Network Fundamentals and Security Questions

Covers core networking concepts and the security controls used to protect data and services across the network stack. Candidates should understand the open systems interconnection model and the Internet Protocol suite, including responsibilities and behaviors at the physical, data link, network, transport, and application layers. Be able to explain transmission control protocol packet flow, ports and sockets, network address translation, and how client server interactions use protocols such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol, Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, Domain Name System, and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. Understand how encryption and authentication are applied at different protocol layers, including Secure Sockets Layer and Transport Layer Security, the role of certificate authorities and digital certificates, and how the Transport Layer Security handshake protects data in transit. Be able to distinguish secure and insecure protocols, describe common network attack patterns such as eavesdropping, man in the middle, spoofing, and distributed denial of service, and articulate mitigation techniques including virtual private networks, secure configuration of services, segmentation, and basic host and network hardening. Candidates should also know fundamental controls such as stateful and stateless firewalls, proxying, and secure remote access, and be familiar with detection and troubleshooting tools and techniques such as packet capture, flow analysis, packet logging, and traffic inspection.