CAS-004 CompTIA SecurityX Certification Exam Free Practice Exam Questions (2025 Updated)

To reduce the risk of unauthorized devices accessing company resources, requiring device certificates is an effective control. Device certificates can be used to authenticate devices before they are allowed to connect to the network and access resources, ensuring that only devices with a valid certificate, which are typically managed and issued by the organization, can connect.

Signed applications ensure the integrity of the application by verifying that the source code has not been tampered with. Digital signatures provide a cryptographic guarantee that the software is exactly as the developer released it.

•ChaCha20: A stream cipher suited for real-time bitstream authentication and encryption.

•RIPEMD: A hashing algorithm useful for file integrity checks during large file transfers.

This aligns with CASP+ objective 3.2, focusing on selecting appropriate cryptographic methods for secure data handling and transmission.

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SELinux contexts are typically made up of several components, including the user identity, role, type (also known as domain or type), and MLS (Multi-Level Security) level. The context format is user:role:type:level. In the given output sys:secret:sec_t:s0, 'sys' represents the user identity, 'secret' is the role, 'sec_t' is the type, and 's0' is the MLS level. Understanding SELinux contexts is critical for managing Mandatory Access Control (MAC) in GNU/Linux systems to protect against unauthorized access.

“The Trusted Platform Module (TPM) securely stores the cryptographic keys used for full‐disk encryption. In a managed state, the TPM will automatically release the key when system integrity measurements pass, decrypting the disk without user input. To perform true forensic analysis on an encrypted volume when the actual key is not known, the TPM must be taken out of its managed (active) mode so that it cannot auto‐unlock the drive. This ‘unmanaged’ state prevents transparent decryption and allows the forensic examiner to employ cold‐boot, memory‐dump, or other advanced techniques to extract or brute‐force the key material.”

— CompTIA CASP+ Official Study Guide, Third Edition, Chapter 7: Forensics and Incident Response, pp. 478–479

“Discuss disk encryption and hardware root‐of‐trust devices, such as TPM. Highlight that, for forensic capture on encrypted endpoints, the TPM must be disabled or set to an unmanaged state so that full‐disk encryption keys are not automatically provisioned.”

— CompTIA CASP+ CAS-004 Exam Objectives (v7.1), Section 5.2: Forensic Analysis Techniques, p. 33

By disabling or putting the TPM into an unmanaged state, the forensic process will not benefit from automatic key release, thereby preserving the encrypted volume’s integrity for offline analysis.

In this scenario, the organization is looking to deploy a containerized application in the cloud and wants the infrastructure to automatically scale without handling patch management. A Platform as a Service (PaaS) model is the best fit because it allows developers to focus on the application and its deployment, while the cloud provider manages the underlying infrastructure, including patching and scaling. PaaS supports container orchestration, enabling automated scaling based on demand, and offloads most operational responsibilities to the provider. This is in contrast to Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), which requires more direct management of the infrastructure, including patching. CASP+ highlights PaaS as a service model that minimizes operational overhead for security operations teams.

A Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) solution meets all the listed requirements: reducing patch management, using standard configurations, allowing for custom resource configurations, andproviding access from multiple device types. VDI allows centralized management of desktop environments, where patches and updates can be applied once and distributed across all virtual desktops. It also supports flexible resource configurations and secure remote access from various devices. CASP+ highlights VDI as a solution for centralized, secure desktop management that meets modern enterprise needs for mobility and security.

Single-tenant architectures provide a dedicated environment for each client, which enhances data privacy since the resources are not shared with other tenants. This isolation minimizes the risk of data leakage or interference from other tenants, offering a high degree of privacy. Additionally, single-tenancy allows for full control over the database environment, including customization options tailored to specific security requirements or compliance needs, which is not always possible in a multi-tenant architecture.

The netstat -tulpn command is used to display network connections, routing tables, interface statistics, masquerade connections, and multicast memberships. The -tulpn options specifically show TCP and UDP connections with the process ID and the name that is listening on each port,which would provide the necessary information to identify if FTP is running and on which port without turning the service off. This information can then be used to create a precise firewall rule to prevent the FTP service from being exploited.

For a successful Data Loss Prevention (DLP) strategy, the first step is data classification. Data classification involves identifying and categorizing data based on its sensitivity and importance, which allows the DLP system to apply appropriate security controls to protect critical or sensitive information. Without proper data classification, it is difficult to implement effective DLP policies. While tokenization, network traffic analysis, and multifactor authentication can contribute to data security, classification is fundamental to building a targeted and effective DLP strategy. CASP+ highlights the importance of identifying and categorizing data as a key part of securing sensitive information and preventing data breaches.

“An Interconnection Security Agreement (ISA) details the technical, procedural, and planning requirements for securely connecting two or more information systems. An ISA builds upon a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) or similar high-level partnership document to specify security controls, configuration settings, data flow diagrams, incident-response responsibilities, and ongoing management processes for the interconnected environments.”

— CompTIA CASP+ Official Study Guide, Third Edition, Chapter 2: Governance, Risk, and Compliance, p. 84

“Use an ISA to define the security requirements, operational procedures, and maintenance plans for any system interconnections. The ISA should reference applicable policies, identify roles and responsibilities, and outline technical controls such as encryption, authentication, and logging mechanisms.”

— CompTIA CASP+ CAS-004 Exam Objectives (v7.1), Section 1.4: Interconnection and Collaboration Agreements, p. 6

By creating an ISA, the CISO ensures that both organizations share a clear, binding document that covers not only the security controls and network configurations but also the procedural and planning aspects needed to maintain a secure, ongoing connection.

Email signatures provide non-repudiation, which ensures that the sender of an email cannot deny having sent it. A digital signature, when attached to an email, uses cryptographic techniques toverify the sender's identity and confirm the authenticity of the message. This feature helps establish trust by preventing tampering and ensuring the integrity of the communication. CASP+ emphasizes the role of digital signatures in ensuring non-repudiation in secure communication protocols.

TheIKE (Internet Key Exchange)Phase 1 handshake error indicates a failure in negotiating a secure connection.

Option A:The IKE hashing algorithm mismatch, including key lengths, often causes such failures. Both VPN devices must agree on compatible algorithms and key lengths for the handshake to succeed.

Option B:Multiple cipher suites do not inherently cause errors; they provide flexibility during negotiation.

Option C:While using a legacy Diffie-Hellman group is less secure, it does not typically cause the handshake to fail unless explicitly rejected.

Option D:Site-to-site VPNs do not use SSL/TLS; they rely on IPSec protocols, making this irrelevant.

Even though the company uses a cloud service provider (CSP) that is PCI compliant, the customer must still ensure that in-scope systems related to their new payment system offering are also PCI compliant. PCI DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) applies to any system that processes, stores, or transmits credit card data, and this includes customer-owned systems, services, or applications integrated into the solution. The responsibility is shared between the CSP and the customer, and compliance is not automatically inherited just because the CSP is compliant. CASP+ emphasizes that organizations must ensure all components within their control are also PCI compliant.

In the context of legal proceedings, "material" evidence refers to evidence that is relevant and has a significant impact on the case at hand. For digital evidence to be admissible in court, it must be material, meaning it must relate directly to the case and contribute to proving or disproving a key aspect of the case. Material evidence helps establish the facts and is crucial for the court's decision-making process.

Static application security testing (SAST) is a method of analyzing the source code of an application for vulnerabilities and weaknesses before it is deployed. SAST can help identify security issues earlier in the development process, reducing the time and cost of remediation. Dynamic application security testing (DAST) is a method of testing the functionality and behavior of an application at runtime for vulnerabilities and weaknesses. DAST can cover public-facing application components, but it cannot detect issues in the source code or in serverless applications. Runtime application self-protection (RASP) is a technology that monitors and protects an application from attacks in real time by embedding security features into the application code or runtime environment. RASP can help prevent exploitation of vulnerabilities, but it cannot identify or fix them. A web application firewall (WAF) is a device or software that filters and blocks malicious web traffic from reaching an application. A WAF can help protect an application from common attacks, but it cannot detect or fix vulnerabilities in the application code or in serverless applications. References: [CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) Certification Exam Objectives], Domain 3: Enterprise Security Operations, Objective 3.4: Conduct security assessments using appropriate tools

A directory traversal attack exploits vulnerabilities in file path handling to access unauthorized files, as seen in this example. To mitigate, sanitize user inputs and avoid directly passing user-supplied data to the filesystem. This aligns with CASP+ objective 1.5, addressing secure input validation and mitigating common web-based vulnerabilities.

A cloud container service is the best way to meet the security and organizational infrastructure requirements described. Containers are sessionless, scalable, and can enforce ephemeral storage, which ensures that sensitive data like Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is only stored temporarily. Containers also restrict access to only necessary ports, such as TLS, and can easily scale across multiple nodes to handle varying workloads. CASP+ emphasizes the use of containers in modern,scalable, and secure application deployments, especially for API-based, sessionless applications that require flexible scaling and network security controls.

Step by Step Explanation:

Digital signatures provide non-repudiation, ensuring that the sender cannot deny signing a transaction. This mechanism ties the transaction to the entity through cryptographic assurance.

Federation involves identity management and authentication but does not address non-repudiation.

Key escrow is used for securely storing encryption keys and is unrelated to transaction agreements.

Salting hashes enhances password security but does not support transactional non-repudiation.

High availability ensures continuous operation despite hardware failures by leveraging redundant components like clustered firewalls or failover systems. This aligns with CASP+ objective 3.1, which focuses on implementing availability and redundancy mechanisms in disaster recovery planning.

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A runbook is a detailed guide that provides step-by-step instructions on how to respond to specific types of incidents. It is used by the SOC team to ensure a consistent, organized, and efficient response to incidents. In this case, after the incident investigation, creating a runbook would help standardize the response process for future security incidents, enabling the team to act quickly and effectively. CASP+ emphasizes the importance of having detailed runbooks for incident response as part of an organization's overall incident response strategy.

Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) with a tagging strategy allows flexible and granular access control based on resource classification and user attributes. This minimizes system impact and ensures compliance with data classification policies. This aligns with CASP+ objective 3.4, focusing on advanced access control mechanisms.

When conducting a risk assessment for a vendor that provides multiple products, it is important to perform the assessment at the individual product level. Each product might have different risk factors, security requirements, and vulnerabilities, so assessing each one ensures a comprehensive understanding of the risks involved. Assessing randomly or only major products could leave gaps in understanding the risks for smaller but still critical products. CASP+ emphasizes that risk assessments should be detailed and product-specific for a thorough evaluation.

The data owner is best qualified to classify systems and data in accordance with external requirements. The data owner is responsible for determining how data should be classified based on its sensitivity, value, and regulatory requirements. They have the authority to decide on classification levels such as public, confidential, or secret, and ensure compliance with external standards. Other roles, like data custodians or processors, support the implementation of data management, but the data owner has the final responsibility for classification. CASP+ highlights the role of data owners in determining data classification and ensuring compliance with external requirements.