CompTIA SY0-601 - CompTIA Security+ Exam 2023

Wireshark is a tool that can analyze pcap files, which are files that capture network traffic. Wireshark can display the packets, protocols, and other details of the network traffic in a graphical user interface. Nmap is a tool that can scan networks and hosts for open ports and services. CURL is a tool that can transfer data from or to a server using various protocols. Neat is a tool that can test network performance and quality.

A false positive is a type of alert that indicates a security incident when there is none. It can be caused by misconfigured or overly sensitive security tools or systems that generate false or irrelevant alerts. In this case, the alert from the company’s SIEM that Mimikatz attempted to run on the remote systems was a false positive because it was triggered by a legitimate vulnerability scanning tool that uses Mimikatz as part of its functionality.

A legal hold is a process that requires an organization to preserve electronically stored information and paper documents that are relevant to a pending or anticipated litigation or investigation. It suspends the normal retention and destruction policies and procedures for such information and documents until the legal hold is lifted or released. 

A zero-day vulnerability is a security flaw that is unknown to the vendor and the public, and therefore has no patch or fix available. A zero-day attack is an exploit that takes advantage of a zero-day vulnerability before the vendor or the security community becomes aware of it. A zero-day attack can cause serious damage to a system or network, as there is no defense against it until a patch is released. References:

https://resources.infosecinstitute.com/certification/security-domain-1-threats-attacks-and-vulnerabilities/

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/comptia-security-plus-sy0-601-cert-prep-1-threats-attacks-and-vulnerabilities/zero-days-and-the-advanced-persistent-threat

https://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-501/zero-day-attacks-4/

A risk register is a document or a tool that records and tracks information about the identified risks and their analysis, such as likelihood, impact, priority, mitigation strategies, residual risks, etc. It can contain ranked and ordered information on the likelihood and potential impact of catastrophic events that may affect business processes and systems, while also highlighting the residual risks that need to be managed after mitigating controls have been implemented.

Privilege escalation describes the exploitation of an interactive process to gain access to restricted areas. It is a type of attack that allows a normal user to obtain higher privileges or access rights on a system or network, such as administrative or root access. Privilege escalation can be achieved by exploiting a vulnerability, design flaw, or misconfiguration in the system or application. Privilege escalation can allow an attacker to perform unauthorized actions, such as accessing sensitive data, installing malware, or compromising other systems. References:

https://www.professormesser.com/security-plus/sy0-601/sy0-601-video/privilege-escalation-3/

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/comptia-security-plus-sy0-601-cert-prep-2-secure-code-design-and-implementation/privilege-escalation

Data entropy is a measure of the randomness or unpredictability of data. High data entropy means that the data has more variation and less repetition, making it harder to guess or crack. It can increase cryptographic security by making the encryption keys and ciphertext more complex and resistant to brute-force attacks, frequency analysis, etc

Disabling access is an automation use case that can enhance the security posture of an organization by rapidly updating permissions when employees leave a company or change job roles internally. It can prevent unauthorized access and data leakage by revoking or modifying the access rights of employees based on their current status and role.

A security information and event management (SIEM) system will best assist the analyst to review the correlated logs to find the source of the incident. A SIEM system is a type of software or service that collects, analyzes, and correlates logs and events from multiple sources, such as firewalls, EDR systems, servers, or applications. A SIEM system can help to detect and respond to security incidents, provide alerts and reports, support investigations and forensics, and comply with regulations. References: https://www.comptia.org/blog/what-is-a-siem https://www.certblaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/CompTIA-Security-SY0-601-Exam-Objectives-1.0.pdf

A RAT (Remote Access Trojan) is a type of malware that allows an attacker to remotely access and control a compromised system without the user’s knowledge or consent. A RAT can perform various malicious activities on the system, such as stealing data, installing other malware, deleting files, modifying settings, capturing keystrokes, recording audio or video, etc. In this case, the attacker most likely used a RAT to gain administrative access to the network through a file downloaded from a social media site and subsequently installed it without the user’s knowledge

A generator and a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) are low-cost solutions that can provide backup power to an organization in case of a power outage. A generator is a device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy, while a UPS is a device that provides battery power to a system when the main power source fails. A generator and a UPS can help the organization to maintain its operations and prevent data loss during a power outage.

The most likely cause of the issue is that the S/MIME plug-in is not enabled. S/MIME stands for Secure/Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions, which is a standard that allows email users to encrypt and digitally sign their messages. S/MIME uses public key cryptography and certificates to ensure confidentiality, integrity, authenticity, and non-repudiation of email communications. However, S/MIME requires both the sender and the receiver to have compatible email clients and plug-ins that support S/MIME functionality. If the receiver does not have the S/MIME plug-in enabled, they will not be able to decrypt or verify the encrypted message.

Utilizing split tunneling so only traffic for corporate resources is encrypted would best maintain high-quality videoconferencing while minimizing latency when connected to the VPN. Split tunneling is a technique that allows a VPN user to access both the public internet and the private network simultaneously, without routing all traffic through the VPN. This can improve the performance and quality of videoconferencing applications that rely on low latency and high bandwidth, as well as reduce the load on the VPN server.

CSRF stands for Cross-Site Request Forgery, which is an attack that forces an end user to execute unwanted actions on a web application in which they are currently authenticated1. In this case, the attacker may have tricked the user into clicking a malicious link or visiting a malicious website that sends forged requests to the web server of the bank, using the user’s session cookie or other credentials. The web server then performs the money transfer requests as if they were initiated by the user, without verifying the origin or validity of the requests.

A. SQLi. This is not the correct answer, because SQLi stands for SQL Injection, which is an attack that exploits a vulnerability in a web application’s database layer, where malicious SQL statements are inserted into an entry field for execution2. The output of the web server log does not show any SQL statements or commands.

B. CSRF. This is the correct answer, because CSRF is an attack that exploits the trust a web server has in a user’s browser, where malicious requests are sent to the web server using the user’s credentials1. The output of the web server log shows multiple GET requests with different account numbers and amounts, which may indicate a CSRF attack.

C. Spear phishing. This is not the correct answer, because spear phishing is an attack that targets a specific individual or organization with a personalized email or message that contains a malicious link or attachment3. The output of the web server log does not show any email or message content or headers.

D. API. This is not the correct answer, because API stands for Application Programming Interface, which is a set of rules and specifications that allow software components to communicate and exchange data. API is not an attack method, but rather a way of designing and developing software applications.