CompTIA A+ Core 2 Exam questions and answers with expert rationales (GUARANTEED SUCCESS )questions and answers with expert rationales (GUARANTEED SUCCESS )

A customer has an issue launching a line of business (LOB) application that is essential to daily operations. The customer's office is over one hour away. To save time, you decide to try a remote session to remedy the problem before making the trip. Which method would NOT be used to initiate a remote session?

RDP

Telnet

SSH

ICMP

ICMP

What is the greatest danger of rootkit malware?

They are difficult to detect.

A disaster prevention and recovery process needs to be put in place for a critical Windows server. Which of the following does NOT address this process?

file-level backup

surge protector

backout plan

account recovery

Backout plan

A backout plan is created and used in the change management process. It addresses a means of rolling back any changes in the event the changes (to a computer system for example) produce undesired results.

Which security feature does Windows BitLocker provide for computer systems and for users?

Full disk encryption

You are consulting a client on building a small computer room to house their Windows servers. Which of the following items would you recommend for the computer room?

Proper ventilation

Which of the following is NOT a 'red flag' for malware infection?

The file system or individual files are updated.

Which type of malware tracks and reports on the usage of a target system in order to steal personal information, including passwords and account data?

Spyware

The current directory is "C:\Users\David\Documents\Tech_files." Which of the following commands could you enter to move into the parent directory?

cd ..

In terms of network access, what is the purpose of a whitelist?

To define the specific clients that should be allowed on the network

What is the reason for using Wi-Fi Protected Access version 2 (WPA2) instead of Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) on a router?

Improved data security

What is the common solution to disable application startup?

System Configuration Utility

Which of the following corporate features is NOT included with Windows 7 Professional?

BIOS

Bitlocker

Networking and management features

EFS

BitLocker

You will be virtualizing a Linux workstation on a Linux host system. The hypervisor you will be using is available freely on the Internet for any type of use. What type of license does the hypervisor likely use?

Open source

Which file system type is the default for Windows operating systems?

New Technology File System (NTFS)

You install a second hard drive into your computer to store data on and, after a bit of preliminary setup, you have to perform which of the following actions to prepare the drive for file storage?

FORMAT

You are writing a script to automate the deployment of a small piece of software to all workstations. As you are scripting, you are implementing best practices in the script. Which of the following is considered a best practice?

Using comments

Identify the best physical security method for network access points from the following choices.

sit on top of a filing cabinet

add a cable lock

position on a high ceiling

place in a remote wiring closet

Add a cable lock.

Which of the following Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-ins manages connections between a client application and a server application?

Print managemnet

ODBC data source administrator

Services

Component Services

ODBC data source administrator

Which of the following can allow or restrict the use of apps, corporate data, and built-in functions on a mobile device?

Mobile Device Management

Which explanation best describes the maximum password age policy?

When the password reaches its time limit; the user is forced to change the password

Why are dictionary attacks successful on cracking passwords?

A user creates a password with simple dictionary words

Which of the following can cause a weak signal in a mobile device?

Low battery charge

A small company has hired you to manage their technology. This includes five PCs (Personal Computers), two Multi-function printers, and a Network Area Storage Device (NAS). The business owner has stated that users often save non-business files to the NAS which causes routine low space issues. What first step should be taken to address the use of technology within the company?

Acceptable use policy

Which of these is NOT associated with troubleshooting wireless configuration issues?

Bluetooth pairing information

The device stuck in airplane mode

Wi-Fi adapter and AP compatibility standards

A low battery

A low battery

Which method enables a storage device to be repurposed without fear of old data being accessed?

Overwriting

You are considering implementing a backup scheme for a server. After researching options, you decide on a method that does not reset the archive bit after a backup. Which method have you chosen?

Differential

You are headed to a customer site to meet with a sales manager. You have met in the past to discuss repetitive technical issues the department has been experiencing. In order to best present the sales manager a clear understating of the suggested remedies, what customer service communication technique should you practice?

Avoid jargon and acronyms

What is the name of the malware that can lock you out of your computer and prevent access to your data until you pay a fee to the software developer?

Ransomware

Why is iOS better at applying updates than an Android?

iOS has a consistent hardware and software base that notify by an alert on wake to install an update.

Which scripting language uses the characters // for comment text?

JavaScript

Python

PowerShell

Bash

JavaScript

You attempt to access a file that you created but instead receive an access denied message. What does this indicate?

The file permissions changed on the user account or the content.

Which of the following is NOT a reason for Windows to display an invalid certificate warning?

Bypassing the certificate requirement

A user has been spending most of the day watching Netflix rather than doing work. What policy would address this type of behavior?

Acceptable use policy

You have been working on installing a new line of business (LOB) application for the finance department. You need to document the specifics of the setup and management of the application. Which of the below would be the best method to accomplish this?

Use a Configuration Management Database (CMDB).

You need to implement a backup storage security plan for the company backups. Which of the following is NOT considered a security best practice?

Role-based access

Redundant connectivity

Backup and restore logging

Data encryption

Redundant connectivity

You experience difficulty while installing Windows on a new laptop. Which of the following logs should you examine in Event Viewer to troubleshoot the problem?

Setup

What is the best course of action when a user experiences black screen issues?

Give the system time to complete the update.

To increase security for your users, you need to deny websites from requesting a user's location through Internet Explorer. On which Internet Options tab do you change this setting?

Privacy

Which of the following is NOT a type of anti-malware software?

Anti-firewall

Put the steps for CompTIA's malware removal procedure in order.

Identify and research malware symptoms; quarantine infected system; disable System Restore; remediate infected systems; schedule scans; enable System Restore and create restore point; educate end user

Identify which virus becomes active when the application is executed?

Program virus

Network diagrams can show logical and physical relationships between different elements. What is this relationship called?

Topology

You need to write a script to help with systems automation. You need to use comparison operators to accomplish a task within the script. What syntax would be used for less than?

<

Mobile devices are similar to other computing devices in that they require regular patch maintenance and update management to remain secure. If an organization does NOT centrally manage device patches and updates, what should administrators ensure that users have enabled on their devices?

Automatic updates

What type of social engineering attack is whaling?

Spear phishing

Why is it important to force users to use strong passwords?

So that their passwords are not easily guessed

Which of these is NOT associated with troubleshooting signal issues?

Device Intererence

Airplane mode

Distance

A low battery

Airplane mode

Which option is an example of a multifactor authentication?

Smart card with a PIN

How would you protect a browsing session when using a public hotspot?

Virtual Private Network (VPN)

A department has a legacy DOS program that they need to use daily. What is the best way to configure the program to run after the department upgrades workstations to Windows 10?

Use compatibility mode

You notice that your computer is running slowly and you think it is due to an errant process. Using the command line and command line tools, how do you view the list of running applications?

TASKLIST

A touchscreen device is not registering touches at the correct coordinates. The administrator checks for obvious hardware issues. Which of the following is not an obvious hardware issue?

Badly written apps

Which of the following is NOT a reasonable bring your own device (BYOD) security requirement from a company to its employees?

Set up a password-protected screen lock

Be sure that all apps and networks are from trusted sources

Install no personal apps on the device

Configure a local firewall on the device

Install no personal apps on the device

The current directory is "C:\Users\David\Documents" and you want to move into a sub-directory called "Tech_files." It is the only sub-directory. Which of the following commands could you enter to move into that directory?

cd T*

Which of these is NOT an intent for adware and spyware?

Commercial pop-ups

To vandalize the computer system

New toolbars, the home page changing suddenly, and faults

Web page redirection

To vandalize the computer system

What is the most likely cause of Windows booting but not displaying the login dialog or failing to load the desktop?

A malware infection or corrupt drivers

Which of the following falls directly under customer service skills and dealing with difficult customers?

Avoid dismissing customer problem

What is a capability of the modern botnet computer?

Multitasking

You are trying to deal with a customer issue that has been lingering for some time. Tempers are beginning to flare due to the frustration over the issue. How can you best approach the issue from a customer service standpoint of dealing with a difficult situation?

Do not argue, avoid being judgmental, have a positive attitude

Identify the two ways of working with the Windows Firewall.

The Windows Firewall Control Panel utility and Windows Security Policy Settings

Select the family of operating systems (OS) widely used in the education sector. This operating system is minimalistic and runs applications hosted on a server via web browser.

Chrome OS

There has been an incident at work. A Windows PC that holds sensitive data has been breached. Upon arrival to work, you discover that the PC has been moved from its original location since the breach. You need to investigate the situation. Your first concern is the relocation of the PC. What should you investigate first?

Chain of custody

What is the purpose of Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) documentation?

Proper disposal of equipment

Setting a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) password is an excellent security practice, but what is the downside of setting such a password?

The user might forget the password.

You have a small office of six employees and you want to have a network to enable file and printer sharing and to add a bit of security. Which type of Windows network should you select for this scenario?

Workgroup

What is the main reason given by companies for setting up a bring your own device (BYOD) program?

To reduce costs

What are the three properties of the CIA triad?

Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability

Which option is one of the best practice procedures for malware removal?

Quarantine infected systems.

Which form of wireless encryption introduced the Temporal Key Integrity Protocol (TKIP) security protocol?

Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA)

A company hesitates to upgrade to the latest version of an operating system (OS). Which of the following is NOT a concern for the company?

Web application compatibility

Software compatibility

Network compatibility

Cost

Web application compatibility

Which of the following network card transmissions settings only allows 1-way data communication?

Half duplex

You recently recovered a user's laptop using a recovery image. You want to apply the policy changes to the system from the command line with all policies, including those that are not new or have not changed. Which command should you use?

gpupdate /force

You need to provide remote network connectivity to a customer who has an extremely tight budget. What is the lowest-cost option for establishing a network connection assuming the customer has access to all connection types?

Dial-up

Which Linux command do you enter to change your system password?

passwd

What is one of the most notable differences between iOS and Android?

Android is open source.

Which family of operating systems (OSs) is more widely used as a server operating system than a desktop operating system?

Linux

You have a removable drive that needs to hold large files and be read/write capable in both Windows and macOS environments. Which of the following file systems should you use to format the drive?

exFAT (extended File Allocation Table)

Which backup type takes less time to perform a backup than it does to restore?

Incremental

What is the most common modern cause of a "Invalid boot disk" error?

Using USB (Universal Serial Bus) for boot.(The most common modern cause of boot disk errors is for the system firmware to be set to use USB for boot. Check for any removable disks and change the boot device priority/boot order if necessary.)

Identify which virus becomes active when the application is executed?

Program virus(A program virus is sequences of code that insert themselves into another executable program. When the application is executed, the virus code becomes active.)

What is the symptom of malware affecting a web browser?

Redirection(Redirection is where the user tries to open one page in the web browser but gets sent to another web page.)

Your organization uses images to deploy Windows to laptops on the network. You are responsible for creating a new image. You run Microsoft's System Preparation Tool (sysprep) before imaging the disk. Which of the following is NOT a reason to use sysprep before creating an image?

Sysprep updates all drivers.

(Sysprep does not update drivers. Administrators need to take into consideration the needs of the users. If there are several models of computer receiving the image, drivers for each model should be on the image.)

Which command line command do you use to reboot a Windows computer?

SHUTDOWN /r

(To reboot the computer, you use SHUTDOWN /r. This command is used to shut down, restart, log off, or hibernate a computer. Specify which state you would like to put the computer in by using options and parameters with the command. You can also use options to specify whether (and how long) to wait until the command does what you specified.)

What user interface (UI) element is used in Windows 7 and Windows 10, but was removed in Windows 8 in favor of a tile-based app interface known as the Start Screen?

The Start Menu

(The Start Screen in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 replaced the Windows 7 Start Menu and is a tile-based interface showcasing apps and programs, some of which display information about the app and update in real time. Windows 10 reintroduces the Start Menu, but with changes to include elements of the Windows 8 tile-based app design.)

Your email account was compromised when you clicked a phishing email. As a consequence, you begin to receive bounced back emails from failed attempts to reach bad email addresses. What does this issue indicate?

Hijacked email

The hijacked email appears as legitimate traffic until it is detected by either the administrator or the user. The cause of the hijacking could be a malware infection, or a spammer has spoofed the user's email address.

You are working on an Apple computer and an application freezes. How do you forcibly quit the application?

Command-Option-Escape

(Command-Option-Escape opens the Force Quit Applications dialog window. You can forcibly quit any running application from here. It is similar to pressing Control-Alt-Delete on a Windows system and clicking the End Task button in the Task Manager.)

You experience difficulty while attempting to access a newly installed drive. Which of the following logs should you examine in Event Viewer to troubleshoot the problem?

System

(The system event log will log any events that are considered as operating system issues. Failure to access a hardware device such as a drive would be logged in the system log.)

What should you do first when troubleshooting an "OS missing" type of error message?

Run disk diagnostics.

(An "OS missing" type message can appear when a hard disk is identified as the boot device but does not report the location of the OS loader. This could indicate a faulty disk so try running disk diagnostics.)

A technician is installing the most recent operating system on an Apple computer. The technician is using the App Store to do this. What kind of installation is the technician performing?

In-place upgrade

(The technician is performing an in-place upgrade. This means installing on top of an old operating system, retaining applications, user settings, and data files. Since the technician is performing the upgrade via the App Store, the previous operating system will remain underneath the new operating system.)

You are rolling out an inventory plan to account for all systems within your workplace. You have decided to use a system that will digitally record an asset's location. Which technology will you use?

RFID (Radio Frequency ID)

RFID (Radio Frequency ID) is a method of tagging and tracking objects. A tag can be programmed with a variety of information. When the tag is scanned, the information can be recorded and updated. RFID (Radio Frequency ID) tags can be placed in stickers and labels.

Which is the worst-case scenario for unauthorized location tracking?

Domestic burglary

(Domestic burglary is the worst-case scenario for unauthorized location tracking. If an attacker uses your location data to facilitate a crime such as a burglary the outcome could result in a loss of life.)

A workstation at work is found to be unsecured. The account used on the computer does not have a password, the data is not encrypted, and the computer itself is located in an area with easy access. This particular workstation contains personal information about its customers. In regards to the regulation of data, which is being compromised?

PII

(Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is data that can be used to identify a person and can also be used for malicious purposes such as identity theft. Personally Identifiable Information (PII) data can include personally assigned information including a social security number or even a website challenge response answer such as a favorite movie.)

You are implementing a disaster recovery plan for the company's server farm. You have decided that the shared volumes on each server should have no less than a RAID 5 configuration. What is the minimum number of disks a server would need for this configuration on the shared volume?

Three

(Three disk drives are required at minimum to implement a RAID 5 (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) configuration. There is no maximum to the number of disks that can be used. RAID 5 uses striping with parity. Only one drive may fail without data loss. Therefore, the failed disk should be replaced immediately. Replacing the disk will result in a rebuild of the RAID 5 array by using the parity information.)

A production server has crashed. The drive array has completely failed, necessitating the need to rebuild the system. Fortunately, backups of the system are available. Which backup type is used to restore the operating system?

Image level

(An image level backup is a backup type that images the entire disk partition. This would include all user data files, the operation system, and more. An image level backup can be used to restore an entire system and is commonly used with a bare metal restore.)

You are troubleshooting an Application on a Windows 10 PC. You need to check if a service is running. How can you accomplish this?

Services tab in msconfig

(The Services tab in the msconfig utility lets you manage services and their startup configurations.)

A touchscreen device is not registering touches at the correct coordinates. The administrator checks for obvious hardware issues. Which of the following is not an obvious hardware issue?

Badly written apps

(Badly written apps on the touchscreen device can hog memory, therefore, causing the device to become unresponsive. This is not an obvious hardware issue and should be checked after ruling out the simpler issues first.)

What loads only basic drivers and services required to start the system?

Safe Mode

(Safe Mode loads only basic drivers and services required to start the system. This is a useful troubleshooting mode as it isolates reliability or performance problems.)

Put the steps for CompTIA's malware removal procedure in order.

Identify and research malware symptoms; quarantine infected system; disable System Restore; remediate infected systems; schedule scans; enable System Restore and create restore point; educate end user

(CompTIA has identified a 7-step best practice procedure for malware removal. First, identify and research malware symptoms. Then, quarantine the infected system. Then, for Windows, disable System Restore. Next, remediate infected systems. Then, schedule scans and run updates. Then, enable System Restore and create restore point. Finally, you should educate the end user about malware infections.)

Which is false about troubleshooting wireless configuration issues?

Verify the device is turned on then click on random apps.

(Troubleshooting a wireless configuration issue requires verifying access point standards, researching known issues and continual troubleshooting to rule out any other configuration errors. By verifying the device is turned on then clicking on random apps will not troubleshoot the wireless configuration issue.)

Which of these is a Windows event type?

Failure Audit

(Failure Audit is a Windows event type that shows unsuccessful security access attempts. These event types may indicate a possible security breach or simply a user mistyping a password.)