NETWORK SECURITY THREAT ANALYSIS
AND MITIGATION STUDY GUIDE 2026
◉ An attacker plans to exploit flaws in an operating system to gain
access to a user's computer system. What is a prevention mechanism
for this type of attack?
a. Firewall
b. Patching
c. Antivirus
d. Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Answer: b. Patching
◉ An unauthorized third-party has gained access to a company
network.
How can they be prevented from deleting data?
a. Access controls
b. Physical controls
c. Biometrics
d. Man trap
Answer: a. Access controls
,◉ An attacker has gained access to the passwords of several
employees of a company through a brute force attack. Which
authentication method would keep the attacker from accessing the
employees' devices?
a. MFA (multi-factor authentication)
b. AAA (authentication, authorization, and accounting)
c. PKI (public key infrastructure)
d. TCP/IP (transmission control protocol/internet protocol
Answer: a. MFA (multi-factor authentication)
◉ After downloading a CD/DVD burning program, a user notices
that someone is remotely accessing the computer during nighttime
hours.
Which type of malware is likely found in the CD/DVD software?
a. Virus
b. Adware
c. Worm
d. Trojan horse
Answer: d. Trojan horse
,◉ A user is working on a home computer when another user seems
to open an application to view documents on the same computer.
The user immediately suspects that a back door into the computer
exists.Which action should be taken first to deal with the problem?
a. Close the application the remote user opened
b. Begin running antivirus scans
c. Unplug the PC's network connection
d. Open task manager to determine which applications are running
Answer: c. Unplug the PC's network connection
◉ A user receives an email from an unknown bank saying that the
user's account with the bank has been compromised. The user
suspects that this is a phishing exploit.
How should the user safely proceed?
a. Click the link provided in the email to receive more information.
b. Open a new browser page, navigate to the bank's website, and
acquire legitimate contact information to report the email.
c. Use antivirus software to scan the email.
d. Report the bank to the appropriate Internet registrar.
Answer: b. Open a new browser page, navigate to the bank's website,
and acquire legitimate contact information to report the email.
, ◉ A malicious user was able to lock a user's account after guessing
the user's password multiple times unsuccessfully.
Which category of the CIA triad did the malicious user target in this
attack?
a. Confidentiality
b. Integrity
c. Availability
d. Accessibility
Answer: c. Availability
◉ Which category of the CIA triad is affected when an unauthorized
user changes the data within a read-only file?
a. Confidentiality
b. Integrity
c. Authenticity
d. Accessibility
Answer: b. Integrity
◉ An analyst has identified an active denial of service attack.
Which category of the CIA triad is affected?
AND MITIGATION STUDY GUIDE 2026
◉ An attacker plans to exploit flaws in an operating system to gain
access to a user's computer system. What is a prevention mechanism
for this type of attack?
a. Firewall
b. Patching
c. Antivirus
d. Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Answer: b. Patching
◉ An unauthorized third-party has gained access to a company
network.
How can they be prevented from deleting data?
a. Access controls
b. Physical controls
c. Biometrics
d. Man trap
Answer: a. Access controls
,◉ An attacker has gained access to the passwords of several
employees of a company through a brute force attack. Which
authentication method would keep the attacker from accessing the
employees' devices?
a. MFA (multi-factor authentication)
b. AAA (authentication, authorization, and accounting)
c. PKI (public key infrastructure)
d. TCP/IP (transmission control protocol/internet protocol
Answer: a. MFA (multi-factor authentication)
◉ After downloading a CD/DVD burning program, a user notices
that someone is remotely accessing the computer during nighttime
hours.
Which type of malware is likely found in the CD/DVD software?
a. Virus
b. Adware
c. Worm
d. Trojan horse
Answer: d. Trojan horse
,◉ A user is working on a home computer when another user seems
to open an application to view documents on the same computer.
The user immediately suspects that a back door into the computer
exists.Which action should be taken first to deal with the problem?
a. Close the application the remote user opened
b. Begin running antivirus scans
c. Unplug the PC's network connection
d. Open task manager to determine which applications are running
Answer: c. Unplug the PC's network connection
◉ A user receives an email from an unknown bank saying that the
user's account with the bank has been compromised. The user
suspects that this is a phishing exploit.
How should the user safely proceed?
a. Click the link provided in the email to receive more information.
b. Open a new browser page, navigate to the bank's website, and
acquire legitimate contact information to report the email.
c. Use antivirus software to scan the email.
d. Report the bank to the appropriate Internet registrar.
Answer: b. Open a new browser page, navigate to the bank's website,
and acquire legitimate contact information to report the email.
, ◉ A malicious user was able to lock a user's account after guessing
the user's password multiple times unsuccessfully.
Which category of the CIA triad did the malicious user target in this
attack?
a. Confidentiality
b. Integrity
c. Availability
d. Accessibility
Answer: c. Availability
◉ Which category of the CIA triad is affected when an unauthorized
user changes the data within a read-only file?
a. Confidentiality
b. Integrity
c. Authenticity
d. Accessibility
Answer: b. Integrity
◉ An analyst has identified an active denial of service attack.
Which category of the CIA triad is affected?
