CompTIA Security+ Certification Exam
(SY0-701) Questions And Correct
Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant
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Question 1
Which of the following BEST describes the primary goal of confidentiality in
information security?
A. Ensuring data is always accessible
B. Ensuring data is not altered
C. Ensuring data is only accessible to authorized users
D. Ensuring systems are always available
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Confidentiality focuses on protecting information from unauthorized
access or disclosure. It ensures that sensitive data is only available to individuals
or systems that have been explicitly authorized. Option A refers to availability,
option B refers to integrity, and option D also relates to availability.
Confidentiality is commonly enforced through encryption, access controls, and
authentication mechanisms.
Question 2
Which cryptographic method uses a single shared key for both encryption and
decryption?
A. Asymmetric encryption
B. Hashing
,C. Symmetric encryption
D. Digital signatures
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Symmetric encryption uses the same secret key for both encrypting
and decrypting data. It is fast and efficient but requires secure key distribution.
Asymmetric encryption uses public/private key pairs. Hashing is one-way and
cannot be decrypted. Digital signatures provide integrity and authentication
rather than encryption.
Question 3
Which of the following is an example of multifactor authentication?
A. Password only
B. Password and PIN
C. Smart card and fingerprint
D. Username and password
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Multifactor authentication (MFA) requires two or more different
authentication factors such as something you know, something you have, or
something you are. A smart card (possession factor) combined with a fingerprint
(inherence factor) satisfies MFA. Password-only, password/PIN, and
username/password combinations all represent single-factor or same-factor
authentication.
Question 4
What is the primary purpose of a firewall?
A. Encrypt network traffic
B. Monitor physical access
,C. Filter incoming and outgoing network traffic
D. Detect malware on endpoints
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: A firewall is a network security device or software that monitors and
controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined rules. It does not
encrypt traffic (VPNs do), does not handle physical security, and does not directly
detect malware (that is IDS/IPS or antivirus). It acts as a barrier between trusted
and untrusted networks.
Question 5
Which attack involves overwhelming a system with traffic to make it unavailable?
A. Phishing
B. Denial of Service (DoS)
C. Spoofing
D. SQL injection
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A Denial of Service attack floods a system with excessive traffic or
requests, exhausting resources and making it unavailable to legitimate users.
Distributed DoS (DDoS) involves multiple compromised systems. Phishing targets
users, spoofing involves identity deception, and SQL injection targets databases.
Question 6
Which of the following BEST describes phishing?
A. Physical theft of devices
B. Malware installed via USB
C. Fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information via deception
D. Network traffic interception
Correct Answer: C
, Rationale: Phishing is a social engineering attack where attackers impersonate
trusted entities to trick users into revealing sensitive information such as
passwords or financial data. It is commonly delivered via email or fake websites.
It is not physical theft, malware injection via USB, or passive interception.
Question 7
What is the purpose of hashing?
A. Encrypt data for confidentiality
B. Ensure data integrity
C. Provide secure key exchange
D. Authenticate users
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Hashing generates a fixed-length output from input data, used
primarily to verify integrity. If the data changes, the hash changes. It is not
reversible, so it cannot encrypt data. It does not perform key exchange or
authentication directly, although it may be used within authentication systems.
Question 8
Which protocol is used to securely browse the web?
A. HTTP
B. FTP
C. HTTPS
D. SNMP
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) uses TLS/SSL encryption
to secure communication between a browser and a web server. HTTP is
unencrypted, FTP is for file transfer, and SNMP is for network management.
HTTPS ensures confidentiality and integrity of web traffic.
(SY0-701) Questions And Correct
Answers (Verified Answers) Plus
Rationales 2026 Q&A | Instant
Download Pdf
Question 1
Which of the following BEST describes the primary goal of confidentiality in
information security?
A. Ensuring data is always accessible
B. Ensuring data is not altered
C. Ensuring data is only accessible to authorized users
D. Ensuring systems are always available
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Confidentiality focuses on protecting information from unauthorized
access or disclosure. It ensures that sensitive data is only available to individuals
or systems that have been explicitly authorized. Option A refers to availability,
option B refers to integrity, and option D also relates to availability.
Confidentiality is commonly enforced through encryption, access controls, and
authentication mechanisms.
Question 2
Which cryptographic method uses a single shared key for both encryption and
decryption?
A. Asymmetric encryption
B. Hashing
,C. Symmetric encryption
D. Digital signatures
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Symmetric encryption uses the same secret key for both encrypting
and decrypting data. It is fast and efficient but requires secure key distribution.
Asymmetric encryption uses public/private key pairs. Hashing is one-way and
cannot be decrypted. Digital signatures provide integrity and authentication
rather than encryption.
Question 3
Which of the following is an example of multifactor authentication?
A. Password only
B. Password and PIN
C. Smart card and fingerprint
D. Username and password
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Multifactor authentication (MFA) requires two or more different
authentication factors such as something you know, something you have, or
something you are. A smart card (possession factor) combined with a fingerprint
(inherence factor) satisfies MFA. Password-only, password/PIN, and
username/password combinations all represent single-factor or same-factor
authentication.
Question 4
What is the primary purpose of a firewall?
A. Encrypt network traffic
B. Monitor physical access
,C. Filter incoming and outgoing network traffic
D. Detect malware on endpoints
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: A firewall is a network security device or software that monitors and
controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined rules. It does not
encrypt traffic (VPNs do), does not handle physical security, and does not directly
detect malware (that is IDS/IPS or antivirus). It acts as a barrier between trusted
and untrusted networks.
Question 5
Which attack involves overwhelming a system with traffic to make it unavailable?
A. Phishing
B. Denial of Service (DoS)
C. Spoofing
D. SQL injection
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A Denial of Service attack floods a system with excessive traffic or
requests, exhausting resources and making it unavailable to legitimate users.
Distributed DoS (DDoS) involves multiple compromised systems. Phishing targets
users, spoofing involves identity deception, and SQL injection targets databases.
Question 6
Which of the following BEST describes phishing?
A. Physical theft of devices
B. Malware installed via USB
C. Fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information via deception
D. Network traffic interception
Correct Answer: C
, Rationale: Phishing is a social engineering attack where attackers impersonate
trusted entities to trick users into revealing sensitive information such as
passwords or financial data. It is commonly delivered via email or fake websites.
It is not physical theft, malware injection via USB, or passive interception.
Question 7
What is the purpose of hashing?
A. Encrypt data for confidentiality
B. Ensure data integrity
C. Provide secure key exchange
D. Authenticate users
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Hashing generates a fixed-length output from input data, used
primarily to verify integrity. If the data changes, the hash changes. It is not
reversible, so it cannot encrypt data. It does not perform key exchange or
authentication directly, although it may be used within authentication systems.
Question 8
Which protocol is used to securely browse the web?
A. HTTP
B. FTP
C. HTTPS
D. SNMP
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) uses TLS/SSL encryption
to secure communication between a browser and a web server. HTTP is
unencrypted, FTP is for file transfer, and SNMP is for network management.
HTTPS ensures confidentiality and integrity of web traffic.
