COMPTIA SECURITY PLUS SYO 601 2026 KEY
CONCEPTS AND HIGH YIELD TOPICS
REVISION PACK
◉ Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Answer: programming
language you can use to create macros
◉ Advanced Persistent Threat (APT). Answer: a sophisticated,
possibly long-running computer hack that is perpetrated by large,
well-funded organizations such as governments
◉ Insider threats. Answer: Current or former employee, contractor
or other partner that has or had authorized access and intentionally
misused that access
◉ State actors. Answer:
◉ Hacktivists. Answer: A protester seeking to make a political point
by leveraging technology tools, often through system infiltration,
defacement, or damage.
,◉ Script kiddies. Answer: Individuals who want to break into
computers to create damage, yet lack the advanced knowledge of
computers and networks needed to do so.
◉ Criminal syndicates. Answer:
◉ Authorized Hackers. Answer:
◉ Unauthorized hackers. Answer:
◉ Semi-authorized hackers. Answer:
◉ Shadow IT. Answer:
◉ Competitors. Answer:
◉ Internal/external actors. Answer:
◉ Level of sophistication/capability in actors. Answer:
◉ Resources/funding (attributes of actors). Answer: APTs, and
nation states have a penchant for long-term attacks, which requires
,this which only major organizations or government can manage over
time.
◉ Intent/motivation (attributes of actors). Answer: This can be
simple or multifold in nature. A script kiddie is just trying to make a
technique work. A more skilled threat actor is usually pursuing a
specific objective, such as trying to make a point as a hacktivist. At
the top of the intent pyramid is the APT threat actor, whose intent or
motivation is at least threefold.
◉ Vectors direct access. Answer:
◉ Wireless Vectors. Answer:
◉ Vector Email. Answer:
◉ Vector Supply Chain. Answer:
◉ Vector Social Media. Answer:
◉ Vector Removable Media. Answer:
◉ Vector Cloud. Answer:
, ◉ Threat intelligence sources. Answer:
◉ Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT). Answer: Information from
media (newspapers, television), public government reports,
professional and academic publications, and other openly available.
◉ Closed/proprietary threat intelligence source. Answer:
◉ Vulnerability databases. Answer:
◉ Public/private information-sharing centers. Answer:
◉ Dark Web. Answer:
◉ Indicators of compromise. Answer: - unusual outbound traffic
- anomalies in privileged account
- geographic irregularities
- login failures
- swells in database read volume
- large html responses
- many requests for one file
CONCEPTS AND HIGH YIELD TOPICS
REVISION PACK
◉ Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Answer: programming
language you can use to create macros
◉ Advanced Persistent Threat (APT). Answer: a sophisticated,
possibly long-running computer hack that is perpetrated by large,
well-funded organizations such as governments
◉ Insider threats. Answer: Current or former employee, contractor
or other partner that has or had authorized access and intentionally
misused that access
◉ State actors. Answer:
◉ Hacktivists. Answer: A protester seeking to make a political point
by leveraging technology tools, often through system infiltration,
defacement, or damage.
,◉ Script kiddies. Answer: Individuals who want to break into
computers to create damage, yet lack the advanced knowledge of
computers and networks needed to do so.
◉ Criminal syndicates. Answer:
◉ Authorized Hackers. Answer:
◉ Unauthorized hackers. Answer:
◉ Semi-authorized hackers. Answer:
◉ Shadow IT. Answer:
◉ Competitors. Answer:
◉ Internal/external actors. Answer:
◉ Level of sophistication/capability in actors. Answer:
◉ Resources/funding (attributes of actors). Answer: APTs, and
nation states have a penchant for long-term attacks, which requires
,this which only major organizations or government can manage over
time.
◉ Intent/motivation (attributes of actors). Answer: This can be
simple or multifold in nature. A script kiddie is just trying to make a
technique work. A more skilled threat actor is usually pursuing a
specific objective, such as trying to make a point as a hacktivist. At
the top of the intent pyramid is the APT threat actor, whose intent or
motivation is at least threefold.
◉ Vectors direct access. Answer:
◉ Wireless Vectors. Answer:
◉ Vector Email. Answer:
◉ Vector Supply Chain. Answer:
◉ Vector Social Media. Answer:
◉ Vector Removable Media. Answer:
◉ Vector Cloud. Answer:
, ◉ Threat intelligence sources. Answer:
◉ Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT). Answer: Information from
media (newspapers, television), public government reports,
professional and academic publications, and other openly available.
◉ Closed/proprietary threat intelligence source. Answer:
◉ Vulnerability databases. Answer:
◉ Public/private information-sharing centers. Answer:
◉ Dark Web. Answer:
◉ Indicators of compromise. Answer: - unusual outbound traffic
- anomalies in privileged account
- geographic irregularities
- login failures
- swells in database read volume
- large html responses
- many requests for one file
