Comptia Security+ Study Guide

CompTIA Security+ Study Guide, Seventh Edition offers invaluable preparation for Exam SY0-501. Written by an expert author team, this book covers 100% of the exam objectives with clear, concise explanation. You'll learn how to handle threats, attacks, and vulnerabilities using industry-standard tools and technologies, while understanding the role of architecture and design. From everyday tasks like identity and access management to complex topics like risk management and cryptography, this study guide helps you consolidate your knowledge base in preparation for the Security+ exam. Practical examples illustrate how these processes play out in real-world scenarios, allowing you to immediately translate essential concepts to on-the-job application. You also gain access to the Sybex online learning environment, which features a robust toolkit for more thorough prep: flashcards, glossary of key terms, practice questions, and a pre-assessment exam equip you with everything you need to enter the exam confident in your skill set.

This study guide is approved and endorsed by CompTIA, and has been fully updated to align with the latest version of the exam.

• Master essential security technologies, tools, and tasks
• Understand how Security+ concepts are applied in the real world
• Study on the go with electronic flashcards and more
• Test your knowledge along the way with hundreds of practice questions

To an employer, the CompTIA Security+ certification proves that you have the knowledge base and skill set to secure applications, devices, and networks; analyze and respond to threats; participate in risk mitigation, and so much more. As data threats loom larger every day, the demand for qualified security professionals will only continue to grow. If you're ready to take the first step toward a rewarding career, CompTIA Security+ Study Guide, Seventh Edition is the ideal companion for thorough exam preparation.

Emmett Dulaney is a Professor at a small university in Indiana. He has written several certification books on Windows, Security, IT project management, and UNIX, and was co-author of two of Sybex's leading certification titles: CompTIA Security+ Study Guide and CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide. Chuck Easttom is CEO and Chief Trainer for CEC-Security, which specializes in IT security training and CISP and Security+ exam preparation. He has over 18 years in the IT industry, 10 years teaching and training, and has authored 15 published books.

Introduction xxiv

Assessment Test xli

Chapter 1 Managing Risk 1

Risk Terminology 3

Threat Assessment 6

Risk Assessment 6

Computing Risk Assessment 7

Assessing Privacy 12

Acting on Your Risk Assessment 12

Risks Associated with Cloud Computing 15

Risks Associated with Virtualization 16

Developing Policies, Standards, and Guidelines 17

Implementing Policies 17

Understanding Control Types and False Positives/Negatives 26

Risk Management Best Practices 28

Change Management 38

Summary 38

Exam Essentials 38

Review Questions 40

Chapter 2 Monitoring and Diagnosing Networks 45

Monitoring and Diagnosing Networks Terminology 47

Frameworks, Best Practices, and Configuration Guides 48

Industry-Standard Frameworks and Reference Architectures 48

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 51

Benchmarks/Secure Configuration Guides 54

Secure Network Architecture Concepts 57

Zones 57

Tunneling/VPN 63

Placing Security Devices 64

SDN 67

IDS vs. IPS 67

Secure Systems Design 68

Hardware and Firmware Security 68

Operating Systems 69

Peripherals 73

Secure Staging Deployment Concepts 73

Summary 74

Exam Essentials 74

Review Questions 76

Chapter 3 Understanding Devices and Infrastructure 79

Infrastructure Terminology 81

Designing with Security in Mind 84

Firewalls 84

VPNs and VPN Concentrators 89

Intrusion Detection Systems 91

Router 104

Switch 106

Proxy 107

Load Balancer 108

Access Point 108

SIEM 111

DLP 111

Network Access Control (NAC) 112

Mail Gateway 112

Bridge 113

SSL/TLS Accelerators 113

SSL Decryptors 113

Media Gateway 114

Hardware Security Module 114

Summary 115

Exam Essentials 115

Review Questions 116

Chapter 4 Identity and Access Management 121

Using Tools to Assess Your Network 125

Protocol Analyzer 125

Network Scanners 127

Password Cracker 130

Vulnerability Scanners 131

Command-Line Tools 135

Additional Tools 142

Troubleshooting Common Security Issues 143

Access Issues 144

Configuration Issues 145

Security Technologies 147

Intrusion Detection Systems 147

Antimalware 148

Firewalls and Related Devices 149

Other Systems 150

Identity and Access Management Concepts 151

Identification vs. Authentication 151

Authentication (Single Factor) and Authorization 152

Multifactor Authentication 153

Biometrics 153

Federations 154

Potential Authentication and Access Problems 154

LDAP 155

PAP, SPAP, and CHAP 155

Kerberos 156

Working with RADIUS 157

TACACS, TACACS+, XTACACS 158

OATH 158

One-Time Passwords 158

SAML 159

Install and Configure Identity and Access Services 159

Mandatory Access Control 159

Discretionary Access Control 160

Role-Based Access Control 160

Rule-Based Access Control 160

ABAC 161

Smartcards 161

Tokens 162

File and Database Security 163

Summary 163

Exam Essentials 164

Review Questions 165

Chapter 5 Wireless Network Threats 169

Wireless Threat Terminology 170

Wireless Vulnerabilities to Know 171

Replay 172

Rogue APs and Evil Twins 174

Jamming 174

WPS 175

Bluejacking 175

Bluesnarfing 175

NFC and RFID 176

Disassociation 176

Wireless Commonsense 176

Wireless Attack Analogy 176

Summary 177

Exam Essentials 178

Review Questions 179

Chapter 6 Securing the Cloud 183

Cloud-Related Terminology 184

Working with Cloud Computing 186

Software as a Service (SaaS) 186

Platform as a Service (PaaS) 186

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) 188

Private Cloud 189

Public Cloud 189

Community Cloud 189

Hybrid Cloud 190

Working with Virtualization 190

Understanding Hypervisors 190

Understanding Containers and Application Cells 192

VDI/VDE 192

On-Premise vs. Hosted vs. Cloud 192

VM Escape Protection 193

VM Sprawl Avoidance 193

Security and the Cloud 194

Cloud Access Security Brokers 195

Cloud Storage 195

Security as a Service 195

Summary 196

Exam Essentials 196

Review Questions 197

Chapter 7 Host, Data, and Application Security 201

Threat Actors and Attributes 204

Script Kiddies 205

Hacktivist 206

Organized Crime 207

Nation-States/APT 207

Insiders 207

Competitors 207

Use of Open Source Intelligence 208

Types of Vulnerabilities 211

Configuration Issues 211

User Issues 212

Zero-Day Exploits 212

Other Issues 214

Embedded Systems Security 214

Application Vulnerabilities 216

Input Vulnerabilities 216

Memory Vulnerabilities 217

Secure Programming 217

Programming Models 218

Software Testing 218

Specific Types of Testing 219

Secure Coding Standards 220

Application Configuration Baselining 221

Operating System Patch Management 221

Application Patch Management 222

Other Application Security Issues 222

Databases and Technologies 222

Database Security 225

Secure Configurations 225

Code Issues 225

Summary 226

Exam Essentials 226

Review Questions 227

Chapter 8 Cryptography 231

An Overview of Cryptography 234

Historical Cryptography 234

Modern Cryptography 238

Working with Symmetric Algorithms 239

Working with Asymmetric Algorithms 243

Cryptography Concepts 246

Hashing Algorithms 247

Rainbow Tables and Salt 249

Key Stretching 249

Cryptanalysis Methods 250

Wi-Fi Encryption 252

Using Cryptographic Systems 254

Confidentiality and Strength 254

Integrity 254

When to Encrypt 255

Digital Signatures 256

Authentication 257

Nonrepudiation 257

Key Features 258

Understanding Cryptography Standards and Protocols 258

The Origins of Encryption Standards 259

Public Key Infrastructure X.509/Public Key Cryptography Standards 261

X.509 262

Public Key Infrastructure 264

Pretty Good Privacy 264

SSL and TLS 266

Using Public Key Infrastructure 269

Hardware-Based Encryption Devices 269

Data Encryption 269

Authentication 270

Summary 271

Exam Essentials 271

Review Questions 273

Chapter 9 Threats, Attacks, and Vulnerabilities 277

Threat and Attack Terminology 278

Living in a World of Viruses 282

Symptoms of a Virus Infection 282

How Viruses Work 283

Types of Viruses 284

Managing Spam to Avoid Viruses 286

Antivirus Software 287

Malware and Crypto-Malware 288

Understanding Various Types of Application/Service Attacks 296

Identifying Denial-of-Service and Distributed Denial-of-Service Attacks 296

Man-in-the-Middle Attacks 298

Buffer Overflow 299

Injection 299

Cross-Site Scripting and Request Forgery 302

Privilege Escalation 303

ARP Poisoning 304

Amplification 304

DNS Poisoning 304

Domain Hijacking 304

Man-in-the-Browser 305

Zero-Day Exploits 305

Replay Attacks 305

Pass the Hash 306

Hijacking and Related Attacks 306

Driver Manipulation 307

MAC and IP Spoofing Attacks 308

Summary 309

Exam Essentials 309

Review Questions 311

Chapter 10 Social Engineering and Other Foes 315

Social Engineering and Physical Security Terminology 316

Understanding Social Engineering 318

Types of Social Engineering Attacks 319

What Motivates an Attack? 325

The Principles Behind Social Engineering 326

Social Engineering Attack Examples 327

Understanding Physical Security 330

Lighting 331

Signs 331

Fencing, Gates, and Cages 332

Security Guards 333

Alarms 333

Safe 334

Secure Cabinets and Enclosures 334

Protected Distribution 335

Protected Cabling 336

Airgap 336

Mantrap 336

Faraday Cage 337

Lock Types 337

Biometrics 338

Barricades/Bollards 339

Tokens/Cards 339

Environmental Controls 339

Cable Locks 345

Screen Filters 346

Cameras 346

Motion Detection 347

Logs 347

Infrared Detection 348

Key Management 348

Various Control Types 348

An Analogy of Control Types 349

Data Security and Privacy Practices 350

Data Destruction and Media Sanitation 350

Data Sensitivity Labeling and Handling 352

Data Roles 355

Data Retention 355

Legal and Compliance 356

Summary 356

Exam Essentials 356

Review Questions 358

Chapter 11 Security Administration 363

Connection Types 365

Cellular 365

Bluetooth 365

Wi-Fi 366

Infrared 368

SATCOM 369

Mobile Devices 369

BYOD Issues 371

Enforcement 373

Account Management Concepts 374

Account Types 375

General Concepts 376

Summary 378

Exam Essentials 378

Review Questions 379

Chapter 12 Disaster Recovery and Incident Response 383

Disaster and Incident Related Terminology 385

Penetration Testing 387

What Should You Test? 387

Vulnerability Scanning 388

Issues Associated with Business Continuity 389

Types of Storage Mechanisms 390

Crafting a Disaster-Recovery Plan 392

Incident Response Procedures 403

Understanding Incident Response 404

Tabletop Exercises 412

Summary 412

Exam Essentials 413

Review Questions 414

Appendix Answers to Review Questions 419

Chapter 1: Managing Risk 420

Chapter 2: Monitoring and Diagnosing Networks 421

Chapter 3: Understanding Devices and Infrastructure 422

Chapter 4: Identity and Access Management 423

Chapter 5: Wireless Network Threats 425

Chapter 6: Securing the Cloud 426

Chapter 7: Host, Data, and Application Security 427

Chapter 8: Cryptography 428

Chapter 9: Threats, Attacks, and Vulnerabilities 429

Chapter 10: Social Engineering and Other Foes 430

Chapter 11: Security Administration 431

Chapter 12: Disaster Recovery and Incident Response 432

Index 435

Table of Exercises

Exercise 1.1 Risk Assessment Computations 8

Exercise 3.1 Verifying the Presence of a TPM Chip in Windows 114

Exercise 5.1 Configuring a Wireless Connection Not Broadcasting an SSID 172

Exercise 8.1 Encrypting a Filesystem in Linux 238

Exercise 8.2 TLS Settings in Windows Server 2016 268

Exercise 9.1 Viewing Running Processes on a Windows-Based Machine 290

Exercise 9.2 Viewing Running Processes on a Linux-Based Machine 291

Exercise 10.1 Test Social Engineering 328

Exercise 10.2 Security Zones in the Physical Environment 347

Exercise 12.1 Creating a Backup in SUSE Linux 396

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