CpS 391 Quiz 1
Zero-day vulnerabilities and configuration vulnerabilities can heavily impact a system if exploited. How should you differentiate between a zero-day vulnerability and a configuration vulnerability?
A zero-day vulnerability is an unknown vulnerability in released software that is found and exploited by a threat actor, whereas a configuration vulnerability is caused by improper settings in hardware or software.
Threat actors focused on financial gain often attack which of the following main target categories?
Individual users
Which attack embeds malware-distributing links in instant messages?
Spim
Over the last few days, several employees in your enterprise reported seeing strange messages containing links in their company's IM account. Even though no one has clicked on the messages, they are spreading throughout the network.Which type of malicious activity is this?
Spimming
Which of the following is a configuration vulnerability?
Weak encryption
Your company is considering updating several electronic devices used in the enterprise network. The third-party service provider that your company approached says that they require access to the enterprise network in order to implement the updates. As the chief information security officer, you are asked to analyze the requirement and submit a report on potential vulnerabilities when giving a third-party access to the network.Which of the following vulnerabilities should you list as the most likely to affect the enterprise network?
Weakest link
Which threat actors violate computer security for personal gain?
Black hat hackers
Which threat actors sell their knowledge to other attackers or governments?
Brokers
Which type of threat actor would benefit the most from accessing your enterprise's new machine learning algorithm research and development program?
Competitors
In an interview, the interviewer introduced the following scenario:An enterprise is hosting all its computing resources on a cloud platform, and you need to identify which vulnerability is most likely to occur.Which of the following should you choose?
Configuration vulnerability
Your company recently purchased routers with new and updated features and deployed them in the highly secure enterprise network without changing the default settings. A few days later, the enterprise network suffered a data breach, and you are assigned to prepare a report on the data breach. Which of the following vulnerabilities should you identify as the source of the breach?
Configuration vulnerability
Which issue can arise from security updates and patches?
Difficulty patching firmware
Which of the following is a physical social engineering technique?
Dumpster diving
Which of the following is an attack vector used by threat actors to penetrate a system?
Which of the following is the most common method for delivering malware?
Your enterprise has played fast and loose with customer information for years. While there has been no significant breach of information that could damage the organization and/or their customers, many in the enterprise feel it is only a matter of time before a major leak occurs.Which type of threat actor is an employee who wishes to personally ensure that the enterprise is exposed and blocked from accessing their customers' information until they ensure more secure protocols?
Hacktivist
A federal appeals court recently made a judgment that caused significant public outrage. Soon after the ruling, the court's website was hacked, and the content was replaced with the text "Equal justice for all."Which of the following type of threat actors attacked the court's site?
Hacktivists
Hacktivists and state actors are huge threats to government systems. What is the main difference between hacktivists and state actors?
Hacktivists misuse a computer system or network for socially or politically motivated reasons, whereas state actors are covertly sponsored by a government to attack its foes.
An unauthorized person recently accessed your enterprise network. The security team had received a call from the threat actor claiming to be a higher official. They followed the attacker's instructions to log them onto a specific webpage, leading to the exposure of enterprise network credentials.Which of the following social engineering techniques was used here?
Impersonation and phishing
Which of the following computing platforms is highly vulnerable to attacks?
Legacy
Which of the following types of platforms is known for its vulnerabilities due to age?
Legacy platform
What is an officially released software security update intended to repair a vulnerability called?
Patch
Social engineering is a means of eliciting information by relying on the weaknesses of individuals. How should you differentiate between the social engineering techniques of phishing and pharming?
Phishing involves sending an email message or displaying a web announcement that falsely claims to be from a legitimate enterprise, whereas pharming is a redirection technique that attempts to exploit how a URL is converted into its corresponding IP.
You work for an enterprise that provides various cybersecurity services. You are assigned to examine an enterprise's network and suggest security measures modifications, if necessary. On examining the network, you find that the enterprise hosts most of its computing resources on a cloud platform and few resources on-premises, and both seem to have secure settings implemented. You also find that the enterprise computers use the Windows XP operating system.Which of the following vulnerabilities should you insist on fixing first?
Platform vulnerability
Which of the following is a social engineering method that attempts to influence the subject before the event occurs?
Prepending
In cybersecurity, a threat actor is an individual or an entity responsible for cyber incidents against the technical equipment of enterprises and users. How should you differentiate an attack by a script kiddie from that of a gray hat hacker?
Script kiddies use automated attack software created by other hackers for personal gain, whereas gray hat hackers create their own attack software to showcase vulnerabilities present in a system to the world.
What is a variation of a common social engineering attack targeting a specific user?
Spear phishing
Several websites use URLs similar to one of the most globally popular websites, attempting to attract traffic if a user misspells the popular website's URL. What is this social engineering technique called?
Typo squatting
Your enterprise experienced several technical issues over the last few days. There were multiple instances of passwords needing to be changed and other issues causing downtime. Management has started receiving voicemails regarding fraudulent activities on their accounts. While the voicemails sound authentic, the help desk concludes that they are fake.What type of malicious activity will this be considered?
Vishing
Attackers have taken over a site commonly used by an enterprise's leadership team to order new raw materials. The site is also visited by leadership at several other enterprises, so taking this site will allow for attacks on many organizations.Which type of malicious activity is this?
Watering hole
