Cyber Security questions

By Interwoven Maths

Cyber Security question collection

Review Cyber Security questions for Computer Science, with correct answers shown and coverage across common cyber threats; malware and phishing; social engineering.

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Question 1

What does malware mean?
  1. Malicious software
  2. Main memory hardware
  3. Manual web repair
  4. Managed local network

Question 2

What is phishing?
  1. Fake messages that steal user data
  2. Fake websites that redirect domain requests
  3. Repeated guesses against a password
  4. Malicious queries sent to a database

Question 3

What does a brute-force password attack do?
  1. Tries many possible character combinations
  2. Tries words from a prepared list
  3. Steals a password through a fake message
  4. Records a password with spyware

Question 4

What is the aim of a DoS attack?
  1. Overloading a service until it is unavailable
  2. Encrypting files until a ransom is paid
  3. Copying data until an account is cloned
  4. Guessing passwords until one of them works

Question 5

Which technique best prevents SQL injection?
  1. Parameterised queries
  2. Stronger user passwords
  3. Full disk encryption
  4. Regular database backups

Question 6

What do social engineering attacks target?
  1. People
  2. Routers
  3. Hard drives
  4. Source code compilers

Question 7

Which password is strongest?
  1. A long, unique mix of character types
  2. A short word with one digit
  3. A birthdate reused on several sites
  4. A common phrase shared with friends

Question 8

Which is an example of biometric authentication?
  1. Fingerprint scan
  2. PIN code
  3. Username
  4. Security question

Question 9

What does encryption change plaintext into?
  1. Ciphertext
  2. Checksum
  3. Metadata
  4. Source code

Question 10

What does a firewall do?
  1. Filters network traffic
  2. Stores all passwords
  3. Assigns IP addresses
  4. Repairs corrupted files

Question 11

What does spyware do?
  1. Secretly collects user data
  2. Encrypts files and demands payment
  3. Replicates by attaching to host files
  4. Overloads a server with requests

Question 12

Why should security updates be installed?
  1. They patch known software weaknesses
  2. They encrypt every stored file
  3. They replace weak user passwords
  4. They block every phishing message

Question 13

Which control best protects data from ransomware loss?
  1. Regular offline backups
  2. A backup on the same mounted drive
  3. A stronger screen-lock password
  4. A firewall with no backup

Question 14

What does least privilege mean for users?
  1. Only the access needed for their role
  2. Full admin access
  3. No access at all
  4. Access to every shared folder

Question 15

What is CAPTCHA designed to distinguish?
  1. Human users from automated bots
  2. Administrators from standard users
  3. Encrypted files from plaintext files
  4. Trusted networks from public networks

Question 16

What is a security risk of open public Wi-Fi?
  1. Attackers may intercept unencrypted data
  2. The router may assign a private IP address
  3. The device may use a slower connection
  4. Web pages may load from a distant server

Question 17

What is social engineering?
  1. Tricking people into revealing information
  2. Exploiting a buffer overflow
  3. Installing anti-virus software
  4. Encrypting data on a disk

Question 18

What distinguishes a computer virus?
  1. It attaches to a host file and replicates when run
  2. It replicates across networks without a host file
  3. It encrypts files and demands a ransom
  4. It secretly records user activity

Question 19

What is ransomware?
  1. Malware that locks data and demands payment
  2. Software that improves encryption
  3. A tool for testing networks
  4. A backup stored off-site

Question 20

Which control directly limits online brute-force attempts?
  1. Temporary lockout after failed logins
  2. Password hints after failed logins
  3. Automatic username completion
  4. A public list of password rules

Question 21

What is penetration testing?
  1. Authorised attacks used to find system weaknesses
  2. Unauthorised attacks used to steal system data
  3. Automated backups used to restore system data
  4. Encryption used to hide system data

Question 22

What can anti-malware software do after detecting a malicious file?
  1. Quarantine it from the system
  2. Patch the software weakness it used
  3. Restore files from an earlier backup
  4. Filter the network port it contacted

Question 23

Why is an unexpected email attachment risky?
  1. Opening it may execute malware
  2. Reading it may reveal your public IP address
  3. Saving it may change the email subject
  4. Deleting it may notify the sender

Question 24

What does cyber security protect?
  1. Systems, networks and data
  2. Only physical hardware
  3. Only printed documents
  4. Only the mains supply

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Review Cyber Security questions for Computer Science, with correct answers shown and coverage across common cyber threats; malware and phishing; social engineering.

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