Cyber Security Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Cyber Security facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Which attack targets cloud metadata services to steal temporary credentials? → Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) targeting the instance metadata service
2. What is a playbook in the context of incident response? → A documented step-by-step procedure for responding to a specific type of incident
3. Which protocol provides encryption for data transmitted over a network by operating at the transport layer? → TLS
4. Which OWASP Top 10 risk refers to using outdated components with known vulnerabilities in web applications? → Using Components with Known Vulnerabilities
5. Which artifact should be preserved immediately when ransomware is detected on a system? → A forensic memory and disk image before shutdown
6. Which of the following best describes encryption at rest? → Protecting data stored on a device or disk
7. What is the purpose of patch management? → Applying updates to fix known security vulnerabilities
8. When someone tries to harm a group of people by using a computer, what do they call themself? → Cyber terrorist
9. What is the purpose of a payload in exploitation? → Execute code on the target after a vulnerability is exploited
10. What does the principle of separation of duties prevent in access management? → A single individual from having enough access to commit and conceal fraud
11. What is a rainbow table attack used to crack? → Hashed passwords by looking up precomputed hash-to-plaintext mappings
12. Which cloud service model gives customers the most control over security configurations? → IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)
13. Which attack involves an adversary positioning themselves between two communicating parties to intercept traffic? → Man-in-the-Middle (MitM)
14. What is a honeypot in cybersecurity? → A decoy system designed to attract and study attackers
15. What is the first phase of a penetration testing engagement? → Reconnaissance
16. What does the 'C' in the CIA triad stand for? → Confidentiality
17. Which type of attack injects malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users? → Cross-site scripting (XSS)
18. Which phase of penetration testing involves documenting findings and providing remediation recommendations? → Reporting
19. A networked group of computers used by hackers to steal information is referred to as a... → Botnet
20. Which attack type involves injecting malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users? → Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
21. What is PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) primarily responsible for? → Issuing and managing digital certificates for trusted identities
22. What is SQL injection? → Injecting malicious SQL code into input fields to manipulate database queries
23. Which elliptic curve algorithm is commonly used for key agreement in modern TLS implementations? → ECDH (Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman)
24. What is the purpose of parameterized queries (prepared statements) in application security? → To separate SQL code from user-supplied data, preventing SQL injection attacks
25. Which encryption standard replaced DES and is the current US federal standard for symmetric encryption? → AES
26. What does IOC stand for in cybersecurity incident response? → Indicator of Compromise
27. What type of attack attempts every possible key combination until the correct one is found? → Brute force attack
28. What is two-factor authentication (2FA) typically composed of? → Something you know and something you have
29. What is a VPN primarily used for in a corporate environment? → Create a secure encrypted tunnel for remote access
30. What is the key benefit of encrypting data at rest in cloud storage? → It protects data from unauthorized access if storage media is compromised or misconfigured