Prepare for your exams
Get points
Guidelines and tips
Sell on Docsity
Docsity AI

Prepare for your exams

Study with the several resources on Docsity

Earn points to download

Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan

Guidelines and tips

Sell on Docsity

Docsity AI

Log in Sign up

Prepare for your exams

Study with the several resources on Docsity

Find documents

Prepare for your exams with the study notes shared by other students like you on Docsity

Search for your university

Find the specific documents for your university's exams

Docsity AINEW

Summarize your documents, ask them questions, convert them into quizzes and concept maps

Explore questions

Clear up your doubts by reading the answers to questions asked by your fellow students

Earn points to download

Earn points by helping other students or get them with a premium plan

Share documents

20 Points

For each uploaded document

Answer questions

5 Points

For each given answer (max 1 per day)

All the ways to get free points

Get points immediately

Choose a premium plan with all the points you need

Study Opportunities

Choose your next study program

Get in touch with the best universities in the world. Search through thousands of universities and official partners

Community

Ask the community

Ask the community for help and clear up your study doubts

Free resources

Our save-the-student-ebooks!

Download our free guides on studying techniques, anxiety management strategies, and thesis advice from Docsity tutors

D315 CompTIA Network+ October 2025, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Data Communication Systems and Computer Networks

Western Governors University (WGU)Data Communication Systems and Computer Networks

Class provided Study Guide. Was very helpful for polishing rough areas.

Typology: Study Guides, Projects, Research

2024/2025

Uploaded on 11/29/2025

austin-rose-1 🇺🇸

2 documents

1 / 11

This page cannot be seen from the preview

Don't miss anything!

Network and Security Foundations Study Guide 
 
Use this study guide as an aid to assist you in understanding the three competencies that this course will cover. It is 
essential that you read the entire course. You will need to understand all the topics listed in this study guide, and 
reading the course content and watching the lesson videos will provide that context to help with that.   
 
Supplemental Lesson Videos 
D315v2 Section 1: What is a Network? 
D315v2 Section 1: Network Commands 
D315v2 Section 1: Network Standards and Models 
D315v2 Section 1: Fundamentals of Virtual and Cloud Computing 
  
D315v2 Section 2: Attacks, Threats, Risks, and Vulnerabilities 
D315v2 Section 2: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA) Triad 
  
D315v2 Section 3: Principles of Network Security Design 
D315v2 Section 3: Securing a Network 
D315v2 Section 3: Cloud and Wireless Security 
D315v2 Section 3: User Authentication and Access Control 
D315v2 Section 3: Security Governance 
 
Steps to prepare for the D315 OA: 
 
Step 1: Watch the recorded instructor-led video lessons and complete the fill-in-the-
blank study guide (attached) as you watch the videos. 
 
Video Playlists: 
D315v2 Section 1: Introduction to Networking Concepts 
D315v2 Section 2: Introduction to Networking Security

Discover Study Guides, Projects, Research of Data Communication Systems and Computer Networks Western Governors University (WGU)

Partial preview of the text

Download D315 CompTIA Network+ October 2025 and more Study Guides, Projects, Research Data Communication Systems and Computer Networks in PDF only on Docsity!

Network and Security Foundations Study Guide Use this study guide as an aid to assist you in understanding the three competencies that this course will cover. It is essential that you read the entire course. You will need to understand all the topics listed in this study guide, and reading the course content and watching the lesson videos will provide that context to help with that. Supplemental Lesson Videos D315v2 Section 1: What is a Network? D315v2 Section 1: Network Commands D315v2 Section 1: Network Standards and Models D315v2 Section 1: Fundamentals of Virtual and Cloud Computing D315v2 Section 2: Attacks, Threats, Risks, and Vulnerabilities D315v2 Section 2: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA) Triad D315v2 Section 3: Principles of Network Security Design D315v2 Section 3: Securing a Network D315v2 Section 3: Cloud and Wireless Security D315v2 Section 3: User Authentication and Access Control D315v2 Section 3: Security Governance

Steps to prepare for the D315 OA:

Step 1: Watch the recorded instructor-led video lessons and complete the fill-in-the-

blank study guide (attached) as you watch the videos.

Video Playlists:

D315v2 Section 1: Introduction to Networking Concepts

D315v2 Section 2: Introduction to Networking Security

D315v2 Section 3: Network Security Operations

Step 2: Give these practice quizzes a go—multiple times if you can! They're great for

practice:

D315 V2 Section 1: Practice Quiz (Click Here)

D315 V2 Section 2: Practice Quiz (Click Here)

D315 V2 Section 3: Practice Quiz (Click Here)

Network and Security Foundations Practice Test (Click Here)

Step 3: Take (or retake) the Pre-Assessment to see how you're doing.

Review the pre-assessment report question by question to ensure you understand all

the correct answers and the reasoning behind them. The key to success lies in

understanding both "why" the correct answers are right and "why" the incorrect

answers are wrong.

Step 4: Schedule and take the D315 Objective Assessment (OA). Do NOT wait until

the last minute.

Patch cable: Connects devices within a network, typically for short distances. Patch Panel: A mounted hardware unit that contains ports to manage and organize network cables. Basic Network Commands What is each command used for?

Ping: Tests connectivity between two devices on a network
ipconfig: Displays IP configuration in Windows.
ifconfig: Displays IP configuration in Linux/Unix
Traceroute/tracert: Traces the path packets take to reach a network destination
Tracepath: A network tool that traces the route packets take to a destination, identifying each hop and measuring delays, used for diagnosing connectivity issues.
ARP: Displays and modifies the ARP table, which maps IP addresses to MAC addresses.
Netstat: Displays network connections, routing tables, and interface statistics.
Nslookup: Queries DNS to resolve domain names to IP addresses.
Dig: Queries DNS servers for DNS records.
Whois: Retrieves registration info about domains and IPs.
Route: Views and manipulates the IP routing table.
SCP: Securely transfers files between systems using SSH.
FTP: Transfers files between systems (unencrypted).
TFTP: Lightweight file transfer protocol without authentication.
Finger: Displays user information on a system.
Nmap: Scans networks for hosts and services.
Tcpdump: Captures and analyzes network traffic.
Telnet/SSH: Connects to remote systems (Telnet is insecure, SSH is secure). Network Types Describe each network type
Personal Area Network (PAN): Small network for personal devices (e.g., Bluetooth).
Local Area Network (LAN): Connects devices within a small area, like a building
Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN): A network that spans a large geographic area, typically connecting LANs.
Storage Area Network (SAN): A high-speed network that provides access to consolidated block-level storage.
Campus Area Network (CAN): A network that connects multiple buildings within a campus or a limited geographic area.
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN): A network that spans a city or large urban area, connecting multiple LANs.
Wide Area Network (WAN): A network that covers a large geographic area, connecting multiple LANs and MANs, often over long distances.

Network Topologies Describe each network topology. Bus: All devices share a common backbone cable, and data is sent in both directions. Ring: Each device is connected to two others, forming a circular pathway for data. Star: All devices are connected to a central hub or switch.

Public Cloud: Cloud services are provided to multiple organizations over the internet, shared between users but isolated.
Community Cloud: Cloud infrastructure is shared by multiple organizations with common interests or regulatory concerns.
Hybrid Cloud: A combination of private and public clouds, allowing data and applications to move between them.
Multi-Cloud: The use of multiple cloud services from different providers to meet specific needs or improve redundancy. Section 2: Introduction to Networking Security Network Security Overview Define each term:
SecOPs: Practices and processes that monitor and manage security infrastructure, incident response, and threat detection.
Vulnerability: A weakness in a system or software that can be exploited by attackers.
Zero – Day: An attack that exploits a vulnerability that is unknown to the vendor or has not yet been patched. Describe each attack Type:
Describe each security team: o Red team: A group that simulates attacks to test the effectiveness of an organization’s security. o Blue team: The defensive security team responsible for detecting, responding to, and defending against attacks. o White team: The group responsible for overseeing security tests and ensuring fair play between red and blue teams. o Purple team: A collaborative team combining both red and blue team activities to improve overall security.
Describe each hacker: o White Hat: Ethical hackers who use their skills to improve security by finding vulnerabilities and reporting them. o Black Hat: Malicious hackers who exploit vulnerabilities for personal gain or to cause harm. o Gray Hat: Hackers who operate between ethical and unethical hacking, sometimes breaking laws without malicious intent.
What is Social Engineering: The manipulation of people into divulging confidential information or performing actions that compromise security.

Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA) Triad Confidentiality: Ensuring that sensitive information is accessible only to authorized users. Integrity: Ensuring that data is accurate, consistent, and has not been tampered with. Availability: Ensuring that systems and data are accessible to authorized users when needed.

Section 3: Network Security Operations

Defense in Depth: A multi-layered approach to security where multiple controls are implemented to protect assets.
Separation of Privilege: Granting access based on a strict need-to-know basis, requiring multiple conditions to be met for access.
Least Privilege: Ensuring users and systems have only the minimum access rights needed to perform their tasks.
Psychological Acceptability: Security measures should not hinder users’ ability to complete their tasks and should be user-friendly.
Least Common Mechanism: Minimizing shared resources between users or systems to reduce the risk of attack.
Open Design: Security mechanisms should not depend on secrecy of design but rather on robust, well- understood principles. Firewalls, IDS, and IPS
Firewalls – A device or software that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on security rules. Device Description Packet filtering Firewall Inspects packets at a basic level, filtering traffic based on source/destination IP addresses, ports, and protocols. Stateful Inspection Firewall Monitors the state of active connections and makes decisions based on the state and context of traffic. Application Layer Firewall Examines traffic at the application layer, allowing more specific control over HTTP, FTP, and other protocols. Intrusion Detection System A system that monitors network traffic for suspicious activity and alerts administrators of potential attacks. Intrusion Prevention System Similar to IDS but can actively block or prevent detected malicious activities in real time.

Data at Rest: Data that is stored on physical devices, such as hard drives, databases, or cloud storage, and is not actively being transferred or processed.
Data in Transit: Data that is actively moving from one location to another, such as across a network or between systems, typically over the internet or internal networks. Wireless Security Wireless Encryption Standards
Describe WEP: Wired Equivalent Privacy, an outdated and insecure wireless encryption standard.
Describe WPA: Wi-Fi Protected Access, an improved version of WEP.
Describe WPA2: Stronger encryption (AES), replacing WPA
Describe WPA3: Latest wireless encryption with more secure handshaking and encryption mechanisms.
3DES encryption: A symmetric encryption algorithm that applies the DES cipher three times to each data block, increasing security over the original DES.
AES encryption: o A secure and widely used symmetric encryption algorithm, with key sizes of 128, 192, or 256 bits, offering strong data protection.
Wireless Network Infrastructure Modes o Ad-hoc: A peer-to-peer mode where devices communicate directly with each other without a central access point. o Infrastructure: Devices communicate through a centralized access point, commonly used in enterprise or home networks. User Authentication and Access Control
AAA o Authentication: The process of verifying a user's identity through credentials like passwords or biometrics. o Authorization: Determines what resources a user is permitted to access after authentication. o Accounting: Tracks and logs user activities for auditing and billing purposes.
Multifactor Authentication: A security process that requires two or more verification methods (e.g., password, biometrics, security tokens) to authenticate a user.

Device Hardening Windows 10 Hardening and list 3 techniques: Strengthening the security of a Windows 10 system to reduce vulnerabilities. Techniques:

Enable BitLocker for full disk encryption.
Use Windows Defender Firewall.
Apply regular security updates. Windows Server 2019 Hardening and 3 techniques: Strengthening the security of Windows Server 2019 to protect against threats. Techniques:
Disable unnecessary services.
Implement Group Policy for security configurations.
Enable enhanced auditing and monitoring. Security Governance
PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act): Description: Canadian law governing how private-sector organizations collect, use, and disclose personal information during commercial business.
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act): Description: U.S. law that sets standards for protecting sensitive patient health information and ensuring data privacy.
GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation): Description: European Union regulation that protects individuals' personal data and privacy, applying strict rules on data handling and processing.