CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701): Understanding Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations Literacy (Beginner Level)

Topics covered

• compare access controls, including access control lists (ACLs), network access control lists (NACLs), permissions, allow-lists, and cloud solution provider (CSP) security groups
• compare application vulnerabilities including memory injection, buffer overflow, race conditions, time-of-check (TOC)/time-of-use (TOU), malicious updates, and zero days
• compare cryptographic attacks like downgrade, collision, birthday, brute force, and side-channel
• compare decommissioning and offboarding
• compare malware attacks, including ransomware, trojan horses, remote access trojans (RATs), worms, viruses, spyware and bloatware, keyloggers, logic bombs, and rootkits
• compare monitoring and visibility techniques for access controls
• define configuration management and patch management
• define mobile device vulnerabilities like side loading, jailbreaking, and rooting
• define password attacks, including spraying, brute force, and wordlists
• define physical attacks, such as brute force, radio-frequency identification (RFID) cloning, and environmental
• define the least privilege and separation of duties principles
• define threat actor motivations such as data exfiltration, espionage, service disruption, blackmail, financial gain, political beliefs, ethical, revenge, disruption/chaos, and war
• describe hardening through encryption, endpoint detection and response (EDR), host intrusion detection system (HIDS)/host intrusion prevention system (HIPS), disabling ports/protocols, default password changes, and removal of unnecessary software
• describe how encryption contributes to access control
• describe network attacks, including denial-of-service (DoS)/distributed denial-of-service (DDoS), domain name system (DNS) attacks, wireless, on-path, credential replay, and malicious code
• describe penetration testing and the penetration testing life cycle
• describe segmentation and isolation techniques
• describe various indicators of compromise like account lockout, concurrent session usage, blocked content, impossible travel, resource consumption, out-of-cycle logging, and missing logs
• outline application vulnerability assessments, including static analysis, dynamic analysis, and package monitoring
• outline common attack surfaces like removable devices, vulnerable software, client-based vs. agentless, unsupported systems and applications, unsecure networks, open service ports, and default credentials
• outline concepts of vulnerability scanning, including accuracy confirmation
• outline human vectors and social engineering including phishing, business email compromise, vishing, smishing, disinformation, impersonation, hoaxing, pretexting, brand impersonation, typosquatting, and watering hole
• outline OS-based and web-based vulnerabilities such as misconfiguration, unpatched, outdated, SQLi, cross-site scripting (XSS), and request forgeries
• outline supply chain vulnerabilities including managed service providers, vendors, suppliers, service providers, and hardware and software providers
• outline the CSA list of cloud vulnerabilities
• provide an overview of different application attacks, such as injection, buffer overflow, replay, privilege escalation, forgery, and directory traversal
• provide an overview of various threat feeds, including open-source intelligence (OSINT), proprietary/third-party, information-sharing organizations, dark web, Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS), and Common Vulnerability Enumeration (CVE)
• provide an overview of vulnerability response and remediation, including topics like patching, insurance, segmentation, compensating controls, and exceptions and exemptions
• recognize hardware and virtualization vulnerabilities including firmware, end-of-life, legacy issues, virtual machine escape, sprawl, and resource reuse
• validate and report on remediation processes and procedures