SY0-701 Exam Dumps - CompTIA Security+ Questions and Answers

A change management procedure is a set of steps and guidelines that a security administrator should adhere to when setting up a new set of firewall rules. A firewall is a device or software that can filter, block, or allow network traffic based on predefined rules or policies. A firewall rule is a statement that defines the criteria and action for a firewall to apply to a packet or a connection. For example, a firewall rule can allow or deny traffic based on the source and destination IP addresses, ports, protocols, or applications. Setting up a new set of firewall rules is a type of change that can affect the security, performance, and functionality of the network. Therefore, a change management procedure is necessary to ensure that the change is planned, tested, approved, implemented, documented, and reviewed in a controlled and consistent manner. A change management procedure typically includes the following elements:

A change request that describes the purpose, scope, impact, and benefits of the change, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the change owner, implementer, and approver.

A change assessment that evaluates the feasibility, risks, costs, and dependencies of the change, as well as the alternatives and contingency plans.

A change approval that authorizes the change to proceed to the implementation stage, based on the criteria and thresholds defined by the change policy.

A change implementation that executes the change according to the plan and schedule, and verifies the results and outcomes of the change.

A change documentation that records the details and status of the change, as well as the lessons learned and best practices.

A change review that monitors and measures the performance and effectiveness of the change, and identifies any issues or gaps that need to be addressed or improved.

A change management procedure is important for a security administrator to adhere to when setting up a new set of firewall rules, as it can help to achieve the following objectives:

Enhance the security posture and compliance of the network by ensuring that the firewall rules are aligned with the security policies and standards, and that they do not introduce any vulnerabilities or conflicts.

Minimize the disruption and downtime of the network by ensuring that the firewall rules are tested and validated before deployment, and that they do not affect the availability or functionality of the network services or applications.

Improve the efficiency and quality of the network by ensuring that the firewall rules are optimized and updated according to the changing needs and demands of the network users and stakeholders, and that they do not cause any performance or compatibility issues.

Increase the accountability and transparency of the network by ensuring that the firewall rules are documented and reviewed regularly, and that they are traceable and auditable by the relevant authorities and parties.

The other options are not correct because they are not related to the process of setting up a new set of firewall rules. A disaster recovery plan is a set of policies and procedures that aim to restore the normal operations of an organization in the event of a system failure, natural disaster, or other emergency. An incident response procedure is a set of steps and guidelines that aim to contain, analyze, eradicate, and recover from a security incident, such as a cyberattack, data breach, or malware infection. A business continuity plan is a set of strategies and actions that aim to maintain the essential functions and operations of an organization during and after a disruptive event, such as a pandemic, power outage, or civil unrest. References = CompTIA Security+ Study Guide (SY0-701), Chapter 7: Resilience and Recovery, page 325. Professor Messer’s CompTIA SY0-701 Security+ Training Course, Section 1.3: Security Operations, video: Change Management (5:45).

Baseline configuration is the process of standardizing the configuration settings for a system or network. In this scenario, the organization needs to standardize the operating system configurations before deploying them across the network. Establishing a baseline configuration ensures that all systems adhere to the organization's security policies and operational requirements.

References = CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 study materials, particularly in the domain of system hardening and configuration management​​.

 An ISOW is a document that outlines the project, the cost, and the completion time frame for a security company to provide a service to a client. ISOW stands for Information Security Operations Work, and it is a type of contract that specifies the scope, deliverables, milestones, and payment terms of a security project. An ISOW is usually used for one-time or short-term projects that have a clear and defined objective and outcome. For example, an ISOW can be used for a security assessment, a penetration test, a security audit, or a security training.

The other options are not correct because they are not documents that outline the project, the cost, and the completion time frame for a security company to provide a service to a client. A MSA is a master service agreement, which is a type of contract that establishes the general terms and conditions for a long-term or ongoing relationship between a security company and a client. A MSA does not specify the details of each individual project, but rather sets the framework for future projects that will be governed by separate statements of work (SOWs). A SLA is a servicelevel agreement, which is a type of contract that defines the quality and performance standards for a security service provided by a security company to a client. A SLA usually includes the metrics, targets, responsibilities, and penalties for measuring and ensuring the service level. A BPA is a business partnership agreement, which is a type of contract that establishes the roles and expectations for a strategic alliance between two or more security companies that collaborate to provide a joint service to a client. A BPA usually covers the objectives, benefits, risks, and obligations of the partnership. References = CompTIA Security+ Study Guide (SY0-701), Chapter 8: Governance, Risk, and Compliance, page 387. Professor Messer’s CompTIA SY0-701 Security+ Training Course, Section 8.2: Compliance and Controls, video: Contracts and Agreements (5:12).

A false positive is an alert that incorrectly identifies benign activity as malicious. Over time, if an alerting system generates too many false positives, security teams are likely to ignore these alerts, resulting in "alert fatigue." This increases the risk of missing genuine threats.

True positives and true negatives are accurate and should be acted upon.

False negatives are more dangerous because they fail to identify real threats, but they are not "ignored" since they do not trigger alerts​​.

Whaling is a type of phishing attack that targets high-profile individuals, such as executives, celebrities, or politicians. The attacker impersonates someone with authority or influence and tries to trick the victim into performing an action, such as transferring money, revealing sensitive information, or clicking on a malicious link. Whaling is also called CEO fraud or business email compromise2.

A tabletop exercise involves the executive team or key stakeholders discussing and testing the company’s incident response plan in a simulated environment. These exercises are low-stress, discussion-based, and help to validate the plan's effectiveness by walking through different scenarios without disrupting actual operations. It is an essential part of testing business continuity and incident response strategies.

Continuity of operations refers to the ability of an organization to continue functioning during and after a disaster but doesn't specifically involve simulations like tabletop exercises.

Capacity planning is related to ensuring the infrastructure can handle growth, not incident response testing.

Parallel processing refers to running multiple processes simultaneously, which is unrelated to testing an incident response plan​​.

 A honey pot is a system or a network that is designed to mimic a real production server and attract potential attackers. A honey pot can be used to identify the attacker’s methods, techniques, and objectives without affecting the actual production servers. A honey pot can also divert the attacker’s attention from the real targets and waste their time and resources12.

The other options are not effective ways to identify potential attacker activities without affecting production servers:

Video surveillance: This is a physical security technique that uses cameras and monitors to record and observe the activities in a certain area. Video surveillance can help to deter, detect, and investigate physical intrusions, but it does not directly identify the attacker’s activities on the network or the servers3.

Zero Trust: This is a security strategy that assumes that no user, device, or network is trustworthy by default and requires strict verification and validation for every request and transaction. Zero Trust can help to improve the security posture and reduce the attack surface of an organization, but it does not directly identify the attacker’s activities on the network or the servers4.

Geofencing: This is a security technique that uses geographic location as a criterion to restrict or allow access to data or resources. Geofencing can help to protect the data sovereignty andcompliance of an organization, but it does not directly identify the attacker’s activities on the network or the servers5.

References = 1: CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Certification Study Guide, page 542: Honeypots and Deception – SY0-601 CompTIA Security+ : 2.1, video by Professor Messer3: CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Certification Study Guide, page 974: CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Certification Study Guide, page 985: CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Certification Study Guide, page 99.

The security analyst is creating a "secure configuration guide," which is a set of instructions or guidelines used to configure devices securely before deployment. This guide ensures that thedevices are set up according to best practices to minimize vulnerabilities and protect against potential security threats.

References =

CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Course Content: Domain 03 Security Architecture​.

CompTIA Security+ SY0-601 Study Guide: Chapter on System Hardening and Secure Configuration​.

Adding a random string of characters, known as a "salt," to a password before hashing it is known as salting. This technique strengthens passwords by ensuring that even if two users have the same password, their hashes will be different due to the unique salt, making it much harder for attackers to crack passwords using precomputed tables.References: CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 course content and official CompTIA study resources.

Organized crime is a type of threat actor that is motivated by financial gain and often operates across national borders. Organized crime groups may be hired by foreign governments to conduct cyberattacks on critical systems located in other countries, such as power grids, military networks, or financial institutions. Organized crime groups have the resources, skills, and connections to carry out sophisticated and persistent attacks that can cause significant damage and disruption12. References = 1: Threat Actors - CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 - 2.1 2: CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Certification Study Guide

The SMS OTP (One-Time Password) method is more vulnerable to interception compared to TOTP (Time-based One-Time Password) because SMS messages can be intercepted through various attack vectors like SIM swapping or SMS phishing. TOTP, on the other hand, generates codes directly on the device and does not rely on a communication channel like SMS, making it less susceptible to interception.

References = CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 study materials, particularly in the domain of identity and access management​​.

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Comprehensive and Detailed In-Depth Explanation:

User awareness training is essential in preventing security incidents caused by human error, such as clicking on malicious links. Employees need to be educated on recognizing phishing attempts, verifying email senders, and avoiding suspicious downloads.

Network monitoringdetects and alerts on malicious activity but does not prevent employees from clicking on harmful links.

Endpoint protectioncan mitigate malware infections but is not foolproof, especially if users continue to fall for phishing attacks.

Data loss prevention (DLP)can prevent data exfiltration but does not stop malware from being introduced into the system.

By training employees to recognize and avoid phishing scams, organizations canreduce the risk of malware infections and data breaches.

Theprimary goal of corrective controls in financial systems is to ensure that errors do not propagate across interconnected systems. Financial transactions are ofteninterdependent, meaning one incorrect or unauthorized change can affect multiple systems. Regulations often mandate these controls tomaintain accuracy and prevent cascading failures.

A (insider threats altering banking details)is a concern, but thisscenario focuses on corrective controls, not insider threats specifically.

C (business insurance)is unrelated to why corrective controls are implemented.

D (preventing unauthorized changes)falls underpreventive, notcorrectivecontrols.