Logical Reasoning
25%of exam
Problem Solving
25%of exam
Networking Basics
20%of exam
Hardware + Software
15%of exam
Cybersecurity Fundamentals
15%of exam
Quick Facts
- Exam
- DoD Cyber Test
- Questions
- ~40 MCQ
- Time
- 15-20 min
- Pass
- Pass/fail, MOS minimum
- Fee
- Free at MEPS
- Format
- Computer-based
- Taken with
- ASVAB at MEPS
Arithmetic vs Geometric
Arithmetic
- Add constant
- 2 5 8 11
- Linear growth
Geometric
- Multiply ratio
- 2 6 18 54
- Exponential growth
Add vs multiply
Sequence Type Picker
- Constant difference→Arithmetic(Add)
- Constant ratio→Geometric(Multiply)
- Sum of previous two→Fibonacci
- Two alternating rules→Alternating series
- Letters plus numbers→Dual pattern
- Grid positions shift→Rotation
Sequences + Patterns
- Arithmetic
- Add constant difference
- Geometric
- Multiply constant ratio
- Fibonacci
- Sum of previous two
- Alternating
- Two interleaved rules
- Letter-number
- Parallel letter and digit
- Matrix shift
- Rotating grid positions
Contrapositive vs Converse
Contrapositive
- Flip and negate
- Not Q, not P
- Always valid
Converse
- Just reverse
- Q then P
- Not guaranteed
Valid vs invalid
Deductive Logic
- Modus ponens
- P true, so Q
- Modus tollens
- Not Q, not P
- Contrapositive
- Flip and negate; valid
- Converse
- Reverse; not guaranteed
- Syllogism
- Chain two premises
- Deduction
- Certain, not probable
Conditional + Boolean
- If-then
- Condition triggers action
- Nested IF
- Inner runs if outer passes
- AND
- All clauses must pass
- OR
- One clause enough
- NOT
- Inverts the value
- Truth table
- Maps all outcomes
Differential vs Incremental
Differential
- Since last full
- Restore: full plus one
- Grows over time
Incremental
- Since last backup
- Restore: full plus all
- Smaller each run
One vs chain
Troubleshooting Picker
- Browser fails, IM works→DNS issue
- Address is 169.254→DHCP failure
- USB prints, network fails→Network path
- Crash at fixed time→Scheduled task
- One stage dominates time→Bottleneck
- Loop count is wrong→Off-by-one
- Isolate a failure→Test inside-out
Troubleshooting Method
- Reproduce
- Confirm the failure first
- Isolate
- Narrow to one cause
- Inside-out
- Localhost, router, then internet
- Divide + conquer
- Halve the search space
- Root cause
- Fix source, not symptom
- Bottleneck
- Slowest stage dominates time
Debugging + Backups
- Off-by-one
- Boundary count wrong
- Print debugging
- Log values per stage
- Syntax error
- Code will not run
- Logic error
- Runs but wrong output
- Full backup
- Everything, every time
- Differential
- Changes since last full
- Incremental
- Changes since last backup
OSI 7 Layers
Please Do Not Throw Sausage Pizza Away
PhysicalData LinkNetworkTransportSessionPresentationApplication
TCP vs UDP
TCP
- Connection-oriented
- Handshake plus ACK
- Web, email
UDP
- Connectionless
- No guarantees
- Streaming, VoIP
Reliable vs fast
Protocol + Port Picker
- Need reliable delivery→TCP
- Need low latency→UDP
- Load a web page→HTTP(80)
- Secure web traffic→HTTPS(443)
- Remote command line→SSH(22)
- Transfer files→FTP(21)
- Resolve a name→DNS(53)
IP Addressing
- Class A
- First octet 1-126
- Class B
- First octet 128-191
- Class C
- First octet 192-223
- Private range
- 10, 172.16, 192.168
- 255.255.255.0
- 254 usable hosts/24
- APIPA 169.254
- No DHCP reached
- NAT
- Private to public IP
- IPv6
- 128-bit colon hex
Well-Known Ports
80 HTTP, 443 HTTPS, 22 SSH, 21 FTP
80: HTTP443: HTTPS22: SSH21: FTP53: DNS25: SMTP
Protocols + Ports
- TCP
- Reliable, connection-oriented
- UDP
- Fast, connectionless
- HTTP
- Web pages80
- HTTPS
- Encrypted web443
- SSH
- Secure remote shell22
- FTP
- File transfer control21
- DNS
- Name to IP53
- DHCP
- Assigns IP addresses67
- SMTP
- Sends email25
IPv4 Class Ranges
A 1-126, B 128-191, C 192-223
A: 1-126B: 128-191C: 192-223127: loopback
OSI + Topologies
- Layer 1 Physical
- Cables and signals
- Layer 2 Data Link
- MAC, switches, frames
- Layer 3 Network
- IP and routers
- Layer 4 Transport
- TCP, UDP, ports
- Layer 7 Application
- User-facing protocols
- Star
- Central switch, single point
- Mesh
- Every node interconnected
- Bus
- Shared backbone line
RAM vs Storage
RAM
- Volatile
- Loses data off
- Active working data
Storage
- Non-volatile
- Keeps data off
- Long-term files
Temporary vs permanent
Hardware Components
- CPU
- Executes instructions
- RAM
- Volatile working memory
- SSD
- Flash, no moving parts
- HDD
- Spinning magnetic platters
- GPU
- Parallel calculations
- UEFI / BIOS
- Initializes hardware, boots OS
- Motherboard
- Connects all components
- Cache
- Fast CPU memory
OS + File Systems
- Kernel
- Hardware-software bridge
- Process
- Running program instance
- File permissions
- Read, write, execute
- Virtual machine
- Emulated OS via hypervisor
- Linux
- Dominant server OS
- Virtual memory
- Disk swap when full
- Directory
- Folder holding files
Binary + Hex
- Bit
- Single binary digit
- Byte
- 8 bits, 256 values
- Nibble
- 4 bits, one hex digit
- Binary
- Base 2
- Hex
- Base 16
- FF
- 255, one full byte
- 2^8
- 256 combinations
- Decimal 13
- Binary 1101
CIA Triad
Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
C: keep secretI: prevent tamperingA: keep online
Symmetric vs Asymmetric
Symmetric
- One shared key
- AES
- Fast bulk
Asymmetric
- Public plus private
- RSA
- Solves key exchange
Shared vs key pair
Security Goal Picker
- Keep data secret→Confidentiality
- Prevent tampering→Integrity
- Keep it online→Availability
- Verify identity→Authentication
- Limit permissions→Least privilege
- Classified labels→MAC
CIA + Encryption
- CIA triad
- Confidentiality, integrity, availability
- Confidentiality
- Keep data secret
- Integrity
- Prevent tampering
- Availability
- Keep systems reachable
- Symmetric
- One shared keyAES
- Asymmetric
- Public plus privateRSA
- Hashing
- One-way fingerprint
- TLS
- Encrypts data in transit
MFA Factor Types
Know, Have, Are
Know: passwordHave: CAC tokenAre: biometric
Trojan vs Worm
Trojan
- Disguised software
- Needs user action
- No self-replication
Worm
- Self-replicates
- No user needed
- Spreads over network
Tricked vs automatic
Auth + Access Control
- Authentication
- Prove who you are
- Authorization
- What you may do
- MFA
- Two different factor types
- CAC
- Smart card you have
- MAC
- Clearance labels enforced
- RBAC
- Access by job role
- DAC
- Owner sets permissions
- Least privilege
- Minimum access needed
Threats + Attacks
- Virus
- Needs host file
- Worm
- Self-replicates over network
- Trojan
- Disguised, needs user action
- Ransomware
- Encrypts, demands payment
- Phishing
- Fake message steals data
- DoS
- Floods to deny service
- Zero-day
- No patch exists yet
- Social engineering
- Manipulates people, not code
Common Traps
Arithmetic vs Geometric
Arithmetic adds constant ≠ Geometric multiplies ratio
Contrapositive vs Converse
Contrapositive always valid ≠ Converse not guaranteed
Bit vs Byte
Bit is one digit ≠ Byte is eight bits
CPU vs RAM
CPU executes instructions ≠ RAM only stores
TCP vs UDP
TCP reliable, slower ≠ UDP fast, no guarantee
DoS vs Phishing
DoS hits availability ≠ Phishing hits confidentiality
Padlock is not trust
Padlock means encrypted ≠ Site may be malicious
Last Minute
- 1.About 40 questions, 20 minutes
- 2.Logic and problem-solving weigh most
- 3.Arithmetic adds; geometric multiplies
- 4.Contrapositive valid; converse is not
- 5.TCP reliable; UDP fast
- 6.80 HTTP, 443 HTTPS, 22 SSH
- 7.Class A starts at 1
- 8.255.255.255.0 gives 254 hosts
- 9.CPU executes; RAM stores
- 10.CIA: confidentiality, integrity, availability
- 11.MFA mixes different factor types
- 12.AES symmetric; RSA asymmetric
- 13.Read fake domains right to left
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