Cyber Security Techniques - authentication, encryption, digital signatures, antivirus, firewall, steganography - One Line Questions

1. Which of the following is a common example of a 'something you have' factor in authentication? A security token
2. What cryptographic hash function is commonly used in digital signatures to ensure data integrity? SHA-256
3. Which of the following cryptographic algorithms is primarily used for digital signatures? RSA
4. Which encryption standard is considered outdated and vulnerable due to its short key length? DES
5. A 'zero-day exploit' refers to: An exploit for which no patch or fix is yet available.
6. Which technique is used to ensure that a digital document or message originates from a specific sender and has not been altered? Digital Signature
7. Which type of firewall operates at the network and transport layers, making decisions based on IP addresses and port numbers? Packet-filtering firewall
8. Which authentication method involves verifying a user's identity using something they know, something they have, or something they are? Multi-factor Authentication
9. Which of the following is a common attack vector that exploits vulnerabilities in web applications to manipulate database queries? SQL Injection
10. Which security technique ensures that data remains consistent and has not been tampered with during transit or storage? Integrity
11. A digital signature is used to ensure which of the following properties of a digital message? Integrity and non-repudiation
12. The process of converting plaintext into ciphertext is called: Encryption
13. Which technique is used to hide data within other data, making the existence of the hidden information imperceptible? Steganography
14. Which cyber security technique is used to verify the identity of a user or device attempting to access a system? Authentication
15. Which technique involves embedding secret data within a seemingly innocuous file, such as an image or audio file? Steganography
16. Which cryptographic primitive is used to ensure that a message has not been altered? Hashing
17. What is the main difference between encryption and encoding? Encryption is for security, encoding is for data representation.
18. Which of these is a type of malware that antivirus software is designed to detect and remove? Trojan horse
19. A 'stateful inspection firewall' keeps track of the state of active network connections. What advantage does this offer over a stateless firewall? It can make more informed decisions about which packets to allow or block based on context.
20. What is the main challenge with using only symmetric encryption for secure communication between many parties? Key distribution and management become complex.
21. What is the advantage of using 'two-factor authentication' (2FA) over 'single-factor authentication' (e.g., password only)? It provides a stronger layer of security by requiring two different types of credentials.
22. Which type of authentication relies on biometrics, such as fingerprints or facial recognition? Inherence-based authentication
23. Which of the following best describes 'data obfuscation'? Altering data to make it unintelligible or unusable for unauthorized parties while retaining its utility for authorized use.
24. Which type of firewall operates at the application layer and can inspect the content of network traffic? Application-level gateway (Proxy firewall)
25. Which of these is a method of 'social engineering' used to trick individuals into revealing confidential information? Phishing
26. Which of the following is NOT a common component of a digital signature scheme? Symmetric encryption
27. Asymmetric encryption, also known as public-key cryptography, uses a pair of keys. What is the role of the public key and private key? Private key encrypts, public key decrypts; Private key signs, public key verifies.
28. Symmetric encryption uses the same key for both encryption and decryption. Which of the following is a common algorithm for symmetric encryption? AES
29. What does the 'S' in 'HTTPS' signify in terms of security? Security (SSL/TLS encryption)
30. Which cyber security technique is most effective for protecting against unauthorized access to network resources? Firewall
31. What does the term 'non-repudiation' mean in the context of digital signatures? The sender cannot deny having sent the message.
32. What is the function of an antivirus software? To detect and remove malicious software
33. What is the role of the 'decryption' process? To convert ciphertext back into readable plaintext.
34. What is the role of a 'certificate authority' (CA) in digital certificates and signatures? To verify the identity of entities and issue digital certificates.
35. A firewall acts as a barrier between a trusted internal network and an untrusted external network, controlling incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. What is its primary function? To prevent unauthorized access to or from the network
36. What is a 'proxy server' commonly used for in network security? To act as an intermediary for requests from clients seeking resources from other servers, often for security and control.
37. What is the function of a 'keylogger'? To record keystrokes made by a user.
38. What is the purpose of the 'private key' in asymmetric encryption? To decrypt messages encrypted with the corresponding public key, and to create digital signatures.
39. What is the primary function of a 'honeypot' in cyber security? To lure and deceive attackers, gathering intelligence
40. Steganography is the practice of concealing a file, message, image, or video within another file, message, image, or video. What is its main purpose? To hide the very existence of the message
41. What is the purpose of a 'CAPTCHA' (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart)? To prevent automated bots from performing actions on a website that are intended for humans.
42. What is the primary goal of encryption in cyber security? To make data unreadable to unauthorized parties
43. What is the purpose of a 'salt' when used in password hashing? To make password cracking more difficult by adding random data to the password before hashing
44. What is the primary goal of 'penetration testing'? To identify and exploit vulnerabilities in a system or network to assess its security posture.
45. What is the primary function of an Intrusion Detection System (IDS)? To monitor network traffic for malicious activity or policy violations and alert administrators.
46. What is the primary purpose of a 'VPN' (Virtual Private Network) in a cyber security context? To encrypt internet traffic and mask the user's IP address, providing privacy and security.
47. What is the function of a 'security token' in multi-factor authentication? To generate a one-time password (OTP) or cryptographic key.
48. Which of the following is an example of a multi-factor authentication (MFA) combination? Password and fingerprint scan
49. What is the difference between a 'virus' and a 'worm'? Viruses require user interaction to spread, while worms can self-replicate and spread across networks.