CompTIA Updated 220-1102 Exam Questions and Answers by cezar

Educating the end user on best practices for security is the next step that the technician should take after successfully removing malicious software from an infected computer. Educating the end user on best practices for security is an important part of preventing future infections and mitigating risks. The technician should explain to the end user how to avoid common sources of malware, such as phishing emails, malicious websites, or removable media. The technician should also advise the end user to use strong passwords, update software regularly, enable antivirus and firewall protection, and backup data frequently. Educating the end user on best practices for security can help the end user become more aware and responsible for their own security and reduce the likelihood of recurrence of malware infections. Quarantining the host in the antivirus system, investigating how the system was infected with malware, and creating a system restore point are not the next steps that the technician should take after successfully removing malicious software from an infected computer. Quarantining the host in the antivirus system is a step that the technician should take before removing malicious software from an infected computer. Quarantining the host in the antivirus system means isolating the infected computer from the network or other devices to prevent the spread of malware. Investigating how the system was infected with malware is a step that the technician should take during or after removing malicious software from an infected computer. Investigating how the system was infected with malware means identifying the source, type, and impact of malware on the system and documenting the findings and actions taken. Creating a system restore point is a step that the technician should take before removing malicious software from an infected computer. Creating a system restore point means saving a snapshot of the system’s configuration and settings at a certain point in time, which can be used to restore the system in case of failure or corruption. References:

Official CompTIA learning resources CompTIA A+ Core 1 and Core 2, page 15

CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1101) and Core 2 (220-1102) Cert Guide, page 458

The protocol that most likely allowed the data theft to occur is SMB over TCP port 445. SMB is a network file sharing protocol that enables access to files, printers, and other resources on a network. Port 445 is used by SMB to communicate directly over TCP without the need for NetBIOS, which is an older and less secure protocol. The security log shows that the source IP address 192.168.1.1 sent a file named secrets.zip using SMB protocol to the destination IP address 192.168.1.50, which captured the file. The Windows firewall information shows that port 445 is enabled for inbound and outbound traffic, which means that it is not blocked by the firewall. Therefore, port 445 is the most likely port that was exploited by the attacker to steal the data from the corporate laptop.

A software firewall is a program that monitors and controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic on a computer or a server. A software firewall can help prevent unauthorized LAN devices from accessing stored files on a company file server by applying rules and policies that filter the network packets based on their source, destination, protocol, port, or content. A software firewall can also block or allow specific applications or services from communicating with the network, and alert the administrator of any suspicious or malicious activity12.

A software firewall is a better option than the other choices because:

Password complexity (B) is a good practice to protect the file server from unauthorized access, but it is not sufficient by itself. Password complexity refers to the use of strong passwords that are hard to guess or crack by attackers, and that are changed frequently and securely. Password complexity can prevent brute force attacks or credential theft, but it cannot stop network attacks that exploit vulnerabilities in the file server software or hardware, or that bypass the authentication process34.

Antivirus application © and anti-malware scans (D) are important tools to protect the file server from viruses and malware that can infect, damage, or encrypt the stored files. However, they are not effective in preventing unauthorized LAN devices from accessing the files in the first place. Antivirus and anti-malware tools can only detect and remove known threats, and they may not be able to stop zero-day attacks or advanced persistent threats that can evade or disable them. Moreover, antivirus and anti-malware tools cannot control the network traffic or the file server permissions, and they may not be compatible with all file server platforms or configurations56.

NTFS stands for New Technology File System and it is the preferred filesystem for Microsoft Windows OS since Windows NT 3.1 in 19931. NTFS replaced FAT (File Allocation Table) as the default filesystem for Windows because it offers many advantages over FAT, such as:

Support for larger volumes and files (up to 16 exabytes)2

Support for file compression, encryption, and permissions2

Support for journaling, which records changes to the filesystem and helps recover from errors2

Support for hard links, symbolic links, and mount points2

Support for long filenames and Unicode characters2

FAT32 is an improved version of FAT that supports larger volumes and files (up to 32 GB and 4 GB respectively) and is compatible with older versions of Windows and other operating systems3. However, FAT32 still has many limitations and drawbacks compared to NTFS, such as:

No support for file compression, encryption, and permissions3

No support for journaling, which makes it vulnerable to corruption and data loss3

No support for hard links, symbolic links, and mount points3

No support for long filenames and Unicode characters3

APFS (Apple File System) is the default filesystem for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS since 20174. APFS replaced HFS+ (Hierarchical File System Plus) as the preferred filesystem for Apple devices because it offers many advantages over HFS+, such as:

Support for larger volumes and files (up to 8 zettabytes)4

Support for file cloning, snapshots, and encryption4

Support for space sharing, which allows multiple volumes to share the same storage pool4

Support for fast directory sizing, which improves performance and efficiency4

ext4 (Fourth Extended Filesystem) is the default filesystem for most Linux distributions since 20085. ext4 replaced ext3 as the preferred filesystem for Linux because it offers many advantages over ext3, such as:

Support for larger volumes and files (up to 1 exabyte and 16 terabytes respectively)5

Support for extents, which reduce fragmentation and improve performance5

Support for journal checksumming, which improves reliability and reduces recovery time5

Support for delayed allocation, which improves efficiency and reduces metadata overhead5