CompTIA Security+ flashcards, generated for you.

The CIA triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability) provides the foundational framework for evaluating and implementing security controls to protect information assets and ensure organizational security objectives are met.

Confidentiality ensures that information is not disclosed to unauthorized parties. Encryption is a primary control that enforces confidentiality by rendering data unreadable without proper cryptographic keys.

Authentication verifies a user's identity (who you are), typically using credentials like passwords or MFA. Authorization determines what authenticated users can access (what you can do), based on assigned permissions and roles.

Least privilege grants users only the minimum permissions necessary to perform their job functions. This reduces the attack surface and limits damage from compromised accounts or insider threats.

MFA requires two or more verification methods to authenticate users, significantly reducing unauthorized access risk. Two factor types include: something you know (password), something you have (security token), something you are (biometric), and somewhere you are (location).

Symmetric encryption uses a single shared key for both encryption and decryption (fast, but key distribution is difficult). Asymmetric encryption uses a public key (encrypt) and private key (decrypt) pair, enabling secure key exchange and digital signatures.

A digital signature is created by encrypting a message hash with a private key. It provides authentication (proves sender identity), non-repudiation (sender cannot deny signing), and integrity (confirms message was not altered).

A SIEM system aggregates, correlates, and analyzes security logs and events from multiple sources in real-time to detect threats, enable incident response, maintain compliance, and provide security visibility across the enterprise.

Vulnerability scanning is an automated process that identifies known weaknesses without exploiting them. Penetration testing is a manual, authorized attempt to exploit vulnerabilities to assess real-world security impact and business risk.

Defense in depth employs multiple overlapping security controls across network, application, and endpoint layers. If one control fails, others remain effective, reducing the likelihood that a single breach compromises the entire system.