Free Practice Questions for CompTIA SY0-701 Exam

Hashing is the correct mechanism for ensuring that a software release has not been modified prior to reaching the end user. Hashing provides integrity verification by generating a fixed-length digest (such as SHA-256) from the original software package. When users download the software, they can compute the hash locally and compare it to the hash value published by the vendor. If the values match, the software has not been altered; if they differ, tampering or corruption has occurred.

CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 emphasizes hashing as a core cryptographic control used to verify integrity for files, updates, patches, and software distributions. Hashing is extremely sensitive to change—altering even a single bit in the file results in a completely different hash value.

Encryption (B) protects confidentiality, not integrity. Tokenization (A) replaces sensitive data with tokens and is unrelated to software integrity. Obfuscation (D) makes code harder to read but does not guarantee it has not been modified.

Therefore, hashing is the most appropriate and reliable method to ensure software integrity before release.

A SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) system aggregates logs from diverse sources, analyzes them, and generates alerts on suspicious activities. It provides centralized monitoring and incident detection.

SCADA (B) is industrial control, SNMP (C) is a protocol for network management, and SCAP (D) is a standard for security content automation.

SIEMs are foundational in Security Operations monitoring【6:Chapter 14†CompTIA Security+ Study Guide】.

A self-signed certificate is generated internally without involving an external Certificate Authority (CA). In a self-signed certificate, the certificate issuer and certificate subject are the same entity. Security+ SY0-701 explains that organizations frequently use self-signed certificates for internal systems, lab environments, or testing scenarios where external trust chains are unnecessary.

A digital signature (A) is a cryptographic function, not a certificate. Asymmetric keys (B) are used in public-key cryptography but do not constitute a certificate by themselves. Symmetric keys (D) are encryption tools, not certificates.

Therefore, the example of a certificate generated internally is C: Self-signed.

Input validation (D)is the most effective way to preventinjection attacks, such asSQL injection, XSS, etc. It ensures that only correctly formatted and expected inputs are processed by the application.

This is clearly identified underDomain 2.3: Application security techniques, whereinput validationis listed as aprimary defense against injection attacks.

Peer review and approval is a practice that involves having other developers or experts review the code before it is deployed or released. Peer review and approval can help detect and prevent malicious code, errors, bugs, vulnerabilities, and poor quality in the development process. Peer review and approval can also enforce coding standards, best practices, and compliance requirements. Peer review and approval can be done manually or with the help of tools, such as code analysis, code review, and code signing. References: CompTIA Security+ Study Guide: Exam SY0-701, 9th Edition, Chapter 11: Secure Application Development, page 543 2

 The data plane, also known as the forwarding plane, is the part of the network that carries user traffic and data. It is responsible for moving packets from one device to another based on the routing and switching decisions made by the control plane. The data plane is a critical component of the Zero Trust architecture, as it is where most of the attacks and breaches occur. Therefore, implementing Zero Trust principles within the data plane can help to improve the security and resilience of the network.

One of the key principles of Zero Trust is to assume breach and minimize the blast radius and segment access. This means that the network should be divided into smaller and isolated segments or zones, each with its own security policies and controls. This way, if one segment is compromised, the attacker cannot easily move laterally to other segments and access more resources or data. This principle is also known as threat scope reduction, as it reduces the scope and impact of a potential threat.

The other options are not as relevant for the data plane as threat scope reduction. Secured zones are a concept related to the control plane, which is the part of the network that makes routing and switching decisions. Subject role is a concept related to the identity plane, which is the part of the network that authenticates and authorizes users and devices. Adaptive identity is a concept related to the policy plane, which is the part of the network that defines and enforces the security policies and rules.

References =  https://bing.com/search?q=Zero+Trust+data+plane

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/security/zero-trust/deploy/data

AnAPI (B)or Application Programming Interface is the best option when you want toautomate data exchangebetween systems. APIs provide structured, secure, and efficient ways for systems to communicate and are widely used in automation and orchestration tasks.

SOAR (A)is used for broader security orchestration and may use APIs under the hood but is more complex.

SFTP (C)is for manual/automated file transfers.

RDP (D)is for remote desktop access, not data automation.

This is referenced inDomain 1.5: Explain the importance of automation and orchestration in cybersecurityunder“Application programming interfaces (APIs).”

Intellectual property is a type of data that consists of ideas, inventions, designs, or other creative works that have commercial value and are protected by law. Employees in the research and development business unit are most likely to use intellectual property data in their day-to-day work activities, as they are involved in creating new products or services for the company. Intellectual property data needs to be protected from unauthorized use, disclosure, or theft, as it can give the company a competitive advantage in the market. Therefore, these employees receive extensive training to ensure they understand how to best protect this type of data. References = CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Certification Study Guide, page 90; Professor Messer’s CompTIA SY0-701 Security+ Training Course, video 1.2 - Security Concepts, 7:57 - 9:03.

Input sanitization is a critical security measure to prevent SQL injection attacks, which occur when an attacker exploits vulnerabilities in a website's input fields to execute malicious SQL code. By properly sanitizing and validating all user inputs, developers can prevent malicious code from being executed, thereby securing the website against such attacks.

References = CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 study materials, particularly in the domain of web application security and common vulnerability mitigation strategies​​.

Detailed Explanation:Mean Time to Repair (MTTR) is a key metric in risk management, reflecting the time required to repair a failed component, such as a generator, and restore operations. Reference: CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Study Guide, Domain 5: Security Program Management, Section: "Business Continuity Metrics"​​.

An insider threat is a security risk that originates from within the organization, such as an employee, contractor, or business partner, who has authorized access to the organization’s data and systems. An insider threat can be malicious, such as stealing, leaking, or sabotaging sensitive data, or unintentional, such as falling victim to phishing or social engineering. An insider threat can cause significant damage to the organization’s reputation, finances, operations, and legal compliance. The user’s activity of logging in remotely after hours and copying large amounts of data to a personal device is an example of a malicious insider threat, as it violates the organization’s security policies and compromises the confidentiality and integrity of the data. References = Insider Threats – CompTIA Security+ SY0-701: 3.2, video at 0:00; CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 Certification Study Guide, page 133.

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

Port 445 is used by the SMB protocol on Windows systems. Large volumes of unexpected traffic on TCP 445 are commonly associated with worms that exploit SMB vulnerabilities (such as WannaCry or NotPetya). Worms are self-replicating malware that spread rapidly across a network, consuming bandwidth, causing high latency, and often resulting in network outages. This matches the scenario given, where network unavailability and abnormal port 445 traffic are observed.