NSE_2 Sample Questions & Answers
Firewall technologies, network segmentation, and SD-WAN get the heaviest weighting, alongside cryptography and public key basics, authentication methods and NAC, remote access through VPN and ZTNA, endpoint and IoT protection, and cloud and virtualization security.
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- Question 1Beginner
Cryptography and the Public Key Infrastructure · Hashing and Digital Signatures
True or False: A digital signature provides confidentiality by encrypting the entire message contents so that unauthorized users cannot read it.
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Correct answer: B
False. A digital signature provides authenticity, integrity, and non-repudiation, but NOT confidentiality. It involves hashing the message and encrypting the hash with a private key. The message itself is often sent in plain text unless separately encrypted.
- Question 2IntermediateSelect 2
Cryptography and the Public Key Infrastructure · Symmetric Cryptography
Which TWO of the following are primary characteristics of Symmetric Encryption algorithms compared to Asymmetric ones? (Select TWO)
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Correct answers: B, D
Symmetric algorithms (like AES) are much faster than asymmetric ones (like RSA) and are preferred for encrypting large amounts of data.
Symmetric encryption relies on a single shared secret key that must be known by both the sender and the recipient.
- Question 3Intermediate
Cryptography and the Public Key Infrastructure · Symmetric Cryptography
A developer is designing a login system and wants to ensure that even if the database is stolen, the user passwords cannot be easily reversed or used. The system adds a random string of characters to each password before processing it. What is this technique called?
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Correct answer: D
Salting involves adding random data (salt) to a password before hashing it. This prevents attackers from using rainbow tables (pre-computed hash tables) to crack passwords, as the salt makes every hash unique even if two users have the same password.
- Question 4Advanced
Cryptography and the Public Key Infrastructure · Symmetric Cryptography
Case Study:
GlobalSecure Bank is updating its encryption standards. They handle massive transaction logs (Terabytes per day) that must be encrypted at rest. They also exchange small, highly sensitive authentication tokens with partner banks over the internet.
The CISO has mandated that:
- Bulk data at rest must use the most efficient algorithm possible.
- Key exchange with partners must be secure without pre-shared secrets.
Which combination of cryptographic standards best meets these requirements?
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Correct answer: B
AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is a symmetric algorithm ideal for speed and efficiency when encrypting large volumes of data (bulk data). RSA is an asymmetric algorithm used for secure key exchange over untrusted networks without pre-shared secrets.
- Question 5Beginner
Secure Networking · Firewall Technologies
A network administrator is configuring a firewall to block packets based solely on IP address and port number. The firewall does not track the state of connections or inspect the payload. Which generation of firewall technology is being used?
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Correct answer: D
Packet filtering firewalls (First Generation) operate at the network layer and make decisions based only on headers (source/dest IP, port). They do not track connection state or inspect application data.
- Question 6Intermediate
Secure Networking · Network Segmentation and Security Zones
In a modern data center, traffic moving between servers within the same network zone (server-to-server) is often referred to as 'East-West' traffic. Why is securing this traffic with internal segmentation firewalls or micro-segmentation critical?
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Correct answer: A
Securing East-West traffic is essential to stop lateral movement. If an attacker breaches the perimeter and compromises one server, micro-segmentation prevents them from easily jumping to other servers within the data center.
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