Practice for the CompTIA A+ Core 2 exam with 18 exam-style practice questions, instant answer reveals, and concise explanations of every correct answer. Topics include: You are renting space in another company's data center. To protect your server from being physically accessed when you a. Follow @CertPunch and visit certpunch.com for more certification practice exams and study content.
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What you will practice
- You are renting space in another company's data center. To protect your server from being physically accessed…
- A user is complaining that when they attempt to access Google's homepage, it appears in a foreign language ev…
- Which type of installation would require an answer file to install the operating system?
- Which of the following workstation operating systems are Ubuntu and Red Hat considered?
- Every new employee at Dion Training must sign a document to show they understand the proper rules for using t…
- A cybersecurity analyst from BigCorp contacts your company to notify them that several of your computers were…
Answers and explanations
Tap a question to expand the answer and the exam reasoning. Try to commit to your own pick first.
Q1. You are renting space in another company's data center. To protect your server from being physically accessed when you are not in the building, what device should you use?
Answer: C. Server lock
A server lock physically secures the server chassis in a shared data center rack. An entry control roster is only an administrative sign-in sheet and cannot physically prevent someone from opening the server chassis.
Q2. A user is complaining that when they attempt to access Google's homepage, it appears in a foreign language even though they are located in the United States. The user claims they are not using a VPN to access the internet. You have run a f…
Answer: A. Remove any proxy servers configured in their web browser
A malicious proxy server routes web traffic through a foreign location, causing localized sites to display incorrectly. Disabling the Windows Firewall worsens the issue and will not change how Google detects the browser's location.
Q3. Which type of installation would require an answer file to install the operating system?
Answer: C. Unattended
An unattended installation relies on an answer file to automate operating system deployments without manual input. Clean installs and upgrades are deployment scenarios, but they do not inherently require this file.
Q4. Which of the following workstation operating systems are Ubuntu and Red Hat considered?
Answer: D. Linux
Ubuntu and Red Hat are popular distributions of the Linux operating system. Windows and macOS are alternative desktop operating systems, while Android is a mobile platform based on the Linux kernel.
Q5. Every new employee at Dion Training must sign a document to show they understand the proper rules for using the company's computers. This document states that the new employee has read the policy that dictates what can and cannot be done f…
Answer: C. AUP
An acceptable use policy dictates how employees may use corporate systems and requires a signature. A service level agreement focuses on expected support metrics rather than governing daily user behavior.
Q6. A cybersecurity analyst from BigCorp contacts your company to notify them that several of your computers were seen attempting to create a denial of service condition against their servers. They believe your company has become infected with…
Answer: B. Zombie
A zombie is an infected computer controlled remotely by an attacker to launch attacks within a botnet. Zero-day refers to an undisclosed software vulnerability rather than the compromised machine itself.
Q7. A user needs to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 while preserving all applications, user profiles, documents, and PST files. Which installation type should you use?
Answer: B. In-place upgrade
An in-place upgrade installs the new operating system over the existing one while retaining applications, user profiles, and data. A clean installation completely wipes the drive, making it the wrong choice when preserving user data.
Q8. Barbara received a phone call from a colleague asking why she sent him an email with lewd and unusual content. Barbara doesn't remember sending the email to the colleague. What is Barbara MOST likely the victim of?
Answer: C. Hijacked email
A hijacked email account explains why unfamiliar or inappropriate messages were sent without the user knowing. Phishing and spear phishing are tactics used to steal credentials, but the resulting unauthorized access and sent emails are the hijacking itself.
Q9. Which of the following commands is used to edit a text file on a Linux server?
Answer: C. nano
The nano utility is an easy-to-use command-line text editor used in Linux to modify configuration files. Remember that cat reads files, grep searches within files, and pwd only displays your current directory path.
Q10. Which of the following commands is used on a Linux system to change a user's password on the system?
Answer: A. passwd
The passwd command is used to change a user account password in Linux. As a helpful memory aid, chmod changes file permissions, chown changes file ownership, and pwd prints the current working directory.
Q11. A network technician is tasked with designing a firewall to improve security for an existing FTP server on the company network. The FTP server must be accessible from the Internet. The security team is concerned that the FTP server could b…
Answer: C. Migrate the FTP server from the internal network to a screened subnet
Placing public-facing servers in a screened subnet isolates them from the internal network. Upgrading to SFTP encrypts traffic, but it does not protect the internal domain controller if the server is breached.
Q12. Which attack utilizes a wireless access point made to look as if it belongs to the network by mimicking the corporate network's SSID to eavesdrop on the wireless traffic?
Answer: D. Evil twin
An evil twin attack creates a rogue wireless access point that mimics a legitimate network's SSID to steal information. While a rogue access point is unauthorized, an evil twin specifically involves impersonating a trusted corporate network.
Q13. Which of the following best describes the difference between a dedicated graphics card and an integrated graphics solution?
Answer: A. A dedicated graphics card has its own memory, while an integrated graphics solution shares system RAM with other processes.
A dedicated graphics card includes its own independent video memory, known as VRAM. Integrated graphics relies on sharing the computer's system RAM, which reduces overall system memory available for other tasks.
Q14. After a security update, a workstation displays a blank screen and won't boot. What is the NEXT troubleshooting step?
Answer: C. Reboot the workstation into safe mode and roll back the recent security update
Booting into safe mode and rolling back the recent security update directly isolates the newly installed software as the root cause of the boot failure. Editing the registry is risky and less direct than simply uninstalling the problematic update.
Q15. You are working as a file server administrator. You are backing up the files on the server when you observe numerous inappropriate photos and videos stored on the corporate share drive by the user jsmith. These files are clearly in violati…
Answer: B. Notify your immediate supervisor
When you discover policy violations like illegal or inappropriate materials, the first step is to escalate the issue to your supervisor or management. You must follow chain of custody and company procedures, avoiding unauthorized deletion.
Q16. Dion Training is worried about the security of the data on their corporate smartphones if lost or stolen. The Chief Security Officer has instructed that the devices be configured so that unauthorized users cannot access the data. Which TWO…
Answer: A,B. Enable full device encryption || Configure the ability to perform a remote wipe
Full device encryption protects data at rest if a device is stolen, rendering the storage unreadable without the key. Remote wipe allows administrators to erase the compromised device over the network before data can be extracted.
Q17. Which of the following open-source remote access tools allows users to connect to their desktop remotely, see what is on their screen, and control it with their mouse and keyboard?
Answer: C. VNC
Virtual Network Computing, or VNC, is an open-source remote access tool that provides graphical desktop sharing over a network. RDP is proprietary, and SSH with Telnet are command-line protocols without native graphical interfaces.
Q18. Which of the following authentication protocols was developed by Cisco to provide authentication, authorization, and accounting services?
Answer: B. TACACS+
TACACS+ is a Cisco proprietary protocol providing authentication, authorization, and accounting services. RADIUS also provides these services, but it is an open standard and was not developed by Cisco.
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