Foundations of cybersecurity

Business email compromise (BEC) (phishing ex.)

An attack in which a threat actor impersonates a known source to obtain a financial advantage

Physical social engineering (social eng. ex.)

An attack in which a threat actor impersonates an employee, customer, or vendor to obtain unauthorized access to a physical location

USB baiting (social eng. ex.)

An attack in which a threat actor strategically leaves a malware USB stick for an employee to find and unknowingly infect a network

Security posture

An organization's ability to manage its defense of critical assets and data and react to change

Fill in the blank: Performing _____ enables security professionals to review an organization's security records, activities, and related documents.

security audits (official inspection)

Which proficiencies are transferable skills, likely to be applicable in almost any field? Select three answers.

written & verbal communication problem solving analysis

whaling (phishing ex.)

A form of spear phishing during which threat actors target executives in order to gain access to sensitive data

ransomware (malware ex.)

A malicious attack during which threat actors encrypt an organization's data and demand payment to restore access

spear phishing (phishing ex.)

A malicious email attack targeting a specific user or group of users that appears to originate from a trusted source

Virus (malware ex.)

A malware program that modifies other computer programs by inserting its own code to damage and/or destroy data

Social engineering

A manipulation technique that exploits human error to gain unauthorized access to sensitive, private, and/or valuable data

Malware

A software designed to harm devices or networks

Social media phishing (social eng. ex.)

An attack in which a threat actor collects detailed information about their target on social media sites before initiating an attack

Watering hole attack (social eng. ex.)

An attack in which a threat actor compromises a website frequently visited by a specific group of users

spyware (malware ex.)

Malicious software installed on a user's computer without their permission, which is used to spy on and steal user data

worm (malware ex.)

Malware that self-replicates, spreading across the network and infecting computers

What occurs during a security audit?

Review of an organization's security records, activities, and other related documents

vishing

The exploitation of electronic voice communication to obtain sensitive information or to impersonate a known source

Network security

The practice of keeping an organization's network infrastructure secure from unauthorized

phishing

The use of digital communications to trick people into revealing sensitive data or deploying malicious software

smishing

The use of text messages to trick users, in order to obtain sensitive information or to impersonate a known source.

physical attack

a security incident that affects not only digital but also physical environments where the incident is deployed. Some forms of physical attacks are: Malicious USB cable Malicious flash drive Card cloning and skimming Physical attacks fall under the asset security domain.

Security frameworks

are guidelines used for building plans to help mitigate risks and threats to data and privacy

Security controls

are safeguards designed to reduce specific security risks. They are used with security frameworks to establish a strong security posture

A security professional is asked to destroy and dispose of old hard drives that include confidential customer information. Which security domain is this task related to?

asset security

Fill in the blank: A computer virus is malicious _____ that interferes with computer operations and causes damage.

code

Fill in the blank: Cybersecurity is the practice of ensuring _____ by protecting networks, devices, people, and data from unauthorized access or criminal exploitation.

confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information

Fill in the blank: Cybersecurity aims to protect networks, devices, people, and data from _____ or unauthorized access.

criminal exploitation

Fill in the blank: _____ identify, analyze, and preserve criminal evidence within networks, computers, and electronic devices.

digital forensic investigators

Programming

is a process that can be used to create a specific set of instructions for a computer to execute tasks. These tasks can include: Automation of repetitive tasks (e.g., searching a list of malicious domains) Reviewing web traffic Alerting suspicious activity

Adversarial artificial intelligence

is a technique that manipulates artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to conduct attacks more efficiently. Adversarial artificial intelligence falls under both the communication and network security and the identity and access management domains.

Security posture

is an organization's ability to manage its defense of critical assets and data and react to change. A strong security posture leads to lower risk for the organization

Compliance

is the process of adhering to internal standards and external regulations and enables organizations to avoid fines and security breaches

What is one way that the Morris worm helped shape the security industry?

it led to development of computer response teams

What are the primary responsibilities of an entry-level security analyst? Select three answers.

monitor systems search for weaknesses protect information

Which proficiencies are technical skills that are needed to become an entry-level security analyst? Select two answers.

programming data analysis

In what ways do security teams bring value to an organization? Select two answers

protection against external & internal threats achieving regulatory compliance

Your supervisor asks you to audit user permissions for payroll data to ensure no unauthorized employees have access to it. Which security domain is this audit related to?

security assessment and testing

You are asked to investigate an alert related to an unknown device that is connected to the company's internal network. After you complete your investigation, you follow company policies and procedures to implement preventative measures that will stop the potential threat posed by the device. Which security domain is this scenario related to?

security operations