If you’re applying for a cybersecurity job, one cybersecurity fundamentals you should focus on are the interview questions. So, here are a few theoretical cybersecurity interview questions you may encounter.
Question 1
What is the definition of cryptography?
Cryptography is the activity and study of methods for securing information and communication. It has the purpose of protecting data from unauthorized third parties.
Question 2
What makes an intrusion detection system (IDS) different from an intrusion prevention system (IPS)?
An intrusion Detection System (IDS) is an intrusion detection system that detects intrusions. Thus, leaving the administrator to deal with prevention.
An IPS, or Incursion Prevention System, on the other hand, detects the intrusion and takes action to stop it.
Question 3
Describe the CIA trio.
Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA) are acronyms denoting Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. The CIA is a paradigm for guiding policies in the field of information security. As a result, it’s one of the most popular organizational structures.
Confidentiality
The material should only be accessible to and read by authorized personnel. It should not be accessible to anyone who isn’t allowed. If someone uses hacking to gain access to the data, it should be strongly encrypted. So, hackers can’t read or understand stolen data.
Integrity
Identifying whether or whether the data has been tampered with by an unauthorized entity. Data integrity ensures that data is not corrupted or modified by unauthorized personnel. If an authorized individual or system tries and fails to alter data, the data should be reverted rather than corrupted.
Availability
The user should be able to access the info whenever they require it. For instance, maintenance of hardware, upgrades regularly, data backups and recovery, and network bottlenecks.
Question 4
What is the difference between hashing and encryption?
Both encryption and hashing convert readable data into an unreadable format. The difference between encrypted and hashed data is that encrypted data can be decrypted and converted back to original data, whereas hashed data cannot.
Question 5
What is the purpose of a firewall, and why do we require one?
A firewall is a network security device that monitors and controls network traffic at the system or perimeter level. Moreover, firewalls protect a computer or network from viruses, worms, malware, and other dangerous software. Firewalls can also filter material and prohibit remote access.
Question 6
What is the difference between VA and PT (Vulnerability Assessment)?
Vulnerability assessment is the process of identifying flaws in a target. For example, the company is aware that its system/network contains faults or vulnerabilities. Therefore, it wants to identify and prioritize these flaws for remedy.
Penetration testing is the process of finding vulnerabilities on a target. In this case, the company would have implemented all available security measures. It wishes to discover if its system/network in any other way is vulnerable to hackers.
Question 7
What exactly is a traceroute, and how does it function? What exactly is the point of it?
Traceroute is a program that shows the path taken by a packet. It lists all of the destinations that the packet passes through. When a packet fails to reach its intended destination, this is used. Use Traceroute to see where the connection stops or breaks to find the point of failure.
