Comprehensive Study guide for WGU D315 (Network and Security Foundations)

Transport (Layer 4)

What is the TCP/IP layer that includes the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)?

Application (Layer 7)

Which layer of the TCP/IP model includes the Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)?

Session (Layer 5)

Which OSI model layer creates, maintains, and disconnects process communications over the network?

Transport (Layer 4)

Which OSI model layer is responsible for breaking data into packets?

Application (Layer 7)

Which layer of the OSI reference model includes all computer programs that interact with the network?

Network (Layer 3)

What is the OSI model layer that includes the IPX?

Network (Layer 3)

What is the layer of the OSI model that is responsible for logical addressing?

Physical (Layer 1)

What is the layer of the OSI model that translates binary computer language into the language of the transmission medium?

Broadband Router

Typically refers to consumer-grade routers for internet access via broadband connections.

Requires an internet connection.

Router

An IT manager is designing a new network and needs a device that connects multiple networks. Which device is needed?

Modem

Sends and receives data. Allows computers to transport digital info over analog lines, such as phone and cable.

Router

Point of connection between two or more networks, and forwards data packets between the networks. Connects networks on internet to networks at home. Provides ethernet port or wi-fi. Responsible for implementing Network Address Translation (NAT)

Hub

Connects router to the network. Takes data packets from router and sends them to devices in the network. By connecting a USB hub to a PC, data packets can be transferred to multiple devices connected to your computer, but each device only looks at traffic destined for it and ignores the rest.

Repeater

Repeaters take in the signal being sent, process it and then send out the signal stronger than before to the next waypoint

Switch

Connect devices in a specific network and allow them to communicate within network. Like a hub but more complex, has capability to add security measures and function more intelligently, sending traffic directly from sender to receiver without other devices aware of communication. (Included in most internet routers)

Bridge

Connects two or more networks. Fast data transfer but lacks versatility. Not widely used today as routers and switches are favored.

Different from a router because a router analyzes data packets to determine where to send, whereas a this forwards the data to next network without analysis.

Edge Router

This is at the end of the network backbone to connect to other core routers. It is meant to distribute packets to other networks than its own. (Layer 3 OSI)

Core Router

Internal; does not distribute packets out of its network. (Layer 3 OSI)

Subscriber Edge Router

tele com networks to connect individual subscribers to the wider infrastructure. (Layer 3 OSI)

Inter-provider Border Router

typically is ISP to ISP, really the core or the backbone of the Internet itself. (Layer 3 OSI)

Access Point

is used to interconnect wireless devices and provide a connection to the wired devices and provide a connection to the wire LAN.

The data transfer speeds, for this, are dictated by the choice of wireless technology for the clients but this device will support Wireless-N (Layer 2 OSI)

LAN

A network in a small office building connects all devices using wired connections with a star topology. Which type of network is described?

PAN

An executive uses Bluetooth to connect a laptop, a mobile phone, and a headset. Which type of network is described?

MAN

A city uses fiber optic cable to connect smaller networks throughout the whole city. Which type of network is described?

Public (cloud)

A company uses cloud service to manage its IT resources. The underlying hardware resources are shared by other companies as well. What is the cloud deployment model described in the scenario?

Multi (cloud)

A corporation uses both AWS and MS Azure in its architecture.

Hybrid (cloud)

This solution involves using a mix of on-premises data centers/private cloud and public cloud resources to achieve flexibility, scalability, and control.

Private (cloud)

The data and applications are hosted entirely on-site.

Public (cloud)

Provides cloud services to just about anyone

Multi (cloud)

An organization uses one cloud service provider for data management and another service provider for development platforms. What is the cloud deployment model described in the scenario?

Type 1 Hypervisor

A company needs to maximize the number of virtual machines that can run on each host. Which hypervisor should be used?

Type 2 Hypervisor

A developer has an existing computer with an operating system. The developer wants to use a hypervisor to have access to several virtual machines for a specific project. Which form of hypervisor fits the need described in the scenario?

Type 2 Hypervisor

Runs on top of a host operating system, which introduces additional overhead and reduces the number of VMs that can efficiently run on the host. (e.g., VMware Workstation, Oracle VirtualBox)

Type 1 Hypervisor

Runs directly on the hardware of the host machine, without needing an underlying operating system. Allows for greater efficiency, performance, and scalability, enabling the host to support more VMs.

Data Modification

An attacker gains unauthorized access to a computer and modifies browser security settings. What is the purpose of the attack?

Data export

An attacker uses a trojan horse to forward usernames and passwords to an anonymous email address. What is the purpose of the attack?

Launch Point

A compromised email server used to send phishing emails to other employees.

Launch Point

A device or server that has been breached and is under the control of the attacker. Can be within the target organization (internal or external).

Used to distribute malware, conduct reconnaissance, or coordinate attacks on additional targets.

Black hat

A hacker purposefully breaks IT security to gain unauthorized access to systems and publish sensitive data. Which term describes the given hacker?

White hat

A hacker acts as an information system security professional who is hired to perform penetration testing. Which term describes the given hacker?

Brute force attack

An organization is the victim of an attack in which an attacker uses a software program to try all possible combinations of a password and user ID. What is the type of cyberattack described in this scenario?

Credential stuffing

A data breach exposed usernames and passwords to customer accounts of an online retailer. An attacker uses the exposed data to attempt to access accounts of another online retailer. Which malicious attack strategy is represented in the scenario?

Dictionary attack

An attacker uses a list of commonly used access credentials to attempt to gain access to an online account. Which type of cyberattack is described?

IP address spoofing

An organization is the victim of an attack in which an attacker tries to gain access to a system by disguising their computer as another computer. What is the type of cyberattack described in this scenario?

Session hijacking

An organization is the victim of an attack in which an attacker uses a program to take control of a connection by pretending to be each end of the connection. What is the type of cyberattack described in this scenario?

Man in the middle attack

An attacker intercepts messages between two parties before transferring them on to the correct destination. Which type of cyberattack is described?

Social Engineering

An attacker uses a false identification to gain physical access to IT infrastructure. Which malicious attack strategy is represented in the scenario?

Phishing

An attacker sends emails claiming that an online account has been locked. The email provides a fake link with the goal of tricking the users into providing login credentials. Which type of cyberattack is described?

Pharming

An organization is the victim of an attack in which an attacker uses a DNS poisoning strategy to direct users from a legitimate website to the attacker's website. What is the type of cyberattack described in this scenario?

Integrity

A company is implementing network security components to ensure a higher level of data trustworthiness.

Confidentiality

Which CIA triad component is a driver for enabling data encryption?

Confidentiality

Which component of the IT security CIA triad is a driver for implementing audit and monitoring controls?

Integrity

What is the component of the CIA triad for IT security that requires that IP packets be retransmitted if the receiving host has an invalid checksum value?

Violation of Confidentiality

A company stores sensitive customer data without access controls.

Violation of Availability

A new employee has not been issued access credentials to the company's network for needed information.

Integrity

A company uses hash value comparisons to determine if the data in a database has changed. What is the CIA triad component targeted in the scenario?

Availability

A company is updating the devices it provides to employees to ensure that each employee has consistent network access. What is the CIA triad component targeted in the scenario?

Confidentiality

Ensures that information is accessible only to authorized individuals. Focuses on protecting data from unauthorized access.

Integrity

Ensures that data is accurate, consistent, and not altered without authorization. Protects data from tampering, corruption, or unauthorized modification.

Availability

Ensures that data and systems are accessible to authorized users when needed. Focuses on minimizing downtime and ensuring consistent access.

Discretionary Access Control

The owner of a resource determines who can access it and what permissions they have.

Discretionary Access Control

A user sets read, write, or execute permissions for their files in a shared folder.

Mandatory Access Control

Access is granted based on strict policies defined by a central authority, often using classification levels (e.g., "Top Secret" or "Confidential")

Mandatory Access Control

A government system where only users with appropriate clearance levels can access certain documents.

Role Based Access Control

Access is granted based on the roles users have within an organization, with permissions assigned to roles rather than individuals.

Role Based Access Control

An organization uses an access control in which employees working in similar categories are grouped together and given the same permissions. What is the form of access control involved in this scenario?

Rule Based Access Control

Access is granted or denied based on predefined rules set by administrators, often related to conditions such as time, location, or type of action.

Rule Based Access Control

Employees can only access the system during working hours from specific IP addresses.

Attribute Based Access Control

Access decisions are based on attributes of the user, resource, and environment (e.g., user role, location, time).

Attribute Based Access Control

A healthcare worker can access patient records during their shift but only for patients under their care.

Context Based Access Control

Access is granted based on real-time contextual factors, such as device health, user location, or security posture.

Context Based Access Control

A company set up a firewall to analyze network traffic, considering each packet and how groups of packets are used. What is the form of access control involved in this scenario?

Context Based Access Control

A user can access sensitive files only from a corporate device with updated antivirus software.

Configure the Wi-Fi signal strength to reduce range

An organization's network has been the target of several cyberattacks. Which strategy should the organization use for Wi-Fi hardening?

Wi-fi hardening

Use strong encryption (ex. WPA3), Use a strong password, Disable WPS, MAC address filtering, Disable SSID broadcasting, Have guest network, Enable Firewall, Update firmware, Reduce signal strength (to reduce range), VPN

Implement authentication methodologies

A company is developing a data protection methodology in order to improve data protection measures. What is a strategy that should be used?

Use transport level encryption

After a series of attacks, an organization needs to bolster its data protection measures. Which strategy should be used to increase data protection?

Asset classification policy

An organization needs to define a data classification standard and designate the assets that are critical to the organization's mission. Which type of policy should be used?

Asset management policy

A company needs to specify security operations and management of all IT assets within the seven domains of the IT infrastructure. Which type of policy should be used?

Use Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2)

An organization has experienced war chalking in the past and wants to take actions to mitigate this type of attack. What should this organization do?

Monitor normal traffic patterns

A company is specifically worried about DoS/DDoS attacks. Which strategy should be used as a mitigation against this type of attack?

Fail safe

A development team is designing a web application. The team is considering possible errors and exceptions. The team is committed to protecting sensitive information above all else in the event of an error or exception. What is the security principle implemented in this scenario?

Human-centeredness

An organization is designing an information system dashboard that can be customized for various departments. The goal is to make the dashboard intuitive, user-friendly, and secure. Which design principle for security is being incorporated?

Human-centeredness

Focuses on designing systems that are intuitive, user-friendly, and cater to the needs of the people using them.

Separation of Duties

This principle divides responsibilities among different individuals or systems to prevent misuse or fraud.

Economy of Mechanism

Advocates for simplicity in system design to reduce errors, ease maintenance, and improve security.

Economy of Mechanism

Using a straightforward authentication mechanism rather than an overly complex one.

Psychological acceptability

After discovering that employees have been circumventing session timeouts for a company's internal network, the company is holding meetings to inform employees of the motivation behind the timeouts and risks involved in the workaround. Which security principle is demonstrated in this scenario?

Psychological acceptability

Focuses on ensuring that security measures are easy to use and understandable for users. (By making employees understand the purpose of security measures, they are more likely to comply rather than circumvent them.)

Least Common Mechanism

Minimizes shared resources among users to reduce the risk of breaches.

Least Common Mechanism

Avoiding shared login credentials or shared physical devices

Least Privilege

Users and systems are granted only the access they need to perform their tasks and nothing more.

Least Privilege

An employee in HR only has access to HR-related data, not financial records.

Authorization

When assigned to a new project, a user is given temporary permissions as an editor. Which network security concept does this scenario address?

Separation of duties

A financial company requires a manager to verify any changes made to a client's electronic profile made by an employee. What is the principle used to address accounting in this situation?

Authorization

In order to reduce the risk of insider attacks, a company assigned role-based permissions to its users. Which network security concept does this scenario address?

Authentication

Who are you? (Verifying identity, ensures only legitimate users can access the system)

Authentication

When you log into your email, you provide a username and password.

Authorization

What are you allowed to do? (Determines what actions or resources the user is permitted to access. It ensures that users can only perform actions they are allowed to.)

Accounting

What did you do? (Tracks and logs user activities on the system. It provides a record of who did what and when, which is crucial for auditing and detecting suspicious activity.)