CPSA LATEST 2026 STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GUARANTEE A+
✔✔What protocols use TCP? - ✔✔Used by HTTP/HTTPS
✔✔What protocols use UDP? - ✔✔SNMP, DNS, NTP, IKE
✔✔What does ICMP stand for? - ✔✔Internet Control Message Protocol
✔✔What is ICMP used for? - ✔✔Used to see if a device is up or down.
✔✔What attacks are associated with ICMP? - ✔✔Ping of death, smurf attack and ICMP
flooding.
✔✔What is MAC? - ✔✔Media Access Control is a physical 48 bit address which is used
to uniquely identify a device.
✔✔What is ARP? - ✔✔Address Resolution Protocol - resolves IPV4 address to MAC
addresses
✔✔What is CSMA/CD? - ✔✔Used by ethernet to prevent collisions
✔✔What is a token ring? - ✔✔A communication standard like ethernet but less chance
of collisions, uni-directional, half duplex.
✔✔What does FHRP stand for? - ✔✔First Hop Redundancy Protocol
✔✔What does FHRP do? - ✔✔Protects default gateways by allowing two or more router
to provide backup for that address. Meaning if the active router fails, the backup router
takes it's place.
✔✔How does the backup router detect if the active router is down? (FHRP) - ✔✔Both
Active and Backup routers send a HELLO broadcast message periodically, so if a
HELLO message is not received by the backup router then it assumes the active router
is dead.
✔✔What are the three FHRP Protocols? - ✔✔HSRP (Hot Standy Router Protocol),
VRRP ( Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol) and GLBP (Gateway load-balancing
protocol)
✔✔What is DES (Bit key size, block size) - ✔✔DES uses a 56 bit key with a 64 bit block
✔✔What is 3DES (Bit key size, block size) - ✔✔112/168 Bit key, 64 bit block and
applies the DES algorithm 3 times
, ✔✔What is AES (Block size, Key size) - ✔✔128 Bit Block and then a 128,192 or 256 bit
key.
✔✔What is a Block Cipher? - ✔✔A block cipher is a method of encrypting text (to
produce ciphertext) in which a cryptographic key and algorithm are applied to a block of
data (for example, 64 contiguous bits) at once as a group rather than to one bit at a
time.
✔✔What is a Stream Cipher - ✔✔An encryption method that encrypts a single bit at a
time. Popular when data comes in long streams (such as with older wireless networks
or cell phones).
✔✔What is RC4 (Key size) - ✔✔Stream Symmetric cipher, key size of 40-2048 bits.
✔✔State some Asymmetric algorithms? - ✔✔RSA (1024-4096), ECC, DSA and DH
✔✔What is HMAC? - ✔✔HMAC is a keyed-hash message authentication code used to
provide a checksum for a message, sent along with the message to provide confidence
that the message has not been tampered.
✔✔What is PGP? - ✔✔Pretty Good Privacy: An encryption program that provides
cryptographic privacy and authentication for data communication (such as emails).
✔✔What two protocols does IPsec use? - ✔✔Authentication Header (AH) and
Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP)
✔✔What is AH? - ✔✔Authentication Header (AH) authenticates the source of an IP
packet and verifies the integrity of the content.
✔✔What is ESP? - ✔✔Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) encrypts an entire packet
and authenticates the content.
✔✔What is Internet Key Exchange? - ✔✔IKE is a protocol used to secure and
authenticate communication channels between two parties.
✔✔What does IKE Phase 1 do? - ✔✔Establishes a secure authenticated
communication channel using the Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm and generates
a shared secret key which is used in further IKE communications.
✔✔What modes can Phase 1 operate in? - ✔✔Either Main Mode or Aggressive Mode.
With Main Mode protecting the identify of peers and the hash of the shared key by
encrypting them and aggressive mode does not.
ANSWERS GUARANTEE A+
✔✔What protocols use TCP? - ✔✔Used by HTTP/HTTPS
✔✔What protocols use UDP? - ✔✔SNMP, DNS, NTP, IKE
✔✔What does ICMP stand for? - ✔✔Internet Control Message Protocol
✔✔What is ICMP used for? - ✔✔Used to see if a device is up or down.
✔✔What attacks are associated with ICMP? - ✔✔Ping of death, smurf attack and ICMP
flooding.
✔✔What is MAC? - ✔✔Media Access Control is a physical 48 bit address which is used
to uniquely identify a device.
✔✔What is ARP? - ✔✔Address Resolution Protocol - resolves IPV4 address to MAC
addresses
✔✔What is CSMA/CD? - ✔✔Used by ethernet to prevent collisions
✔✔What is a token ring? - ✔✔A communication standard like ethernet but less chance
of collisions, uni-directional, half duplex.
✔✔What does FHRP stand for? - ✔✔First Hop Redundancy Protocol
✔✔What does FHRP do? - ✔✔Protects default gateways by allowing two or more router
to provide backup for that address. Meaning if the active router fails, the backup router
takes it's place.
✔✔How does the backup router detect if the active router is down? (FHRP) - ✔✔Both
Active and Backup routers send a HELLO broadcast message periodically, so if a
HELLO message is not received by the backup router then it assumes the active router
is dead.
✔✔What are the three FHRP Protocols? - ✔✔HSRP (Hot Standy Router Protocol),
VRRP ( Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol) and GLBP (Gateway load-balancing
protocol)
✔✔What is DES (Bit key size, block size) - ✔✔DES uses a 56 bit key with a 64 bit block
✔✔What is 3DES (Bit key size, block size) - ✔✔112/168 Bit key, 64 bit block and
applies the DES algorithm 3 times
, ✔✔What is AES (Block size, Key size) - ✔✔128 Bit Block and then a 128,192 or 256 bit
key.
✔✔What is a Block Cipher? - ✔✔A block cipher is a method of encrypting text (to
produce ciphertext) in which a cryptographic key and algorithm are applied to a block of
data (for example, 64 contiguous bits) at once as a group rather than to one bit at a
time.
✔✔What is a Stream Cipher - ✔✔An encryption method that encrypts a single bit at a
time. Popular when data comes in long streams (such as with older wireless networks
or cell phones).
✔✔What is RC4 (Key size) - ✔✔Stream Symmetric cipher, key size of 40-2048 bits.
✔✔State some Asymmetric algorithms? - ✔✔RSA (1024-4096), ECC, DSA and DH
✔✔What is HMAC? - ✔✔HMAC is a keyed-hash message authentication code used to
provide a checksum for a message, sent along with the message to provide confidence
that the message has not been tampered.
✔✔What is PGP? - ✔✔Pretty Good Privacy: An encryption program that provides
cryptographic privacy and authentication for data communication (such as emails).
✔✔What two protocols does IPsec use? - ✔✔Authentication Header (AH) and
Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP)
✔✔What is AH? - ✔✔Authentication Header (AH) authenticates the source of an IP
packet and verifies the integrity of the content.
✔✔What is ESP? - ✔✔Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP) encrypts an entire packet
and authenticates the content.
✔✔What is Internet Key Exchange? - ✔✔IKE is a protocol used to secure and
authenticate communication channels between two parties.
✔✔What does IKE Phase 1 do? - ✔✔Establishes a secure authenticated
communication channel using the Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm and generates
a shared secret key which is used in further IKE communications.
✔✔What modes can Phase 1 operate in? - ✔✔Either Main Mode or Aggressive Mode.
With Main Mode protecting the identify of peers and the hash of the shared key by
encrypting them and aggressive mode does not.
