Security and Data Protection
Core concepts
Understand the CIA triad (confidentiality, integrity, availability) and apply it to controls. Know authentication factors (something you know, have, are), MFA, and password policy. Distinguish symmetric from asymmetric encryption, hashing from encryption, and know where TLS fits. Understand malware types (virus, worm, trojan, ransomware, phishing), social engineering, and defense layers: firewalls, antivirus/EDR, patching, least privilege, and segmentation. Know backup types (full, incremental, differential), the 3-2-1 rule, and concepts like RPO and RTO.
Traps in questions
A common trap is treating hashing as reversible - it is one-way, used for integrity and password storage, not confidentiality. Do not confuse authentication (proving identity) with authorization (granting access). Incremental backups capture changes since the last backup of any type; differential captures changes since the last full. Questions may mislabel phishing as a technical exploit when it targets people. Also, encryption protects data at rest or in transit but does not prevent deletion, so availability needs backups.
Worked example / rule of thumb
A user receives an email urging immediate credential entry via a link. Rule of thumb: urgency plus a link equals verify out-of-band. Do not click; contact the sender through a known channel and report to security. This phishing-response pattern answers many incident questions.
Exam focus
Expect control classification, backup-type distinctions, encryption vs hashing, and first-response steps for suspected compromise.