ICDL Cyber Security / IT Security (ICDL Foundation) Feed

Question

An organization implements a policy stating that customer credit card numbers must be stored in an encrypted format and can only be accessed by authorized billing personnel. Which core principle of information security is directly being addressed by encrypting this sensitive data?

Security Concepts

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Question

A financial service database administrator notices that a system glitch has accidentally modified the account balances of several clients. What information security principle has been compromised by this unauthorized alteration of data?

Security Concepts

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Question

A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack floods a company's e-commerce server with traffic, causing the website to become extremely slow and completely unresponsive to legitimate customers. Which pillar of the CIA triad does this attack target?

Security Concepts

Question · Easy

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Question

An office administrator accidentally sends an email containing internal employee payroll details to a public mailing list instead of the HR department. How is this type of security event classified in the threat landscape?

Security Concepts

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Which of the following events would be categorized as a threat due to "Force Majeure" within an organization's risk management plan?

Security Concepts

Question · Medium

Question

A receptionist receives a phone call from an individual claiming to be a senior IT support technician. The caller states that there is an urgent network upgrade and requests the receptionist's active username and password to test the account. What type of security attack does this scenario represent?

Security Concepts

Question · Easy

Question

A user receives an email containing a link to reset their online banking password. The email warns that the account will be permanently locked within 24 hours if action is not taken. The email greeting is generic, and the link points to "http://secure-verify-update.com/login" instead of the bank's real URL. What specific attack is this?

Security Concepts

Question · Easy

Question

An unauthorized delivery driver carries a large cardboard box and waits near a secure office entrance. When an employee swipes their access card to enter, the driver follows closely behind before the door shuts, pretending to struggle with the heavy box. What social engineering term describes this action?

Security Concepts

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Question

A criminal obtains a target's full name, date of birth, and home address by searching public records and social media. They use this information to open new credit card accounts and make unauthorized purchases in the target's name. What is the correct term for this crime?

Security Concepts

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Question

An organization drafts a document that outlines what systems and networks employees are authorized to use, sets rules for internet browsing, and specifies consequences for installing unlicensed software. What is the standard name for this document?

Security Concepts

Question · Easy

Question

A company's security policy states that all administrative accounts must change their passwords every 90 days, use at least 12 characters, and include symbols and numbers. Under which security control category does this requirement fall?

Security Concepts

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Question

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which data protection principle is violated if an online shop retains a customer's home address for 10 years after their account is permanently closed, with no legal justification?

Security Concepts

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What does the term "Data Minimization" refer to under modern data protection regulations such as the GDPR?

Security Concepts

Question · Medium

Question

An employee downloads a free PDF converter tool from an untrusted forum and runs the installer. The software prompts for administrative credentials, which the employee enters. Within minutes, the computer screen displays a message stating that all files are locked, demanding a payment to restore access. What occurred in this scenario?

Malware

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Question

A computer worm and a file virus are both categories of malware. What is the primary characteristic that distinguishes a worm from a standard file-infecting virus?

Malware

Question · Hard

Question

Which type of malicious software runs silently in the background of a computer system, records every key pressed by the user, and sends this data back to an attacker to steal passwords and credit card numbers?

Malware

Question · Easy

Question

An IT technician cleans a compromised laptop and discovers that the malware has altered system files to hide its processes and directories, preventing the standard Task Manager and antivirus scanner from seeing it. What type of malware is specifically designed to hide itself and other threats from the operating system?

Malware

Question · Medium

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A user notices that their web browser's default homepage has changed to an unfamiliar search engine, and pop-up advertisements appear on their desktop even when the browser is closed. What type of malware is most likely causing these symptoms?

Malware

Question · Easy

Question

Which of the following is considered a common vector of infection through which malware can be introduced to an organization's network?

Malware

Question · Easy

Question

An office employee inserts a USB flash drive that they found in the parking lot into their work computer to look for the owner's name. The computer immediately executes a script stored on the drive without the employee's consent. What mechanism allowed this infection to happen?

Malware

Question · Medium

Question

Antivirus software uses "signature-based detection" to identify threats. What is the main limitation of relying solely on signature-based detection for system security?

Malware

Question · Medium

Question

How does antivirus software's heuristic analysis detect potential malware that has never been seen before?

Malware

Question · Hard

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What is the purpose of the "Quarantine" function in modern antivirus and anti-malware software when a suspicious file is detected?

Malware

Question · Medium

Question

A small business owner wants to set up their office network. Which type of network configuration covers a single room, office, or building, and is typically owned and managed by the organization itself?

Network Security

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Question

An employee needs to access internal company files and databases while working from a hotel room. What technology should the employee use to establish a secure, encrypted connection to the office network over the public internet?

Network Security

Question · Easy

Question

While browsing a news site, a user is silently redirected to a page that runs an exploit script to scan their browser for unpatched security flaws. Without the user clicking anything, malware is automatically downloaded and installed. What term describes this type of silent web-based attack?

Malware

Question · Medium

Question

A security advisor tells employees that keeping their operating systems and applications updated with the latest software patches is the most critical defense against malware. Why are software updates so effective at preventing malware infections?

Malware

Question · Easy

Question

An office network administrator configures a network security tool designed to monitor and filter incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predefined rules. What is this security device or software called?

Network Security

Question · Easy

Question

A computer user is working on a document when their antivirus software displays a pop-up alert stating: "Threat detected: Trojan.Win32.Generic has been placed in quarantine." What is the most appropriate action for the user to take next?

Malware

Question · Medium

Question

A user notices that their computer has become very slow, search results are constantly redirected to advertisement pages, and their webcam light occasionally blinks even when not in use. What class of malware is designed to gather user activity data and details without their consent?

Malware

Question · Medium

Question

A user downloads an application called "FreeSystemSpeedUp.exe" from an online advertisement. Upon running the program, the system functions normally, but a hidden background process begins downloading unauthorized files and sending system logs to a remote server. What type of malware is represented here?

Malware

Question · Medium

Question

An employee leaves their computer unlocked while going to lunch. A malicious insider plugs a small USB device that mimics a keyboard into the computer. The device automatically types commands to share the local C: drive on the network, exposing all files. What threat landscape vector was exploited here?

Security Concepts

Question · Medium

Question

A company suffers a cyberattack where hackers encrypt all virtual servers and threaten to leak confidential customer database records online if a ransom is not paid within 48 hours. What specific evolution of malware does this threat represent?

Malware

Question · Hard

Question

Why is it highly recommended to configure antivirus software to download database definition updates automatically and frequently?

Malware

Question · Easy

Question

A security auditor warns that a rootkit has infected the master boot record (MBR) of an office computer. What makes MBR-infecting rootkits particularly dangerous compared to standard application-level malware?

Malware

Question · Hard

Question

An IT technician is auditing an old wireless router in a warehouse and notices it is configured to use Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption. Why should WEP be immediately replaced with a modern standard like WPA2 or WPA3?

Network Security

Question · Medium

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A home office user purchases a new wireless router and notices it supports WPA3 encryption. What is the primary security advantage of WPA3 compared to WPA2?

Network Security

Question · Hard

Question

A user unboxes a new wireless router and sets up the Wi-Fi network. According to basic network security practices, why is it critical to change the default administrator username and password of the router?

Network Security

Question · Easy

Question

A business owner decides to secure their office Wi-Fi network by "hiding" the Service Set Identifier (SSID) so it does not broadcast publicly. What is the security limitation of this method?

Network Security

Question · Medium

Question

An office administrator configures "MAC Address Filtering" on the corporate wireless router, allowing only registered employee laptops to connect to the Wi-Fi. Why is MAC filtering considered an insufficient security measure on its own?

Network Security

Question · Hard

Question

A firewall is set up to protect a company's network. Which configuration method allows the administrator to specify exactly which types of network traffic are allowed or blocked based on IP addresses, port numbers, or protocols?

Network Security

Question · Medium

Question

An organization installs fingerprint readers and facial recognition cameras at the entrances of its high-security server rooms. What class of authentication is represented by these devices?

Network Security

Question · Easy

Question

An employee logs into their work account by typing their password and immediately receives a prompt on their registered smartphone app asking them to tap "Approve" to complete the login. What security concept does this process illustrate?

Network Security

Question · Easy

Question

A traveler connects their laptop to a free, open Wi-Fi network at an airport. An attacker sitting nearby captures all the unencrypted network traffic passing through the air. What is the correct term for this type of passive interception?

Network Security

Question · Easy

Question

An attacker sets up a wireless hotspot in a coffee shop with the name "Free Coffee Shop Wi-Fi" (matching the shop's real network name). When customers connect to this rogue access point, the attacker intercepts their login details. What is this attack called?

Network Security

Question · Medium

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