliminate the need for firewalls and other measures; instead, it complements them to enhance overall security.

C. × Incorrect: It decreases network performance due to increased complexity is incorrect because it is segmentation, but it can introduce some complexity, its primary benefit lies in improving security, not degrading network performance.

D. ✓ Correct: It limits the spread of a breach to specific segments, reducing overall impact is correct because it limits the spread of a breach to specific segments, thereby reducing the potential damage and impact.

A. × Incorrect: Confidentiality is incorrect because it focuses on protecting data from unauthorized disclosure rather than preventing alterations.

B. × Incorrect: Authentication is incorrect because verifies user identity but does not prevent unauthorized changes to files.

C. × Incorrect: Availability is incorrect because ensures that systems and information are accessible when needed, unrelated to file modifications.

D. ✓ Correct: Integrity specifically safeguards against unauthorized alterations to ensure data remains accurate and unchanged.

A. × Incorrect: scalability is incorrect because it refers to how well a system can handle growth in users and data, which SSO does not directly address.

B. × Incorrect: security posture is incorrect because while SSO enhances security by centralizing authentication processes, its primary focus is on improving user experience rather than the overall security posture of an organization.

C. × Incorrect: compliance with regulations is incorrect because although SSO can help with compliance by simplifying access control and audit trails, it is not primarily aimed at regulatory compliance but rather at ease of use for users.

D. ✓ Correct: user experience is correct because sSO primarily improves user experience by allowing users to access multiple applications with a single set of credentials, reducing the need for repetitive login processes.

A. × Incorrect: Employees will be promoted for their diligence is incorrect because promoting employees for neglecting to follow HIPAA regulations would be counterproductive and illegal.

B. ✓ Correct: The organization may face legal action is correct because failure to comply with HIPAA can result in legal actions such as fines and lawsuits against the organization.

C. × Incorrect: There will be no impact on patient care is incorrect because data breaches can compromise patient privacy, leading to negative impacts on trust and care quality.

D. × Incorrect: The organization's reputation will improve is incorrect because overlooking required procedures typically harms an organization's reputation due to loss of public trust.