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Joe, the security administrator, has determined that one of his web servers is under attack. Which of the following can help determine where the attack originated from? A. Capture system image B. Record time offset C. Screenshots D. Network sniffing - - correct ans- - Answer: D Explanation: Network sniffing is the process of capturing and analyzing the packets sent between systems on the network. A network sniffer is also known as a Protocol Analyzer. A Protocol Analyzer is a hardware device or more commonly a software program used to capture network data communications sent between devices on a network. Capturing and analyzing the packets sent to the web server will help determine the source IP address of the system sending the packets. Well known software protocol analyzers include Message Analyzer (formerly Network Monitor) from Microsoft and Wireshark (formerly Ethereal). Which of the following BEST allows Pete, a security administrator, to determine the type, source, and flags of the packet traversing a network for troubleshooting purposes? A. Switches B. Protocol analyzers C. Routers D. Web security gateways - - correct ans- - Answer: B
Explanation: A Protocol Analyzer is a hardware device or more commonly a software program used to capture network data communications sent between devices on a network. By capturing and analyzingthe packets, Pete will be able to determine the type, source, and flags of the packets traversing a network for troubleshooting purposes. Well known software protocol analyzers include Message Analyzer (formerly Network Monitor) from Microsoft and Wireshark (formerly Ethereal). Which of the following security architecture elements also has sniffer functionality? (Select TWO). A. HSM B. IPS C. SSL accelerator D. WAP E. IDS - - correct ans- - Answer: B,E Explanation: Sniffer functionality means the ability to capture and analyze the content of data packets as they are transmitted across the network. IDS and IPS systems perform their functions by capturing and analyzing the content of data packets. An intrusion detection system (IDS) is a device or software application that monitors network or system activities for malicious activities or policy violations and produces reports to a management station. IDS come in a variety of "flavors" and approach the goal of detecting suspicious traffic in different ways. There are network based (NIDS) and host based (HIDS) intrusion detection systems. Some systems may attempt to stop an intrusion attempt but this is neither required nor expected of a monitoring system. Intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) are primarily focused on identifying possible incidents, logging information about them, and reporting attempts. In addition, organizations use IDPSes for other purposes, such as identifying problems with security
Vulnerability scanning typically refers to the scanning of systems that are connected to the Internet but can also refer to system audits on internal networks that are not connected to the Internet in order to assess the threat of rogue software or malicious employees in an enterprise. An administrator is concerned that a company's web server has not been patched. Which of the following would be the BEST assessment for the administrator to perform? A. Vulnerability scan B. Risk assessment C. Virus scan D. Network sniffer - - correct ans- - Answer: A Explanation: A vulnerability scan is the process of scanning the network and/or I.T. infrastructure for threats and vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities include computer systems that do not have the latest security patches installed. The threats and vulnerabilities are then evaluated in a risk assessment and the necessary actions taken to resolve and vulnerabilities. A vulnerability scan is the automated process of proactively identifying security vulnerabilities of computing systems in a network in order to determine if and where a system can be exploited and/or threatened. While public servers are important for communication and data transfer over the Internet, they open the door to potential security breaches by threat agents, such as malicious hackers. Vulnerability scanning employs software that seeks out security flaws based on a database of known flaws, testing systems for the occurrence of these flaws and generating a report of the findings that an individual or an enterprise can use to tighten the network's security. Vulnerability scanning typically refers to the scanning of systems that are connected to the Internet but can also refer to system audits on internal networks that are not connected to the Internet in order to assess the threat of rogue software or malicious employees in an enterprise.
Which of the following would be used to identify the security posture of a network without actually exploiting any weaknesses? A. Penetration test B. Code review C. Vulnerability scan D. Brute Force scan - - correct ans- - Answer: C Explanation: A vulnerability scan is the automated process of proactively identifying security vulnerabilities of computing systems in a network in order to determine if and where a system can be exploited and/or threatened. While public servers are important for communication and data transfer over the Internet, they open the door to potential security breaches by threat agents, such as malicious hackers. Vulnerability scanning employs software that seeks out security flaws based on a database of known flaws, testing systems for the occurrence of these flaws and generating a report of the findings that an individual or an enterprise can use to tighten the network's security. Vulnerability scanning typically refers to the scanning of systems that are connected to the Internet but can also refer to system audits on internal networks that are not connected to the Internet in order to assess the threat of rogue software or malicious employees in an enterprise. Which of the following should an administrator implement to research current attack methodologies? A. Design reviews B. Honeypot C. Vulnerability scanner D. Code reviews - - correct ans- - Answer: B Explanation:
According to the Wepopedia.com, a Honeypot luring a hacker into a system has several main purposes: The administrator can watch the hacker exploit the vulnerabilities of the system, thereby learning where the system has weaknesses that need to be redesigned. The hacker can be caught and stopped while trying to obtain root access to the system. By studying the activities of hackers, designers can better create more secure systems that are potentially invulnerable to future hackers. There are two main types of honeypots: Production - A production honeypot is one used within an organization's environment to help mitigate risk. Research - A research honeypot add value to research in computer security by providing a platform to study the threat. Joe, an administrator, installs a web server on the Internet that performs credit card transactions for customer payments. Joe also sets up a second web server that looks like the first web server. However, the second server contains fabricated files and folders made to look like payments were processed on this server but really were not. Which of the following is the second server? A. DMZ B. Honeynet C. VLAN D. Honeypot - - correct ans- - Answer: D Explanation: In this scenario, the second web server is a 'fake' webserver designed to attract attacks. We can then monitor the second server to view the attacks and then ensure that the 'real' web server is secure against such attacks. The second web server is a honeypot. A honeypot is a system whose purpose it is to be attacked. An administrator can watch and study the attack to research current attack methodologies.
According to the Wepopedia.com, a Honeypot luring a hacker into a system has several main purposes: The administrator can watch the hacker exploit the vulnerabilities of the system, thereby learning where the system has weaknesses that need to be redesigned. The hacker can be caught and stopped while trying to obtain root access to the system. By studying the activities of hackers, designers can better create more secure systems that are potentially invulnerable to future hackers. There are two main types of honeypots: Production - A production honeypot is one used within an organization's environment to help mitigate risk. Research - A research honeypot add value to research in computer security by providing a platform to study the threat. Which of the following can Joe, a security administrator, implement on his network to capture attack details that are occurring while also protecting his production network? A. Security logs B. Protocol analyzer C. Audit logs D. Honeypot - - correct ans- - Answer: D Explanation: A honeypot is a system whose purpose it is to be attacked. An administrator can watch and study the attack to research current attack methodologies. According to the Wepopedia.com, a Honeypot luring a hacker into a system has several main purposes: The administrator can watch the hacker exploit the vulnerabilities of the system, thereby learning where the system has weaknesses that need to be redesigned. The hacker can be caught and stopped while trying to obtain root access to the system.
The security team would like to gather intelligence about the types of attacks being launched against the organization. Which of the following would provide them with the MOST information? A. Implement a honeynet B. Perform a penetration test C. Examine firewall logs D. Deploy an IDS - - correct ans- - Answer: A Explanation: A honeynet is a network set up with intentional vulnerabilities; its purpose is to invite attack, so that an attacker's activities and methods can be studied and that information used to increase network security. A honeynet contains one or more honey pots, which are computer systems on the Internet expressly set up to attract and "trap" people who attempt to penetrate other people's computer systems. Although the primary purpose of a honeynet is to gather information about attackers' methods and motives, the decoy network can benefit its operator in other ways, for example by diverting attackers from a real network and its resources. The Honeynet Project, a non-profit research organization dedicated to computer security and information sharing, actively promotes the deployment of honeynets. In addition to the honey pots, a honeynet usually has real applications and services so that it seems like a normal network and a worthwhile target. However, because the honeynet doesn't actually serve any authorized users, any attempt to contact the network from without is likely an illicit attempt to breach its security, and any outbound activity is likely evidence that a system has been compromised. For this reason, the suspect information is much more apparent than it would be in an actual network, where it would have to be found amidst all the legitimate network data. Applications within a honeynet are often given names such as "Finances" or "Human Services" to make them sound appealing to the attacker. A virtual honeynet is one that, while appearing to be an entire network, resides on a single server
Jane, a security analyst, is reviewing logs from hosts across the Internet which her company uses to gather data on new malware. Which of the following is being implemented by Jane's company? A. Vulnerability scanner B. Honeynet C. Protocol analyzer D. Port scanner - - correct ans- - Answer: B Explanation: The Internet hosts used to gather data on new malware are known as honeypots. A collection of honeypots is known as a honeynet. A honeynet is a network set up with intentional vulnerabilities; its purpose is to invite attack, so that an attacker's activities and methods can be studied and that information used to increasenetwork security. A honeynet contains one or more honey pots, which are computer systems on the Internet expressly set up to attract and "trap" people who attempt to penetrate other people's computer systems. Although the primary purpose of a honeynet is to gather information about attackers' methods and motives, the decoy network can benefit its operator in other ways, for example by diverting attackers from a real network and its resources. The Honeynet Project, a non-profit research organization dedicated to computer security and information sharing, actively promotes the deployment of honeynets. In addition to the honey pots, a honeynet usually has real applications and services so that it seems like a normal network and a worthwhile target. However, because the honeynet doesn't actually serve any authorized users, any attempt to contact the network from without is likely an illicit attempt to breach its security, and any outbound activity is likely evidence that a system has been compromised. For this reason, the suspect information is much more apparent than it would be in an actual network, where it would have to be found amidst all the legitimate network data. Applications within a honeynet are often given names such as "Finances" or "Human Services" to make them sound appealing to the attacker. A virtual honeynet is one that, while appearing to be an entire network, resides on a single server.
A. Port scanner B. Network sniffer C. Protocol analyzer D. Process list - - correct ans- - Answer: A Explanation: Different services use different ports. When a service is enabled on a computer, a network port is opened for that service. For example, enabling the HTTP service on a web server will open port 80 on the server. By determining which ports are open on a remote server, we can determine which services are running on that server. A port scanner is a software application designed to probe a server or host for open ports. This is often used by administrators to verify security policies of their networks and by attackers to identify running services on a host with the view to compromise it. A port scan or portscan can be defined as a process that sends client requests to a range of server port addresses on a host, with the goal of finding an active port. While not a nefarious process in and of itself, it is one used by hackers to probe target machine services with the aim of exploiting a known vulnerability of that service. However the majority of uses of a port scan are not attacks and are simple probes to determine services available on a remote machine. Which of the following tools would a security administrator use in order to identify all running services throughout an organization? A. Architectural review B. Penetration test C. Port scanner D. Design review - - correct ans- - Answer: C Explanation: Different services use different ports. When a service is enabled on a computer, a network port is opened for that service. For example, enabling the HTTP service on a web server will
open port 80 on the server. By determining which ports are open on a remote server, we can determine which services are running on that server. A port scanner is a software application designed to probe a server or host for open ports. This is often used by administrators to verify security policies of their networks and by attackers to identify running services on a host with the view to compromise it. A port scan or portscan can be defined as a process that sends client requests to a range of server port addresses on a host, with the goal of finding an active port. While not a nefarious process in and of itself, it is one used by hackers to probe target machine services with the aim of exploitinga known vulnerability of that service. However the majority of uses of a port scan are not attacks and are simple probes to determine services available on a remote machine. Sara, the Chief Information Officer (CIO), has requested an audit take place to determine what services and operating systems are running on the corporate network. Which of the following should be used to complete this task? A. Fingerprinting and password crackers B. Fuzzing and a port scan C. Vulnerability scan and fuzzing D. Port scan and fingerprinting - - correct ans- - Answer: D Explanation: Different services use different ports. When a service is enabled on a computer, a network port is opened for that service. For example, enabling the HTTP service on a web server will open port 80 on the server. By determining which ports are open on a remote server, we can determine which services are running on that server. A port scanner is a software application designed to probe a server or host for open ports. This is often used by administrators to verify security policies of their networks and by attackers to identify running services on a host with the view to compromise it. A port scan or portscan can be defined as a process that sends client requests to a range of server port addresses on a host, with the goal of finding an active port. While not a nefarious process in and of itself, it is one used by hackers to probe target machine services with the aim of exploiting a known vulnerability of that service. However the majority of uses of a port scan
lead to the unauthorized access of sensitive data. A packet sniffer can take the form of either a hardware or software solution. A sniffer is also known as a packet analyzer. A new security analyst is given the task of determining whether any of the company's servers are vulnerable to a recently discovered attack on an old version of SSH. Which of the following is the quickest FIRST step toward determining the version of SSH running on these servers? A. Passive scanning B. Banner grabbing C. Protocol analysis D. Penetration testing - - correct ans- - Answer: B Explanation: B: Banner grabbing looks at the banner, or header information messages sent with data to find out about the system(s). Banners often identify the host, the operating system running on it, and other information that can be useful if you are going to attempt to later breach the security of it. Banners can be snagged with Telnet as well as tools like netcat or Nmap. In other words Banner grabbing looks at the banner, or header, information messages sent with data to find out about the system(s). Thus a quick way to check which version of SSH is running on your server. After analyzing and correlating activity from multiple sensors, the security administrator has determined that a group of very well organized individuals from an enemy country is responsible for various attempts to breach the company network, through the use of very sophisticated and targeted attacks. Which of the following is this an example of? A. Privilege escalation B. Advanced persistent threat C. Malicious insider threat D. Spear phishing - - correct ans- - Answer: B
Explanation: Definitions of precisely what an APT is can vary widely, but can best be summarized by their named requirements: Advanced - Criminal operators behind the threat utilize the full spectrum of computer intrusion technologies and techniques. While individual components of the attack may not be classed as particularly "advanced" (e.g. malware components generated from commonly available DIY construction kits, or the use of easily procured exploit materials), their operators can typically access and develop more advanced tools as required. They combine multiple attack methodologies and tools in order to reach and compromise their target. Persistent - Criminal operators give priority to a specific task, rather than opportunistically seeking immediate financial gain. This distinction implies that the attackers are guided by external entities. The attack is conducted through continuous monitoring and interaction in order to achieve the defined objectives. It does not mean a barrage of constant attacks and malware updates. In fact, a "low-and-slow" approach is usually more successful. Threat - means that there is a level of coordinated human involvement in the attack, rather than a mindless and automated piece of code. The criminal operators have a specific objective and are skilled, motivated, organized and well funded. A system administrator has noticed vulnerability on a high impact production server. A recent update was made available by the vendor that addresses the vulnerability but requires a reboot of the system afterwards. Which of the following steps should the system administrator implement to address the vulnerability? A. Test the update in a lab environment, schedule downtime to install the patch, install the patch and reboot the server and monitor for any changes B. Test the update in a lab environment, backup the server, schedule downtime to install the patch, install the patch, and monitor for any changes C. Test the update in a lab environment, backup the server, schedule downtime to install the patch, install the update, reboot the server, and monitor for any changes D. Backup the server, schedule downtime to install the patch, installs the patch and monitor for any changes - - correct ans- - Answer: C
Which of the following would a security administrator implement in order to identify change from the standard configuration on a server? A. Penetration test B. Code review C. Baseline review D. Design review - - correct ans- - Answer: C Explanation: The standard configuration on a server is known as the baseline. The IT baseline protection approach is a methodology to identify and implement computer security measures in an organization. The aim is the achievement of an adequate and appropriate level of security for IT systems. This is known as a baseline. A baseline report compares the current status of network systems in terms of security updates, performance or other metrics to a predefined set of standards (the baseline). Several users report to the administrator that they are having issues downloading files from the file server. Which of the following assessment tools can be used to determine if there is an issue with the file server? A. MAC filter list B. Recovery agent C. Baselines D. Access list - - correct ans- - Answer: C Explanation: The standard configuration on a server is known as the baseline. In this question, we can see if anything has changed on the file server by comparing its current configuration with the baseline.
The IT baseline protection approach is a methodology to identify and implement computer security measures in an organization. The aim is the achievement of an adequate and appropriate level of security for IT systems. This is known as a baseline. A baseline report compares the current status of network systems in terms of security updates, performance or other metrics to a predefined set of standards (the baseline). One of the servers on the network stops responding due to lack of available memory. Server administrators did not have a clear definition of what action should have taken place based on the available memory. Which of the following would have BEST kept this incident from occurring? A. Set up a protocol analyzer B. Set up a performance baseline C. Review the systems monitor on a monthly basis D. Review the performance monitor on a monthly basis - - correct ans- - Answer: B Explanation: A performance baseline provides the input needed to design, implement, and support a secure network. The performance baseline would define the actions that should be performed on a server that is running low on memory. Ann, the software security engineer, works for a major software vendor. Which of the following practices should be implemented to help prevent race conditions, buffer overflows, and other similar vulnerabilities prior to each production release? A. Product baseline report B. Input validation C. Patch regression testing D. Code review - - correct ans- - Answer: D Explanation:
