- (Topic 4)
A technician is mitigating threats to web clusters. Which of the following tools is the most appropriate for a technician to use to mitigate unwanted traffic against the web clusters' public-facing interface?
Correct Answer:
D
A physical firewall is a hardware device that filters and blocks unwanted or malicious traffic from entering or leaving a network. A physical firewall can be configured with rules and policies to allow or deny traffic based on various criteria, such as source and destination IP addresses, ports, protocols, applications, etc. A physical firewall can also provide logging and monitoring capabilities to detect and prevent network attacks12.
A physical firewall is the most appropriate tool for a technician to use to mitigate threats to web clusters, which are groups of web servers that work together to provide high availability and scalability for web applications. Web clusters are often exposed to the internet and face various types of threats, such as denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, brute force attacks, SQL injection attacks, cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, etc. A physical firewall can protect the web clusters’ public-facing interface by filtering and blocking the unwanted or malicious traffic before it reaches the web servers, thus reducing the risk of compromise or downtime34.
The other options are not as effective or relevant as a physical firewall for mitigating threats
to web clusters. Device encryption is a process of transforming data into an unreadable form using a secret key, which can prevent unauthorized access to the data if the device is lost or stolen. However, device encryption does not prevent network attacks or filter traffic, and it may not apply to web clusters that use shared storage or cloud services. Intrusion detection system (IDS) is a software or hardware tool that monitors network traffic and alerts the administrator of any suspicious or malicious activity. However, IDS does not block or filter traffic, and it may not be able to prevent or stop an attack in progress. IDS is often used in conjunction with a firewall, not as a replacement. Antivirus/anti-malware is a software tool that scans and removes viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, ransomware, and other malicious software from a device. However, antivirus/anti-malware does not filter or block network traffic, and it may not be able to detect or prevent some web-based attacks, such as XSS or SQL injection. Antivirus/anti-malware is also often used in conjunction with a firewall, not as a replacement.
References:
✑ CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1101) Certification Study Guide, Chapter 5: Networking, Section 5.4: Network Devices, Page 233
✑ CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1101) and Core 2 (220-1102) Exam Cram, Chapter 5: Networking, Section 5.4: Network Devices, Page 197
✑ CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1101) and Core 2 (220-1102) Pearson uCertify Course and Labs and Textbook Bundle, Chapter 5: Networking, Section 5.4: Network Devices, Page 234
✑ CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1101) and Core 2 (220-1102) Cert Guide, Chapter 5: Networking, Section 5.4: Network Devices, Page 205
✑ CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1101) Certification Study Guide, Chapter 9: Security, Section 9.3: Device Security, Page 419
✑ CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1101) Certification Study Guide, Chapter 9: Security, Section 9.4: Network Security, Page 431
✑ CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1101) Certification Study Guide, Chapter 9: Security, Section 9.5: Malware and Threats, Page 443
- (Topic 1)
While using a popular videoconferencing program, the user selects a webcam, but the software is unable to open the webcam. The webcam was working the previous day. Which of the following should be done to address this issue?
Correct Answer:
A
One possible solution to address the issue of a webcam not working with a videoconferencing program is to close other video software and retry (option A). It’s possible that another video software program is currently using the webcam and preventing the videoconferencing program from accessing it. By closing any other video software that may be running on the computer, the user can ensure that the webcam is available for use by the videoconferencing program.
- (Topic 4)
The Wi-Fi network in the office is experiencing slow connection speeds. Which of the following should the technician check first on the access point?
Correct Answer:
A
The transmit power settings of the access point determine how strong the Wi-Fi signal is. If the transmit power is too low, the Wi-Fi network will have slow connection speeds and poor coverage. If the transmit power is too high, the Wi-Fi network will interfere with other nearby networks and devices, causing congestion and performance issues. Therefore, the technician should check the transmit power settings first and adjust them to an optimal level for the office environment.
References:
•8 Reasons Why Your Internet is Slow (and How to Fix It), section “You have weak Wi-Fi signals”.
•6 Things Slowing Down Your Wi-Fi (And What to Do About Them) - How-To Geek, section “Channel Congestion Dings Wi-Fi Performance”.
- (Topic 4)
A technician wants to stress test multiple applications while maintaining the ability to easily reset those environments back to the initial state. Which of the following is the best way to accomplish this task?
Correct Answer:
C
A sandbox is a virtual environment that allows testing or running applications without affecting the main system. A sandbox can isolate the applications from the rest of the system, preventing any unwanted changes, errors, or security risks. A sandbox can also be easily reset to the initial state, discarding any modifications or data generated by the applications12.
A sandbox is a useful tool for stress testing multiple applications, as it can:
•Simulate different scenarios and conditions for the applications, such as high load, low memory, network latency, etc.
•Monitor and measure the performance, stability, and resource consumption of the applications under stress.
•Compare and analyze the results of different applications or different versions of the same application.
•Identify and fix any bugs, errors, or vulnerabilities in the applications before deploying them to the main system.
- (Topic 2)
A home user has purchased a subscription for a service that blocks malicious sites by preventing them from resolving correctly. Which of the following settings MOST likely needs to be changed on the user's router to enable this functionally?
Correct Answer:
A
The Domain Name System (DNS) is responsible for translating domain names into IP addresses. By blocking malicious sites from resolving correctly, the DNS server is able to prevent the user from accessing those sites. Therefore, the DNS server setting on the user’s router needs to be changed to enable this functionality123.
