CompTIA ITF+ Security Principles Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A company's financial records were secretly modified to show a lower profit, allowing an executive to purchase company stock at a reduced price. Which principle of the CIA triad was primarily violated?
- Confidentiality
- Integrity (Correct answer)
- Availability
- Authorization
Correct answer: Integrity
Integrity ensures that data is accurate, consistent, and has not been tampered with by unauthorized parties. In this scenario, the unauthorized modification of financial records is a direct violation of data integrity.
Question 2: Which of the following is a security control that acts as a barrier between a trusted internal network and an untrusted external network, such as the internet, by filtering traffic based on a set of rules?
- Antivirus Software
- Biometric Scanner
- Firewall (Correct answer)
- Proxy Server
Correct answer: Firewall
A firewall is a network security device that monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic and decides whether to allow or block specific traffic based on a defined set of security rules. Its primary purpose is to create a barrier between a secure internal network and untrusted external networks.
Question 3: An employee receives an email that appears to be from their bank, asking them to click a link and verify their account details due to a "security alert." The link leads to a fraudulent website designed to steal credentials. What type of attack is this?
- Phishing (Correct answer)
- Ransomware
- Denial-of-service
- Trojan horse
Correct answer: Phishing
Phishing is a type of social engineering attack where attackers deceive individuals into revealing sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
Question 4: A user downloads what appears to be a legitimate free screen-saver application. However, once installed, the program secretly installs software that gives a remote attacker unauthorized access to the user's system. What type of malware is the screen-saver application?
- Worm
- Trojan horse (Correct answer)
- Ransomware
- Virus
Correct answer: Trojan horse
A Trojan horse, or Trojan, is a type of malware that disguises itself as legitimate software to trick users into installing it. Once executed, it carries out its malicious function, such as creating a backdoor for an attacker.
Question 5: When setting up a new online account, a user is required to provide a password. Which of the following represents the MOST secure password?
- Password123
- johndoe
- MyP@ssw0rd!2024 (Correct answer)
- 12345678
Correct answer: MyP@ssw0rd!2024
A strong password uses a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters (complexity). It is also sufficiently long, which makes it resistant to brute-force and dictionary attacks.
Question 6: Which of the following is an example of the 'something you are' authentication factor?
- A password
- A security token
- A Personal Identification Number (PIN)
- A fingerprint scan (Correct answer)
Correct answer: A fingerprint scan
Authentication factors are categorized as something you know (e.g., password), something you have (e.g., token), and something you are. 'Something you are' refers to biometric data, which includes unique physical characteristics like fingerprints, retinal patterns, or facial features.
CompTIA ITF+ Security Principles Questions and Answers
A company's financial records were secretly modified to show a lower profit, allowing an executive to purchase company stock at a reduced price.
Which principle of the CIA triad was primarily violated?