Comprehensive Study Guide for CompTIA Security+ Exam: Key Concepts, Terms, and Best Practices
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Course
Comptia Security+ SYO-601
Institution
Comptia Security+ SYO-601
This document serves as a comprehensive study guide specifically designed for individuals preparing for the CompTIA Security+ certification exam. It covers all five critical domains of the exam in detail, providing a robust foundation of knowledge that is essential for passing the certification.
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Domain 1: Attacks, Threats, and Vulnerabilities
1. Types of Attacks:
- Phishing: Social engineering attack where an attacker masquerades as a legitimate entity to steal sensitive
information.
- Spear Phishing: Targeted phishing attack against specific individuals or organizations.
- Whaling: Targeted phishing attack aimed at senior executives or high-profile targets.
- Vishing: Voice phishing, where attackers use phone calls to deceive victims.
- Smishing: SMS phishing, where attackers use text messages to trick victims.
2. Malware Types:
- Virus: Malicious software that attaches itself to legitimate programs, spreading when executed.
- Worm: Self-replicating malware that spreads across networks without user intervention.
- Trojan Horse: Malicious software disguised as legitimate software.
- Ransomware: Encrypts victim's data and demands payment for decryption.
- Spyware: Collects information about users without their knowledge.
- Adware: Displays unwanted advertisements and may collect data on browsing habits.
- Rootkit: Software that allows unauthorized access to a computer system while concealing its presence.
3. Social Engineering Techniques:
- Pretexting: Creating a fabricated scenario to obtain information from the target.
- Baiting: Offering something enticing to lure victims into a trap.
- Quid Pro Quo: Offering something in exchange for information or access.
- Tailgating: Gaining physical access to a restricted area by following someone with authorized access.
- Shoulder Surfing: Observing someone’s screen or keyboard to gain information.
4. Threat Actors:
- Script Kiddies: Inexperienced hackers who use pre-written tools.
- Hacktivists: Hackers with a political or social agenda.
- Nation-States: Government-sponsored hackers with significant resources.
- Insider Threats: Employees or contractors with access to sensitive information who misuse it.
5. Vulnerabilities and Exploits:
- Zero-Day Vulnerability: A previously unknown vulnerability that is exploited before a fix is available.
- Buffer Overflow: An attack where more data is written to a buffer than it can hold, causing it to overwrite
adjacent memory.
- SQL Injection: Injecting malicious SQL code into a query to manipulate the database.
- Cross-Site Scripting (XSS): Injecting malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
Domain 2: Architecture and Design
1. Secure Network Design:
, - DMZ (Demilitarized Zone): A network segment that acts as a buffer zone between the internal network and
the internet.
- Network Segmentation: Dividing a network into smaller segments to improve security and performance.
- VLANs (Virtual Local Area Networks): Logical segmentation of a network at the data link layer.
- NAT (Network Address Translation): Translates private IP addresses to a public IP address for
communication over the internet.
2. Security Controls:
- Administrative Controls: Policies, procedures, and organizational standards (e.g., security policies, risk
assessments).
- Technical Controls: Security measures implemented through technology (e.g., firewalls, encryption).
- Physical Controls: Measures that prevent physical access to systems (e.g., locks, security guards).
3. Secure System Design Principles:
- Defense in Depth: Implementing multiple layers of security controls.
- Least Privilege: Granting users and systems only the permissions they need to perform their functions.
- Separation of Duties: Dividing tasks among different individuals to prevent fraud or error.
- Fail-Safe Defaults: Configuring systems to default to a secure state if a failure occurs.
4. Cryptography:
- Symmetric Encryption: Uses the same key for both encryption and decryption (e.g., AES).
- Asymmetric Encryption: Uses a pair of keys (public and private) for encryption and decryption (e.g., RSA).
- Hashing: Creates a fixed-size hash value from input data (e.g., SHA-256).
- Digital Signatures: Ensures the authenticity and integrity of a message using asymmetric encryption.
5. Secure Protocols:
- HTTPS: Secure version of HTTP, encrypting data between the browser and server.
- SSL/TLS: Protocols for establishing encrypted links between networked computers.
- IPsec: Protocol suite for securing IP communications by authenticating and encrypting each IP packet.
- SSH: Secure protocol for remote access to servers.
Domain 3: Implementation
1. Authentication and Access Controls:
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Requires multiple forms of verification (e.g., something you know,
something you have, something you are).
- Single Sign-On (SSO): Allows users to authenticate once and gain access to multiple systems.
- RBAC (Role-Based Access Control): Assigns permissions based on roles within an organization.
- ABAC (Attribute-Based Access Control): Grants access based on attributes like department, location, and
time of day.
2. Endpoint Security:
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