Cyber Security

Q1: What is the CIA Triad in cybersecurity?

Answer: The CIA Triad is a fundamental concept in cybersecurity, representing three core principles: Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability.

Confidentiality ensures that sensitive information is accessed only by authorized individuals or entities. It involves measures such as encryption, access controls, and data classification.

Integrity ensures that data remains accurate, complete, and unmodified. Techniques like hashing, digital signatures, and checksums are used to detect and prevent unauthorized modifications.

Availability ensures that systems, networks, and data are accessible and usable by authorized users when needed. It involves implementing measures to protect against disruptions, such as redundancy, disaster recovery planning, and DDoS mitigation.

Q2: What is the concept of defense in depth in cybersecurity?

Answer: Defense in depth is a strategy that involves implementing multiple layers of security controls to protect against various cyber threats. It recognizes that no single security measure can provide complete protection, and a layered approach is necessary. Each layer adds an additional barrier, and if one layer is breached, others can still provide protection. Examples of defense in depth measures include firewalls, intrusion detection systems, antivirus software, access controls, and regular security audits.

Q3: What is a vulnerability assessment and how does it differ from a penetration test?

Answer: A vulnerability assessment is a systematic process of identifying and assessing security vulnerabilities in systems, networks, and applications. It involves using automated tools to scan for known vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and weaknesses. The result is a report highlighting potential vulnerabilities that need to be addressed.

On the other hand, a penetration test, also known as a pen test, is a controlled simulated attack on a system or network to identify security weaknesses. Penetration testing goes beyond vulnerability assessment by attempting to exploit vulnerabilities and gain unauthorized access to demonstrate the impact of such weaknesses. It provides a more realistic assessment of the organization's security posture.

Q4: What is the concept of least privilege in cybersecurity?

Answer: The concept of least privilege states that users should be granted only the minimum level of access and privileges necessary to perform their authorized tasks. This principle helps reduce the potential impact of a compromised account or insider threat. By limiting privileges, the attack surface is minimized, and the potential damage that can be caused by an attacker is significantly reduced. Least privilege is implemented through access controls, role-based access management, and regularly reviewing and updating user permissions.

Q5: What is the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?

Answer: Symmetric encryption and asymmetric encryption are two primary encryption techniques:

Symmetric encryption uses the same key for both encryption and decryption. The key is shared between the sender and receiver, making it faster and more efficient for encrypting large amounts of data. However, the challenge lies in securely exchanging the shared key.

Asymmetric encryption, also known as public-key encryption, uses a pair of keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption. The public key is freely shared, while the private key is kept secret. Asymmetric encryption provides secure communication between parties without the need to exchange a shared key. However, it is computationally more expensive and slower than symmetric encryption.