CompTIA Tech+ Certification Exam Flashcards

Access Control List (ACL)

The collection of access control entries (ACEs) that determines which subjects (user accounts, host IP addresses, and so on) are allowed or denied access to the object and the privileges given (read-only, read/write, and so on).

Access Point (AP)

A device that provides a connection between wireless devices and can connect to wired networks, implementing an infrastructure mode WLAN.

Accounting

Tracking authorized usage of a resource or use of rights by a subject and alerting when unauthorized use is detected or attempted.

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)

Symmetric 128-, 192-, or 256-bit block cipher used for bulk encryption in modern security standards, such as WPA2, WPA3, and TLS.

Advanced Technology Extended (ATX)

Standard PC case, motherboard, and power supply specification. Mini-, Micro-, and Flex-ATX specify smaller board designs.

Air-Gapped

A type of network isolation that physically separates a host from other hosts or a network from all other networks.

Algorithm / Algorithms

Operations that transform a plaintext into a ciphertext with cryptographic properties, also called a cipher. There are symmetric, asymmetric, and hash cipher types.

American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII)

7-bit code page mapping binary values to character glyphs. Standard ASCII can represent 127 characters, though some values are reserved for non-printing control characters.

Antivirus Software

Inspecting traffic to locate and block viruses.

Array

Identifier for a group of variables of the same type. The number of possible elements in an array is fixed when the array is declared.

Artificial Intelligence

The science of creating machines with the ability to develop problem-solving and analysis strategies without significant human direction or intervention.

Assembly Language

A compiled software program is converted to binary machine code using the instruction set of the CPU platform. Assembly language is this machine code represented in human-readable text.

Attenuation

Attenuation, or degradation of a signal as it travels over media, determines the maximum distance for a particular media type at a given bit rate.

Augmented Reality (AR)

Using software and smartphone cameras or headsets to interact with real-world objects and images or change the way they appear in some way.

Authentication

A method of validating a particular entity's or individual's unique credentials.

Authorization

The process of determining what rights and privileges a particular entity has.

Availability

The fundamental security goal of ensuring that computer systems operate continuously and that authorized persons can access data that they need.

Backdoors

A mechanism for gaining access to a computer that bypasses or subverts the normal method of authentication.

Bandwidth

Generally used to refer to the amount of data that can be transferred through a connection over a given period. Bandwidth more properly means the range of frequencies supported by transmission media, measured in Hertz.

Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)

Legacy 32-bit firmware type that initializes hardware and provides a system setup interface for configuring boot devices and other hardware settings.

Biometric Authentication

An authentication mechanism that allows a user to perform a biometric scan to operate an entry or access system. Physical characteristics stored as a digital data template can be used to authenticate a user. Typical features used include facial pattern, iris, retina, fingerprint pattern, and signature recognition.

Bit (b) and Byte (B)

The bit (b) is the fundamental unit of data storage (1 or 0). 8 bits form a byte (B), a unit that describes file sizes and memory capacity. Multiples of bits are Kilobit (Kb) and Megabit (Mb), commonly used for transfer rates. Multiples of bytes are kilobyte (KB) and megabytes (MB), and up.

Blu-ray

Latest generation of optical drive technology, with disc capacity of 25 GB per layer. Transfer rates are measured in multiples of 36 MB/s.

Branching

In scripting and programming, control statement that uses a condition to determine which code block to execute next.

Buses

Connections between components on the motherboard and peripheral devices providing data pathways, memory addressing, power supply, timing, and connector/port form factor.

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)

A simple language for adding style, such as different colors, fonts, spacing, and other formatting, to Web documents.

Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)

A display technology that receives an analog signal and forms a color image by illuminating red, green, and blue dots (triads). CRTs are no longer mass-manufactured.

CD-ROM

A type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—this type of storage.

CD-RW

Optical storage technology supporting up to 700 MB per disc with recordable and re-writable media also available.

Cellular Radio

Standards for implementing data access over cellular networks are implemented as successive generations: 2G/3G (GSM/CDMA networks) and 4G/5G (converged LTE standards), with increasing data speeds.

Central Processing Unit (CPU) / Central Processing Units (CPUs)

Principal microprocessor in a PC or mobile device responsible for running firmware, operating system, and applications software.

Certificate

Issued by a Certificate Authority (CA) as a guarantee that a public key it has issued to an organization to encrypt messages sent to it genuinely belongs to that organization.

Certificate Authority (CA)

A server that guarantees subject identities by issuing signed digital certificate wrappers for their public keys.

Ciphertext

Data that has been enciphered and cannot be read without the cipher key.

Client-Server / Client-Server Architecture

Administration paradigm where some host machines are designated as providing server and services, and other machines are designated as client devices that only consume server services.

Coaxial Cable

Media type using two separate conductors that share a common axis categorized using the Radio Grade (RG) specifications.

Comma-Separated Value (CSV)

A text file type that uses commas and new lines to organize information into cells in a table format.

Command Line Interface (CLI)

A text-based interface between the user and the operating system that accepts input in the form of commands.

Compiler

A type of software that translates code written in one programming language (the source language) into another language (the target language), often from a high-level language to a low-level language to create an executable program.

Computing Cycle

The sequence of actions that a device goes through to process instructions and perform tasks. The four main steps are input, process, storage, and output.

Confidentiality

The fundamental security goal of keeping information and communications private and protecting them from unauthorized access.

Cookies

A text file used to store information about a user when they visit a website. Some sites use cookies to support user sessions.

Cybersecurity

Protection of computer systems and digital information resources from unauthorized access, attack, theft, or data damage.

Data At Rest

Information that is primarily stored on specific media, rather than moving from one medium to another.

Data In Transit

Information that is being transmitted between two hosts, such as over a private network or the Internet.

Database

Data storage systems that organize electronic information into structured tables, allowing for the easy retrieval and interpretation of data, often managed using Structured Query Language (SQL).

Database Administrators (DBAs)

The IT role responsible for the configuration, management, and support of database applications.

Defense In Depth

Security strategy that positions the layers of diverse security control categories and functions as opposed to relying on perimeter controls.

Defragmentation

A process that mitigates fragmentation (when a data file is not saved to contiguous sectors on an HDD, reducing performance) and can also perform optimization operations for SSDs.

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)

Carrier technology to implement broadband Internet access for subscribers by transferring data over voice-grade telephone lines. Variants include S(ymmetric)DSL, A(symmetric)DSL, and V(ery High Bit Rate)DSL.

Digital Visual Interface (DVI)

Legacy video interface that supports digital only or digital and analog signaling.

DisplayPort

Digital audio/video interface developed by VESA. DisplayPort supports some cross-compatibility with DVI and HDMI devices.

Dotted Decimal Notation

Format for expressing IPv4 addresses using four decimal values from 0 to 255 for each octet (e.g., 192.168.1.1).

Double Data Rate (DDR)

Series of high-bandwidth system-memory standards (DDR3/DDR4/DDR5) where data is transferred twice per clock cycle.

Dual Inline Memory Module (DIMM)

Standard form factor for system memory. There are different pin configurations for different DDR-SDRAM RAM types.

DVD

Optical storage technology supporting up to 4.7 GB per layer per disc with recordable and re-writable media also available.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

Protocol used to automatically assign IP addressing information to hosts that have not been configured manually.

Elasticity

Property by which a computing environment can add or remove resources in response to increasing and decreasing demands in workload.

Encrypted / Encryption

Scrambling the characters used in a message so that the message can be seen but not understood or modified unless it can be deciphered. It provides a secure means of transmitting and storing data, using different types of algorithm/cipher and one or more keys.

End User License Agreement (EULA)

Contract governing the installation and use of software.

Escape Character

A character that is used to remove the special meaning from another character so it can be interpreted literally.

Extensible Markup Language (XML)

A system for structuring documents so that they are human and machine readable. Information within the document is placed within tags, which describe how information within the document is structured.

Factors (Authentication)

In authentication design, different technologies for implementing authentication, such as knowledge, ownership/token, and biometric/inherence. These are characterized as something you know, something you have, or something you are.

Fiber Internet

Internet connection type that uses a fiber link between the subscriber premises and ISP network. Fiber to the premises (FTTP) uses a full fiber link, while fiber to the curb (FTTC) retains a short segment of copper wire.

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)

Application protocol used to transfer files between network hosts. Variants include S(ecure)FTP, FTPS, and T(rivial)FTP. FTP utilizes ports 20 and 21.

Firewall

Software or hardware device that protects a network segment or individual host by filtering packets to an access control list.

Flash Memory

Non-volatile memory that retains information when power is removed and can be reprogrammed quickly. It is used in USB drives, memory cards, and Solid State Drives (SSDs).

Flowchart

A diagram that shows the relationships of various elements in a system or process.

Foreign Key

In a structured database, a field in one table that links to the unique primary key field in another table, establishing a relationship between the tables.

Form Factors

Size and shape of a component, determining its compatibility. Most closely associated with PC motherboard, case, and power supply designs.

Function

A block of code that can be reused to perform a specific task.

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

Provisions and requirements protecting the personal data of European Union (EU) citizens.

Geofencing

Security control that can enforce a virtual boundary based on real-world geography.

Global Positioning System (GPS)

A means of determining a receiver's position on Earth based on information received from orbital satellites.

Graphical Processing Unit (GPU)

Type of microprocessor used on dedicated video adapter cards or within a CPU with integrated graphics capability. GPUs can also perform cryptographic operations efficiently (e.g., password cracking).

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

An environment for passing commands to a computer by using a graphical, mouse-driven interface rather than by using text-based commands.

Hard Disk Drive (HDD) / Hard Drive / Hard Disk Drives

Mass storage device that uses mechanical platters with a magnetic coating that are spun under disk heads that can read and write to locations on each platter (sectors).

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

US federal law that protects the storage, reading, modification, and transmission of personal healthcare data.

Heatsink

Cooling device fitted to PC components to optimize heat transfer.

Hexadecimal

Notational system with 16 values per digit. Values above 9 are represented by A,B,C,D,E,F. It's a compact way of referring to long byte values, such as MAC and IPv6 addresses.

High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)

Digital audio/video interface developed for use on both consumer electronics and computer equipment.

Hot-Swappable

A device that can be added or removed without having to restart the operating system.

Hypertext Markup Language (HTML)

A system of coded tags that identify the structure of the document files used for webpages.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

Application protocol used to provide web content to browsers. HTTP uses port 80.

Hypervisor

Software or firmware that creates and manages virtual machines on the host hardware.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)

Secure version of HTTP that provides for encrypted transfers, using TLS and port 443.

Identity Fraud

The invention of fake personal information or the theft and misuse of an individual's personal information.

Image (OS/VM)

Clone copy of an operating system installation (including installed software, settings, and user data) stored as a file on disk. Used by VMs and for system backups.

Incremental Backups

Job type in which all selected files that have changed since the last full or incremental backup (whichever was most recent) are backed up.

Information Technology (IT)

The use of computers and related devices to manage data.

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)

A cloud service model that provisions virtual machines and network infrastructure.

Input

The communication between an information processing system, such as a computer or computing device, and the outside world (data or commands).

Instant Messaging (IM)

Real-time text communications products that also support file exchange and remote desktop.

Integrity

The fundamental security goal of keeping information and communications private and protecting them from unauthorized access.

Interference

Noise that occurs when a magnetic field around one electrical circuit or device interferes with the signal being carried on an adjacent circuit.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Devices that can report state and configuration data and be remotely managed over IP networks.

Internet Protocol (IP) Addresses / IP Addresses / IPv4 Addresses

Format for logical host and network addressing. In IPv4, a 32-bit binary address is expressed in dotted decimal notation (e.g., 192.168.1.1).

Internet Service Provider's (ISP)

Provides Internet connectivity and web services to its customers.

Intranet

A private network that is only accessible by the organization's own personnel.

IPv6

Version of the Internet Protocol that uses 128-bit address values typically expressed in canonical hex notation with slash notation network prefixes (e.g., 2001:db8::0bcd:abcd:ef12:1234).