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Cybersecurity is the act of protecting systems, networks, and programs from digital attacks that can compromise the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data. These cyber-attacks can take various forms, such as malware, phishing, ransomware, denial-of-service, or advanced persistent threats. They typically aim to access, alter or destroy sensitive information, extort money from users, or disrupt normal business processes. 

In this article, We covered the top 60 most asked cyber security interview questions with answers that cover everything from basic of cybersecurity to advanced cybersecurity concepts such as Threat Intelligence, Incident Response, Malware analysis penetration testing, red teaming and more.  Whether you are a fresher or an experienced cyber security architect, this article gives you all the confidence you need to ace your next cybersecurity interview.

Table of Content

Cyber security interview questions for freshers, cyber security interview questions for intermediate, cyber security interview questions for experienced, 1. what are the common cyberattacks.

Some basic Cyber attacks are as follows:

• Phishing: Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending spam emails by impersonating legitimate sources.
• Social Engineering Attacks: Social engineering attacks can take many forms and can be carried out anywhere human collaboration is required.
• Ransomware: Ransomware is documented encryption programming that uses special cryptographic calculations to encrypt records in a targeted framework.
• Cryptocurrency Hijacking: As digital currencies and mining become more popular, so do cybercriminals. They have found an evil advantage in cryptocurrency mining, which involves complex calculations to mine virtual currencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Monero, and Litecoin.
• Botnet Attacks: Botnet attacks often target large organizations and entities that obtain vast amounts of information. This attack allows programmers to control countless devices in exchange for cunning intent.

For more details please refer to the article: Types of Cyber Attacks

2. What are the elements of cyber security?

There are various elements of cyber security as given below:

• Application Security: Application security is the most important core component of cyber security , adding security highlights to applications during the improvement period to defend against cyber attacks.
• Information Security: Information security is a component of cyber security that describes how information is protected against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, alteration, or deletion.
• Network Security: Network security is the security provided to a network from unauthorized access and threats. It is the network administrator’s responsibility to take precautions to protect the network from potential security threats. Network security is another element of IT security, the method of defending and preventing unauthorized access to computer networks.
• Disaster Recovery Planning: A plan that describes the continuity of work after a disaster quickly and efficiently is known as a disaster recovery plan or business continuity plan. A disaster recovery methodology should start at the business level and identify applications that are generally critical to carrying out the association’s activities.
• Operational Security: In order to protect sensitive data from a variety of threats, the process of allowing administrators to see activity from a hacker’s perspective is called operational security (OPSEC)n or procedural security.
• End User Education: End-user training is the most important component of computer security. End users are becoming the number one security threat to any organization because they can happen at any time. One of the major errors that lead to information corruption is human error. Associations must prepare their employees for cyber security.

For more details please refer to the article: Elements of Cybersecurity

3. Define DNS?

The Domain Name System (DNS) translates domain names into IP addresses that browsers use to load web pages. Every device connected to the Internet has its own IP address , which other devices use to identify it in simple language, we can say that DNS Defines the Service of the network.

To know more please refer to the article: Domain Name System (DNS) in Application Layer

4. What is a Firewall?

A firewall is a hardware or software-based network security device that monitors all incoming and outgoing traffic and accepts, denies, or drops that particular traffic based on a defined set of security rules.

Please refer to the article: Introduction of Firewall to know more about this topic.

5. What is a VPN?

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. A virtual private network (VPN) is a technology that creates a secure, encrypted connection over an insecure network like the Internet. A virtual private network is a method of extending a private network using a public network such as the Internet. The name only indicates that it is a virtual “private network”. A user may be part of a local area network at a remote location. Create a secure connection using a tunnelling protocol.

Please refer to the article: Virtual Private Network (VPN) to learn more about this topic.

6. What are the different sources of malware?

The different sources of malware are given below:

• Worms: A worm is basically a type of malicious malware that spreads rapidly from one computer to another via email and file sharing. Worms do not require host software or code to execute.
• Spyware: Spyware is basically a type of malicious malware that runs in the background of your computer, steals all your sensitive data, and reports this data to remote attackers.
• Ransomware: Ransomware is used as malware to extort money from users for ransom by gaining unauthorized access to sensitive user information and demanding payment to delete or return that information from the user.
• Virus: A virus is a type of malicious malware that comes as an attachment with a file or program. Viruses usually spread from one program to another program, and they will run only when the host file gets executed. The virus can only cause damage to the computer until the host file runs.
• Trojan: Trojans are malicious, non-replicating malware that often degrades computer performance and efficiency. Trojans have the ability to leak sensitive user information and modify and delete this data.
• Adware: Adware is another type of malware that tracks the usage of various types of programs and files on your computer and displays personalized ad recommendations based on your usage history.

Please refer to the article: Different Sources of Malware to learn more about this topic.

7. How does email work?

When a sender uses an e-mail program to send an e-mail, it is redirected to a simple e-mail transfer protocol. In this protocol, the recipient’s email address belongs to a different domain name or the same domain name as the sender (Gmail, Outlook, etc.). After that, the e-mail will be stored on the server, and later he will send it using the POP or IMAP protocol. Then, if the recipient has a different domain name address, the SMTP protocol communicates with the DNS (Domain Name Server) for the different addresses that the recipient uses. Then the sender’s SMTP  communicates with the receiver’s SMTP, and the receiver’s SMTP performs the communication. This way the email is delivered to the recipient’s SMTP. If certain network traffic issues prevent both the sender’s SMTP  and the recipient’s SMTP from communicating with each other, outgoing emails will be queued at the recipient’s SMTP and finally to be received by the recipient. Also, if a message stays in the queue for too long due to terrible circumstances, the message will be returned to the sender as undelivered.  

Please refer to the article: Working of Email to learn more about this topic.

8. What is the difference between active and passive cyber attacks?

• Active Cyber Attack: An active attack is a type of attack in which the attacker modifies or attempts to modify the content of the message. Active attacks are a threat to integrity and availability. Active attacks can constantly corrupt the system and modify system resources. Most importantly, if there is an active attack, the victim is notified of the attack.
• Passive Cyber Attack: A passive attack is a type of attack in which the attacker observes the message content or copies the message content. Passive attacks are a threat to confidentiality. Since it is a  passive attack, there is no damage to the system. Most importantly, when attacking passively, the victim is not notified of the attack.

Please refer to the article: Difference between Active Attack and Passive Attack to know more about it.

9. What is a social engineering attack?

Social engineering is the act of manipulating individuals to take actions that may or may not be in the best interests of the “target”. This may include obtaining information, obtaining access, or obtaining a goal to perform a particular action. It has the ability to manipulate and deceive people. A phone call accompanied by a survey or a quick internet search can bring up dates of birthdays and anniversaries and arm you with that information. This information is enough to create a password attack list.

Please refer to the article: Social Engineering to know more.

10. Who are black hat hackers and white hat hackers?

• White Hat Hacker: A white hat hacker is a certified or certified hacker who works for governments and organizations by conducting penetration tests and identifying cybersecurity gaps. It also guarantees protection from malicious cybercrime.
• Black Hat Hackers: They are often called crackers. Black hat hackers can gain unauthorized access to your system and destroy your important data. The attack method uses common hacking techniques learned earlier. They are considered criminals and are easy to identify because of their malicious behavior.

Please refer to the article: Types of Hackers to know more.

11. Define encryption and decryption?

Encryption is the process of transforming an ordinary message (plaintext) into a meaningless message (ciphertext). Decryption is the process of transforming a meaningless message (ciphertext) into its original form (plaintext). The main difference between covert writing and covert writing is that it converts the message into a cryptic format that cannot be deciphered unless the message is decrypted. Covert writing, on the other hand, is reconstructing the original message from the encrypted information.

Please refer to the article: Difference between Encryption and Decryption to know more.

12. What is the difference between plaintext and cleartext?

The plaintext is not encrypted at all and cannot be considered encrypted and Clear text is a text sent or stored that has not been encrypted and was not intended to be encrypted. So you don’t need to decrypt to see the plaintext. In its simplest form.

Please refer to the article: Encryption and Decryption to know more.

13. What is a block cipher?

Block Cipher Converts plaintext to ciphertext using one block of plaintext at a time. Use 64-bit or 64-bit or greater. The complexity of block ciphers is simple. The algorithm modes used in block ciphers are ECB (Electronic Code Book) and CBC (Cipher Block Chaining).

Please refer to the article: Difference between Block Cipher and Stream Cipher to know more.

14. What is the CIA triangle?

When it comes to network security, the CIA Triad is one of the most important models developed to guide information security policy within an organization.  CIA stands for: 

• Confidentiality 
• Integrity 
• availability

Please refer to the article: CIA Triad in Cryptography to know more.

15. What is the Three-way handshake?

TCP uses a three-way handshake to establish reliable connections. The connection is full-duplex, with synchronization (SYN) and acknowledgment (ACK) on both sides. The exchange of these four flags is done in three steps: SYN, SYN to ACK, and ACK.

Please refer to the article: TCP 3-Way Handshake to know more about it.

16. How can identity theft be prevented?

Steps to prevent identity theft:

• Use a strong password and don’t share her PIN with anyone on or off the phone. 
• Use two-factor notifications for email. Protect all your devices with one password.
• Do not install software from the Internet. Do not post confidential information on social media.
• When entering a password with a payment gateway, check its authenticity. 
• Limit the personal data you run. Get in the habit of changing your PIN and password regularly. 
• Do not give out your information over the phone.

Please refer to the article: Cyber Crime – Identity Theft to know more about it.

17. What are some common Hashing functions?

The hash function is a function that converts a specific numerical key or alphanumeric key into a small practical integer value. The mapped integer value is used as an index for hash tables. Simply put, a hash function maps any valid number or string to a small integer that can be used as an index into a hash table. The types of Hash functions are given below:

• Division Method.
• Mid Square Method.
• Folding Method.
• Multiplication Method.

Please refer to the article Hash Functions to know more about this topic.

18. What do you mean by two-factor authentication?

Two-factor authentication refers to using any two independent methods from a variety of authentication methods. Two-factor authentication is used to ensure users have access to secure systems and to enhance security. Two-factor authentication was first implemented for laptops due to the basic security needs of mobile computing. Two-factor authentication makes it more difficult for unauthorized users to use mobile devices to access secure data and systems.

Please refer to the article Two-factor Authentication to learn more about this topic.

19. What does XSS stand for? How can it be prevented?

Cross-site scripting (XSS) is a vulnerability in web applications that allows third parties to execute scripts on behalf of the web application in the user’s browser. Cross-site scripting is one of the most prevalent security vulnerabilities on the Internet today. Exploiting her XSS against users can have a variety of consequences, including Account compromise, account deletion, privilege escalation, malware infection, etc. Effective prevention of XSS vulnerabilities requires a combination of the following countermeasures: 

• Filter entrance on arrival. As user input comes in, filter expected or valid input as closely as possible. Encode the data on output. When user-controllable data is emitted in an HTTP response, encode the output so that it is not interpreted as active content. 
• Depending on the output context, it may be necessary to apply a combination of HTML, URL, JavaScript, and CSS encoding.  Use proper response headers. 
• To prevent XSS in HTTP responses that should not contain  HTML or JavaScript,  use the Content-Type and X-Content-Type-Options headers to force the browser to interpret the response as intended. Content Security Policy. As a last line of defence, a Content Security Policy (CSP) can be used to mitigate the severity of remaining XSS vulnerabilities.

Please refer to the article Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) to learn more about this topic.

20. What do you mean by Shoulder Surfing?

A shoulder surfing attack describes a situation in which an attacker can physically look at a device’s screen or keyboard and enter passwords to obtain personal information. Used to – access malware. Similar things can happen from nosy people, leading to an invasion of privacy.

Please refer to the article Shoulder Surfing to learn more about this topic.

21. What is the difference between hashing and encryption?

Please refer to the article Hashing and Encryption to learn more about this topic.

22. Differentiate between Information security and information assurance.

• Information Assurance: It can be described as the practice of protecting and managing risks associated with sensitive information throughout the process of data transmission, processing, and storage. Information assurance primarily focuses on protecting the integrity, availability, authenticity, non-repudiation, and confidentiality of data within a system. This includes physical technology as well as digital data protection.
• Information security: on the other hand, is the practice of protecting information by reducing information risk. The purpose is usually to reduce the possibility of unauthorized access or illegal use of the data. Also, destroy, detect, alter, examine, or record any Confidential Information. This includes taking steps to prevent such incidents. The main focus of information security is to provide balanced protection against cyber-attacks and hacking while maintaining data confidentiality, integrity, and availability.

Please refer to the article Information Assurance vs. Information Security to learn more about this topic.

23. Write a difference between HTTPS and SSL.

Please refer to the article SSL vs. HTTPS to learn more about this topic.

24. What do you mean by System Hardening?

The attack surface includes all flaws and vulnerabilities that a hacker could use to gain access to your system, such as default passwords, improperly configured firewalls, etc. The idea of ​​system hardening is to make a system more secure by reducing the attack surface present in the design of the system. System hardening is the process of reducing a system’s attack surface, thereby making it more robust and secure. This is an integral part of system security practices.

Please refer to the article System Hardening to learn more about this topic.

25. Differentiate between spear phishing and phishing.

• Phishing: This is a type of email attack in which an attacker fraudulently attempts to discover a user’s sensitive information through electronic communications, pretending to be from a relevant and trusted organization. The emails are carefully crafted by the attackers, targeted to specific groups, and clicking the links installs malicious code on your computer. 
• Spear phishing: Spear phishing is a type of email attack that targets specific individuals or organizations. In Spear, a phishing attacker tricks a target into clicking a malicious link and installing malicious code, allowing the attacker to obtain sensitive information from the target’s system or network.

Please refer to the article Phishing and Spear Phishing to learn more about this topic.

26. What do you mean by Perfect Forward Secrecy?

Perfect Forward Secrecy is a style of encryption that creates a temporary exchange of secret keys between the server and client. It is primarily used to call apps, websites, and messaging apps where user privacy is paramount. A new session key is generated each time the user performs an action. This keeps your data uncompromised and safe from attackers. This is separate from special keys. The basic idea behind  Perfect Forward Secrecy technology is to generate a new encryption key each time a user initiates a session. So, if only the encryption key is compromised, the conversation is leaked, and if the user’s unique key is compromised, the conversation will continue. Encryption keys generated by Perfect Forward Secrecy keep you safe from attackers. Essentially, it provides double protection from attackers.

Please refer to the article Perfect Forward Secrecy to learn more about this topic.

27. How to prevent MITM?

• Strong WEP/WAP Encryption on Access Points
• Strong Router Login Credentials Strong Router Login Credentials
• Use Virtual Private Network.

Please refer to the article How to Prevent Man In the Middle Attack? to learn more about this topic.

28. What is ransomware?

Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts data to make it inaccessible to computer users. Cybercriminals use it to extort money from the individuals and organizations that hacked the data and hold the data hostage until a ransom is paid.

Please refer to the article: Ransomware to know more about this.

29. What is Public Key Infrastructure?

A Public Key Infrastructure, or PKI, is the governing authority behind the issuance of digital certificates. Protect sensitive data and give users and systems unique identities. Therefore, communication security is ensured. The public key infrastructure uses keys in public-private key pairs to provide security. Public keys are vulnerable to attacks, so maintaining public keys requires a healthy infrastructure.

Please refer to the article: Public Key Infrastructure to know more.

30. What is Spoofing?

Spoofing is a type of attack on computing devices in which an attacker attempts to steal the identity of a legitimate user and pretend to be someone else. This type of attack is performed to compromise system security or steal user information.

Types of Spoofing:

• IP Spoofing: IP is a network protocol that allows messages to be sent and received over the Internet. Her IP address of the sender is included in the message header of all emails sent to her messages (sender address).
• ARP Spoofing: ARP spoofing is a hacking technique that redirects network traffic to hackers . Spying on LAN addresses in both wired and wireless LAN networks is called ARP spoofing.
• Email Spoofing : Email spoofing is the most common form of identity theft on the Internet. Phishers use official logos and headers to send emails to many addresses impersonating bank, corporate, and law enforcement officials.

Please refer to the article: What is Spoofing? to know more.

31. What are the steps involved in hacking a server or network?

The following steps must be ensured in order to hack any server or network:

• Access your web server.  
• Use anonymous FTP to access this network to gather more information and scan ports.
• Pay attention to file sizes, open ports, and processes running on your system.  
• Run a few simple commands on your web server like “clear cache” or “delete all files” to highlight the data stored by the server behind these programs. This helps in obtaining more sensitive information that can be used in application-specific exploits.
• Connect to other sites on the same network, such as Facebook and Twitter, so that you can check the deleted data. Access the server using the conversion channel.
• Access internal network resources and data to gather more information. 
• Use Metasploit to gain remote access to these resources.

To know more about this topic please refer to the article: How to Hack a Web Server?

32. What are the various sniffing tools?

Lists of some main Networking Sniffing Tools:

• SolarWinds Network Packet Sniffer
• Paessler PRTG
• ManageEngine NetFlow Analyzer
• NetworkMiner

Please refer to the article: Sniffing Tools to learn more about sniffing tools in ethical hacking.

33. What is SQL injection?

SQL injection is a technique used to exploit user data through web page input by injecting SQL commands as statements. Essentially, these instructions can be used by a malicious user to manipulate her web server for your application. SQL injection is a code injection technique that can corrupt your database. Preventing SQL Injection is given below:

• Validation of user input by pre-defining user input length, type, input fields, and authentication.
• Restrict user access and determine how much data outsiders can access from your database. Basically, you shouldn’t give users permission to access everything in your database.
• Do not use system administrator accounts.

To know more about this topic, Please read the article: SQL Injection

34. What is a Distributed Denial of Service attack (DDoS)?

A denial of service (DoS) is a cyber attack against an individual computer or website aimed at denying service to intended users. Its purpose is to interfere with the organization’s network operations by denying her access. Denial of service is usually achieved by flooding the target machine or resource with excessive requests, overloading the system, and preventing some or all legitimate requests from being satisfied.

Please refer to the article: Denial of Service and Prevention to know more.

35. How to avoid ARP poisoning?

Following are the five ways of avoiding ARP Poisoning attacks:

• Static ARP Tables: If you can verify the correct mapping of MAC addresses to IP addresses, half the problem is solved. This is doable but very costly to administer. ARP tables to record all associations and each network change are manually updated in these tables. Currently, it is not practical for an organization to manually update its ARP table on every host.
• Switch Security: Most Ethernet switches have features that help mitigate ARP poisoning attacks. Also known as Dynamic ARP Inspection (DAI), these features help validate ARP messages and drop packets that indicate any kind of malicious activity.
• Physical Security: A very simple way to mitigate ARP poisoning attacks is to control the physical space of your organization. ARP messages are only routed within the local network. Therefore, an attacker may have physical proximity to the victim’s network.
• Network Isolation: A well-segmented network is better than a regular network because ARP messages have a range no wider than the local subnet. That way,  if an attack were to occur, only parts of the network would be affected and other parts would be safe. Attacks on one subnet do not affect devices on other subnets.
• Encryption: Encryption does not help prevent ARP poisoning, but it does help reduce the damage that could be done if an attack were to occur. Credentials are stolen from the network, similar to the MiTM attack.

Please refer to the article: How to Avoid ARP Poisoning? to know more.

36. What is a proxy firewall?

The proxy firewall monitors application-level information using a firewall proxy server. A proxy firewall server creates and runs a process on the firewall that mirrors the services as if they were running on the end host.  The application layer has several protocols such as HTTP (a protocol for sending and receiving web pages) and SMTP (a protocol for e-mail messages on the Internet). A proxy server like Web Proxy Server is like a process that mirrors the behavior of the HTTP service. Similarly, the FTP proxy server reflects how his FTP service works.

Please refer to the article: What is a Proxy Firewall? to know more.

37.  Explain SSL Encryption.

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) provides security for data transferred between web browsers and servers. SSL encrypts the connection between your web server and your browser, keeping all data sent between them private and immune to attack. Secure Socket Layer Protocols: SSL recording protocol.

Please refer to the article: Secure Socket Layer to know more about it.

38. What do you mean by penetration testing?

Penetration testing is done to find vulnerabilities, malicious content, flaws, and risks. It’s done to make the organization’s security system defend the IT infrastructure. It is an official procedure that can be deemed helpful and not a harmful attempt. It is part of an ethical hacking process that specifically focuses only on penetrating the information system.

Please refer to the article Penetration Testing to learn more about this topic.

39. What are the risks associated with public Wi-Fi?

•  Malware, Viruses, and Worms.
•  Rogue Networks. 
•  Unencrypted Connections
•  Network Snooping. 
•  Log-in Credential Vulnerability. 
•  System Update Alerts.
•  Session Hijacking.

Please refer to the article Risks Associated with Public Wi-Fi to learn more about this topic.

40. Explain the main difference between Diffie-Hellman and RSA.

• Diffie-Hellman (DH) algorithm: It is a key exchange protocol that allows two parties to communicate over a public channel and establish a shared secret without sending it over the Internet. DH allows two people to use their public key to encrypt and decrypt conversations or data using symmetric cryptography.
• RSA : It is a type of asymmetric encryption that uses two different linked keys. RSA encryption allows messages to be encrypted with both public and private keys. The opposite key used to encrypt the message is used to decrypt the message.

Please refer to the article to learn more about this topic.

41. Give some examples of asymmetric encryption algorithms.

Asymmetric key cryptography is based on public and private key cryptography. It uses two different keys to encrypt and decrypt messages. More secure than symmetric key cryptography, but much slower.

• You need two keys, a public key, and a private key. One for encryption and one for decryption. 
• The ciphertext size is equal to or larger than the original plaintext. 
• Slow encryption process. 
• Used to transfer small amounts of data. 
• Provides confidentiality, authenticity, and non-repudiation.

Please refer to the article Symmetric and Asymmetric Key Encryption to learn more about this topic.

42. Explain social engineering and its attacks.

Social engineering is a  hacking technique based on forging someone’s identity and using socialization skills to obtain details. There are techniques that combine psychological and marketing skills to influence targeted victims and manipulate them into obtaining sensitive information. The types of social engineering attacks are given below:

• Impersonation: This is a smart choice for attackers. This method impersonates organizations, police, banks, and tax authorities. Then they steal money or anything they want from the victim. And the same goes for organizations that obtain information about victims legally through other means. 
• Phishing: Phishing is like impersonating a well-known website such as Facebook and creating a fake girlfriend website to trick users into providing account credentials and personal information. Most phishing attacks are carried out through social media such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
• Vishing: Technically speaking, this is called “voice phishing”. In this phishing technique, attackers use their voice and speaking skills to trick users into providing personal information. In general, this is most often done by organizations to capture financial and customer data.
• Smithing: Smithing is a method of carrying out attacks, generally through messages. In this method, attackers use their fear and interest in a particular topic to reach out to victims through messages. These topics are linked to further the phishing process and obtaining sensitive information about the target.

Please refer to the article Social Engineering: The Attack on Human Brain and Trust to learn more about this topic.

43. State the difference between a virus and worm.

• Worms: Worms are similar to viruses, but do not modify the program. It replicates more and more to slow down your computer system. The worm can be controlled with a remote control. The main purpose of worms is to eat up system resources. The 2000 WannaCry ransomware worm exploits the resource-sharing protocol Windows Server Message Block (SMBv1).
• Virus: A virus is malicious executable code attached to another executable file that can be harmless or modify or delete data. When a computer program runs with a virus, it performs actions such as B. Delete the file from your computer system. Viruses cannot be controlled remotely. The ILOVEYOU virus spreads through email attachments.

Please refer to the article Difference between Worms and Virus to know more about this topic.

44. Explain the concept of session hijacking.

Session hijacking is a security attack on user sessions over a protected network. The most common method of session hijacking is called IP spoofing, where an attacker uses source-routed IP packets to inject commands into the active communication between two nodes on a network, allowing an authenticated impersonation of one of the users. This type of attack is possible because authentication usually only happens at the beginning of a TCP session. The types of session hijacking are given below:

• Packet Sniffing
• CSRF (Cross-site Request Forgery)
• Cross-site Scripting
• IP spoofing

Please refer to the article Session Hijacking to learn more about this topic.

45. Explain the honeypot and its types.

A honeypot is a networked system that acts as a trap for cyber attackers to detect and investigate hacker tactics and types of attacks. Acting as a potential target on the Internet, it notifies defenders of unauthorized access to information systems. Honeypots are classified based on their deployment and intruder involvement. Based on usage, honeypots are classified as follows: 

• Research honeypots: Used by researchers to analyze hacking attacks and find different ways to prevent them. 
• Production Honeypots: Production honeypots are deployed with servers on the production network. These honeypots act as a front-end trap for attackers composed of false information, giving administrators time to fix all vulnerabilities in real systems.

Please refer to the article What is Honeypot? to know more about this topic.

46. What do you mean by a Null Session?

Null session attacks have existed since Windows 2000 was widely used. However, system administrators do not consider this type of attack when implementing network security measures. This can have unimaginable consequences, as this type of attack allows hackers to obtain all the information they need to access your system remotely. This type of attack is more difficult to execute if the customer is using a newer version of the operating system, but Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 are still the most common. 

Please refer to the article Null Session to learn more about this topic.

47. What is IP blocklisting?

IP blacklisting is a method used to block unauthorized or malicious IP addresses from accessing your network. A blacklist is a list of ranges or individual IP addresses to block.

Please refer to the article What is IP blocklisting? to know more about this topic.

48. What are Polymorphic viruses?

“Poly” refers to many and “morphic” refers to the shape. Thus, polymorphic viruses, as the name suggests, are complex computer viruses that change shape as they spread in order to avoid detection by antivirus programs. This is a self-encrypting virus that combines a mutation engine with a self-propagating code. A polymorphic virus consists of:

• Encrypted virus body mutation engine that generates random decryption routines.
• A polymorphic virus has its mutation engine and virus body encrypted. When an infected program is run, a virus decryption routine takes control of the computer and decrypts the virus body and mutation engine.
• Control is then passed to the virus to detect new programs to infect. Since the body of the virus is encrypted and the decryption routine varies from infection to infection, virus scanners cannot look for a fixed signature or fixed decryption routine, making detection more difficult.

Please refer to the article Polymorphic Viruses to learn more about this topic.

49. What is a Botnet?

A botnet (short for “robot network”) is a network of malware-infected computers under the control of a single attacker known as a “bot herder”. An individual machine under the control of a bot herder is called a bot.

Please refer to the article Botnet in Computer Networks to learn more about this topic.

50. What is an Eavesdropping Attack?

Eavesdropping occurs when a hacker intercepts, deletes or modifies data sent between two devices. Eavesdropping, also known as sniffing or snooping, relies on unsecured network communications to access data sent between devices.

Please refer to the article Eavesdropping Attack to learn more about this topic.

51. What is the man-in-the-middle attack?

This is a type of cyber attack in which the attacker stays between the two to carry out their mission. The type of function it can perform is to modify the communication between two parties so that both parties feel like they are communicating over a secure network.

Please refer to the article: Man In the Middle Attack to learn more about this topic.

52. What is a traceroute? Why is it used?

Traceroute is a widely used command line tool available on almost all operating systems. A complete route to the destination address is displayed. It also shows the time  (or delay) between intermediate routers.

Uses of traceroute: 

• It enables us to locate where the data was unable to be sent along
• Traceroute helps provide a map of data on the internet from  source to  destination
• It works by sending ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) packets.
• You can do a visual traceroute to get a visual representation of each hop.

Please refer to the article: Traceroute in Network Layer to know more about it.

53. What is the difference between HIDS and NIDS?

• HIDS: This intrusion detection system sees the host itself as a whole world. It can be a computer (PC) or a server that can act as a standalone system and analyze and monitor its own internals. It works by looking at the files/data coming in and out of the host you’re working on. It works by taking existing file system snapshots from a previously taken file system and comparing them to each other. If they are the same, it means the host is safe and not under attack, but a change could indicate a potential attack.
• NIDS: This system is responsible for installation points across the network and can operate in mixed and hybrid environments. Alerts are triggered when something malicious or anomalous is detected in your network, cloud, or other mixed environments.

Please refer to the article:   Difference between HIDs and NIDs to know more about it.

54. What is the difference between VA (Vulnerability Assessment) and PT (Penetration Testing)?

• Penetration testing: This is performed to find vulnerabilities, malicious content, bugs, and risks. Used to set up an organization’s security system to protect its IT infrastructure. Penetration testing is also known as penetration testing. This is an official procedure that can be considered helpful, not a harmful attempt. This is part of an ethical hacking process that focuses solely on breaking into information systems.
• Vulnerability assessment: It is the technique of finding and measuring (scanning) security vulnerabilities in a particular environment. This is a location-comprehensive evaluation (result analysis) of information security. It is used to identify potential vulnerabilities and provide appropriate mitigations to eliminate them or reduce them below the risk level.

Please refer to the article: Differences between Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Assessments to know more.

55. What is RSA?

The RSA algorithm is an asymmetric encryption algorithm. Asymmetric means that it actually works with two different keys. H. Public and Private Keys. As the name suggests, the public key is shared with everyone and the private key remains secret.

Please refer to the article: RSA Algorithm in Cryptography to know more.

56. What is the Blowfish algorithm?

Blowfish is an encryption technique developed by Bruce Schneier in 1993 as an alternative to the DES encryption technique. It is considerably faster than DES and provides excellent encryption speed even though no effective cryptanalysis techniques have been discovered so far. It was one of the first secure block ciphers to be patent-free and therefore freely available to everyone. 

• Block size: 64 bits 
• keys:  variable size from 32-bit to 448-bit 
• Number of subkeys: 18 [P array] 
• Number of rounds: 16 
• Number of replacement boxes: 4 [each with 512 entries of 32 bits]

Please refer to the article: Blowfish Algorithm to know more.

57. What is the difference between a vulnerability and an exploit?

• Vulnerability: A vulnerability is an error in the design or implementation of a system that can be exploited to cause unexpected or undesirable behaviour. There are many ways a computer can become vulnerable to security threats. A common vulnerability is for attackers to exploit system security vulnerabilities to gain access to systems without proper authentication.
• Exploit: Exploits are tools that can be used to exploit vulnerabilities. They are created using vulnerabilities. Exploits are often patched by software vendors as soon as they are released. They take the form of software or code that helps control computers and steal network data.

Please refer to the article: Difference Between Vulnerability and Exploit to know more about it.

58.  What do you understand by Risk, Vulnerability and threat in a network?

• Cyber threats are malicious acts aimed at stealing or corrupting data or destroying digital networks and systems. A threat can also be defined as the possibility of a successful cyberattack to gain unethical access to sensitive data on a system.
• Vulnerabilities in cybersecurity are deficiencies in system designs, security procedures, internal controls, etc. that can be exploited by cybercriminals. In very rare cases, cyber vulnerabilities are the result of cyberattacks rather than network misconfigurations.
• Cyber ​​risk is the potential result of loss or damage to assets or data caused by cyber threats. You can’t eliminate risk completely, but you can manage it to a level that meets your organization’s risk tolerance. Therefore, our goal is not to build a system without risk but to keep the risk as low as possible.

Please refer to the article: Difference Between Threat, Vulnerability and Risk in Computer Networks to know more.

59. Explain Phishing and how to prevent it.

Phishing is a type of cyber attack. The name phishing comes from the word ‘phish’, which means fish. Placing bait to catch fish is a common phenomenon. Phishing works similarly. Tricking users or victims into clicking on malicious websites is an unethical practice.

Here’s how to protect your users from phishing attacks. 

• Download software only from authorized sources
•  Do not share personal information on unknown links. 
• Always check website URLs to prevent such attacks.
• If you receive an email from a known source, but the email seems suspicious,  contact the sender with a new email instead of using the reply option.
• Avoid posting personal information such as phone numbers, addresses, etc. on social media.
• Monitor compromised websites with malicious content using phishing detection tools. Try to avoid free Wi-Fi.

Please refer to the article Phishing to know more about this topic.

60. What do you mean by Forward Secrecy and how does it work?

Forward secrecy is a feature of some key agreement protocols that guarantees that the session keys will remain secure even if the server’s private key is compromised. Perfect forward secrecy, also known as PFS, is the term used to describe this. The “Diffie-Hellman key exchange” algorithm is employed to achieve this.

In summary, today, implementing effective cybersecurity measures is especially challenging due to the increasing number of devices relative to humans and the constant innovation by attackers. Therefore, cybersecurity professionals must employ various tools and techniques, including encryption, firewalls, antivirus software, anti-phishing measures, and vulnerability assessments, to proactively safeguard against and respond to cyber threats. As a result, the demand for cybersecurity professionals is expected to remain high in the future. 

Wondering about the salary of a cyber security analyst? Take a look at our specialized article on Average Cyber Security Salary .

Frequently Asked Cyber Security Interview Questions

1. what is cryptography.

Cryptography is the practice of securing information and communications by transforming them into a form that cannot be easily understood by unauthorized parties. This can be done by using encryption algorithms to scramble the data, making it unreadable without the decryption key. Cryptography is used in a wide variety of applications, including secure communication, data storage, and digital signatures.

2. What is a traceroute? Mention its uses.

A traceroute is a diagnostic tool used to track the path that packets take from a source to a destination on the internet. It does this by sending packets with increasing time-to-live (TTL) values and recording the IP addresses of the routers that the packets pass through. Traceroute can be used to identify the location of network bottlenecks, troubleshoot connectivity problems, and map the topology of an internet network. Uses of traceroute: To identify the path that a packet takes from a source to a destination. To troubleshoot connectivity problems. To map the topology of an internet network. To identify the location of network bottlenecks. To test the performance of a network. To investigate denial-of-service attacks.

3. Define firewall, and why is it used?

A firewall is a network security device that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic. Firewalls can be used to block unauthorized access to a network, prevent malware from spreading, and protect sensitive data. There are two main types of firewalls: Packet-filtering firewalls: These firewalls examine the headers of network packets to determine whether they should be allowed to pass through. Application-level firewalls: These firewalls examine the content of network packets to determine whether they should be allowed to pass through.

4. Why is a firewall used?

Firewalls are used to protect networks from a variety of threats, including: Unauthorized access: Firewalls can block unauthorized users from accessing a network. Malware: Firewalls can prevent malware from spreading from one computer to another. Denial-of-service attacks: Firewalls can help to protect networks from denial-of-service attacks, which are attacks that attempt to overwhelm a network with traffic. Data leaks: Firewalls can help to protect sensitive data from being leaked from a network.

5. What is a three-way handshake?

A three-way handshake is a networking term for the process of establishing a connection between two hosts on a network. The three-way handshake is used in the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), which is a reliable connection-oriented protocol. The three-way handshake consists of the following steps: The client sends a SYN packet to the server. The server sends a SYN-ACK packet to the client. The client sends an ACK packet to the server. Once the three-way handshake is complete, the two hosts have established a connection and can begin exchanging data.

6. What is a response code?

A response code is a three-digit number that is used to indicate the status of an HTTP request. Response codes are sent by web servers in response to requests from web browsers. The first digit of the response code indicates the class of response. The second and third digits indicate the specific status code. Here are some of the most common response codes: 200 OK: The request was successful. 400 Bad Request: The request was malformed. 401 Unauthorized: The request requires authentication. 403 Forbidden: The request is not allowed. 404 Not Found: The requested resource could not be found. 500 Internal Server Error: An error occurred on the server. 503 Service Unavailable: The server is temporarily unavailable

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• Career Development

50+ Cyber Security Interview Questions and Answers [2024]

Cyber security has been a consistently growing field in the tech space as cyber-attacks become more sophisticated and frequent. Cyber security professionals help organizations protect their company data and systems, including hardware and software. 

Interested in a budding career as an information security analyst, or maybe even a cyber security director? We’ve rounded up the top cyber security interview questions you’re most likely to hear in 2024, including for beginner, intermediate, and advanced professionals. 

• Cyber Security Interview Questions and Answers for Beginners and Experienced Professionals

Let’s start with the basics in our first section of information security interview questions:

Basic Cyber Security Interview Questions for Freshers

1. what is cryptography.

Cryptography assures secure communication even with malicious outside actors or adversaries. An algorithm and a key are used in encryption. The key converts plaintext from input into an encrypted output (i.e., cipher text). The same plaintext will always be converted into the same ciphertext if the same key is used, according to a particular algorithm.

2. How do IDS and IPS differ from one another?

The administrator must stop incursion once the IDS, or intrusion detection system , discovers them. Contrarily, in an IPS ( intrusion prevention system ), the system not only detects the intrusion but also addresses it. 

3. How is encryption different from hashing?

Hashing and encryption change one type of data into another. Encrypted data can be decrypted and converted to the original, while hashed data cannot be reconverted. 

4. Why do organizations use firewalls? What does it do?

A firewall is a type of network security device installed on a system or network perimeter. It monitors and manages network traffic. Cyber security professionals use firewalls to safeguard systems and networks from malware, worms, and other threats. They also allow you to block content filtering and remote access.

5. Describe the three-way handshake.

A three-way handshake is a procedure used in a TCP/IP network to establish a client-host connection and exchange packets. Here’s the three-step procedure: 

• The client sends an SYN (synchronization) to check for available ports and whether the server is online.
• If the client has open ports, the server will send an SYN-ACK message.
• The client acknowledges the message and returns an ACK(Acknowledgment) packet to the server.

6. Describe traceroute. Why is it employed?

A traceroute displays a packet’s path. It lists every location the packet passes through, primarily routers, especially when a packet doesn't get to its destination. Finally, traceroute helps you determine where the connection drops or breaks.

7. What distinguishes HIDS and NIDS from one another?

Both HIDS (Host IDS) and NIDS (Network IDS) are intrusion detection systems that find intrusions. Programmers employ the HIDS on a specific host or device — the only distinction. It keeps an eye on a device’s suspicious system activity and traffic. However, NIDS is configured on a network. It keeps track of every network device’s traffic.

8. What are the possible response codes for a web application?

Here are some possible response codes for a web application:

• Informational responses
• Server-side error
• Redirection
• Client-side error

9. What is the CIA triad?

CIA stands for Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability. Businesses often use CIA models to direct information security policy. 

• Confidentiality

Only authorized personnel should be able to access and view the material. Strong encryption protects the data so that even if a hacker obtains it, they won’t be able to comprehend it. 

Integrity guarantees that unauthorized individuals cannot corrupt or modify data. 

• Availability

The data must be available to the user whenever they need it. Availability is crucial to address network bottlenecks, regular upgrades, data backups and recovery, and device maintenance.

10. What distinguishes penetration testing (PT) from vulnerability assessment (VA)?

Vulnerability assessment is a process for finding target faults . In this case, the organization is aware that its systems or networks have defects or weaknesses, and they want to identify these flaws and prioritize them. 

Meanwhile, penetration testing is a process for finding vulnerabilities . In this scenario, the firm would have installed all security precautions they could think of and would wish to investigate any more vulnerabilities in their network or system.

11. What procedures are involved in installing a firewall?

Here are the steps to install a firewall:

• Username/password: Change a firewall device's default password
• Remote administration: Turn off the remote administration feature.
• Port forwarding: Set up the proper port forwarding to ensure applications like a web or FTP server function properly.
• DHCP server: Disable the firewall’s DHCP server to ensure no conflict. 
• Logging: Enable logging and learn how to view logs to fix firewall problems or potential assaults.
• Security policies: Establish strong, enforceable security policies for your firewall.

12. How does the SSL protocol guarantee network security?

The SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) authenticates the sender and establishes secure connections between the browser and web server. Still, it does not offer security once the data has been sent to the server. That’s why server-side encryption and hashing are necessary to guard against data breaches. 

Here’s the general procedure for establishing an SSL connection:

• A browser tries to establish a connection with an SSL-secured web server.
• A copy of the browser's SSL certificate is sent to the browser.
• The browser verifies the SSL certificate's trustworthiness. If it is reliable, the browser notifies the web server that it wants to create an encrypted connection.
• The web server transmits an acknowledgment to create an SSL-encrypted connection.
• The web server and browser communicate using SSL encryption.

Suggested Course

Cyber Security: From Beginner to Expert (2024)

13. How can you secure a server?

Secure servers encrypt and decode data using the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol to prevent unauthorized access to it.

Here are four fast ways to safeguard a server:

• Step 1: Make sure your root and administrator account passwords are safe.
• Step 2: Create new users to manage the system. 
• Step 3: Ensure the root and administrator accounts cannot access the internet by default.
• Step 4: Configure your firewall rules for remote access.

14. What do you know about data leakage?

Data leakage is a purposeful or unintentional transmission of data (private information from within the company to an unapproved outside location (unauthorized party). 

Based on how it occurs, we can split data leakage into three categories:

• Accidental Breach: When an organization accidentally sends information to a third party due to a mistake or error.
• Intentional Breach: When an authorized entity sends data to an unauthorized party on purpose.
• System hack: A hacker accesses private data. 

You can stop data leakage with DLP (Data Leakage Prevention) tools, software, and techniques.

15. What is a brute force attack? What can you do to stop it?

Brute force is a method for accessing credentials by trial and error — continually attempting all possible combinations of credentials until you hit the right one. Here’s how you can avoid brute force attacks:

• Maximum Length Password: Specify the maximum length of a password, so it becomes harder to find the right combination.
• Password Complexity: Requiring many character types in the password makes brute force attacks more difficult. You might establish requirements for special characters, upper- and lower-case letters, and numbers.
• Limiting Login Attempts: Establish a cap on failed login attempts, which makes it impossible to try all possible password combinations.

16. Why do ports get scanned?

Port scanning is a technique to determine a host’s available and open ports. Hackers use it to exploit vulnerabilities, while administrators use it to check the network's security procedures. 

Common methods for port scanning include:

• TCP Half-Open
• TCP Connect
• Stealth Scanning

17. What are the OSI model layers?

The OSI model serves as a standard for how applications communicate with one another over a network. An OSI reference serves as a roadmap for suppliers and developers to ensure digital communication hardware and software interoperability.

The OSI layers are as follows:

• Physical layer: Digital data transmission from sender to receiver via a communication medium. 
• Data Link Layer: Encodes and decodes data bits and controls data transfer to and from the physical link. 
• Network Layer: Forwards packets and offers routing channels for network communication.
• Transport Layer: Ensures end-to-end network connection by dividing the data from the layer above, sending it to the network layer, and verifying the recipient received all the data. 
• Session Layer: Establishes and manages a session-layer connection between the sender and the recipient. In addition to starting, halting, and controlling the session, it is responsible for establishing, maintaining, and synchronizing contact between the sender and the receiver.
• Presentation Layer: Displays the data in a suitable manner and structure.
• Application Layer: Interface between the network and the application, emphasizing process communication on a communication interface.

Intermediate Cyber Security Questions and Answers

18. what is a vpn.

The majority of cybersecurity interview questions will include this one. VPN stands for virtual private network, which creates a safe, encrypted connection. A VPN enables the client's data to be forwarded to a tunnel location for encryption before delivery to another location. The data has now been transmitted to the server after being decrypted.

19. What does it mean for a network to have risk, vulnerability, and threat?

• Threat: Someone who poses a threat to a system or an organization
• Vulnerability: A flaw in a system that a potential hacker could use
• Risk: Possibility of damage or loss if a threat takes advantage of a weakness.

20. What do "white hat," "black hat," and "gray hat" hackers mean?

• Black-hat hackers are renowned for having an extensive understanding of entering computer networks. They can create malware that allows users to access these systems. These kinds of hackers abuse their abilities to steal data.
• White-hat hackers are ethical hackers since they employ their skills for good reasons. Businesses frequently employ them as security specialists who look for and close security gaps and vulnerabilities in their systems.
• White-hat and black-hat hackers combinedly form gray-hat hackers, who search for vulnerabilities without the owner's consent. They notify the owner if they discover any weaknesses. In contrast to black-hat hackers, they don't use the vulnerabilities discovered.

21. Describe the distinction between a cryptographer and a crypter.

A cryptographer plans or analyzes any aspect of encryption. 

On the other hand, a crypter deliberately disguises malware as something else, such as a useful program, to propagate it unnoticed.

22. What are a few important applications of cryptography in contemporary society?

There are several advantages to using cryptography, like: 

• Chip-based installment cards
• PC and different passwords
• Internet business
• Guard interchanges
• Computerized currencies
• Planning conventions
• Information credibility

23. What are the main threats to any information or data that requires cryptography?

There are a lot of risks, and you could not be aware of them. As for the advancement of innovation, the knock-on effects of the same have also been enhanced everywhere. Programmers have access to information, and any leaked sensitive information can cause problems for a company, an administration, or a financial institution, as well as for a single person. The association may be in jeopardy if private data is compromised. 

24. How would you describe secret key and public key cryptography? What distinguishes them from one another?

Both secret and public key cryptography contribute to information security by performing encryption calculations. Secret key cryptography can encode and decode the two encryptions. 

However, public key cryptography effectively employs a symmetric methodology. This system uses two keys, one of which is effectively the public key, making the data accessible to any client. The key is secure and can only be obtained by the director.

25. When is a cryptographic shrinking generator required?

You can use a cryptographic shrinking generator when there needs immediate cooperation on the outcomes of linear feedback shift registers. It has excellent securing qualities and is generally adaptive, making it a good technique for handling trust. You can also use it to research data collection methods.

26. What distinguishes encryption from decryption?

Encryption converts plain text into ciphertext, while decryption converts ciphertext into plain text. 

27. What is SSH?

SSH (Secure Shell) is the less complex and expensive network connection that hardware-based VPN solutions offer. 

With SSH, we may access a variety of TCP/IP apps remotely and securely through a secure tunnel and benefit from secure command-shell and file transfer functionality. It offers additional advantages like pre-encryption compression, which may significantly reduce data encryption computational costs, and host authentication and data encryption & integrity.

28. What are ports?

Ports are an abstraction that allows programs to communicate via different protocols. We use them with transportation layer protocols like TCP, UDP, and SMTP. 

Different services are given a port number. For instance, HTTP uses TCP and UDP port 80. A pair of systems opens many sockets using the same transport protocol by employing port numbers.

29. What is an IP address?

An IP address is a specific identifier for a computer or device connected to the internet or a local network. "Internet Protocol" (abbreviated as IP) is a set of guidelines that control the format of data supplied across a local or public network. A series of digits separated by dots forms an IP address. Each IP address block is shown as a four-digit permutation, such as 192.158.1.38. 

The range of possible values for any integer in the set is 0 to 255. The entire IP addressing range is therefore 0.0.0.0 to 255.255.255.255. Each device is given an IP address by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA), a division of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

30. How is a static IP address different from a dynamic IP address?

Dynamic IP address

Your ISP permits you to use a dynamic IP address on a temporary basis. A dynamic address may be assigned to another device if it is not already in use. IP addresses are assigned dynamically via DHCP or PPPoE.

Static IP address

Static IP addresses remain constant over time. If you have a web server, FTP server, or other internet resources requiring a set address that shouldn't change, you can obtain a static IP address. An manually configured static IP address is required.

31. What is IPv6?

In the Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6) addressing model, a 128-bit alphanumeric string known as an IPv6 address identifies an endpoint device. 

An IPv6 address is really made up of eight 16-bit groups, totaling 128 bits in length. Each group has four hexadecimal digits that serve as its representation, and colons are used to separate groups.

The IPv6 standard was created to connect not only an expanding number of computing devices but also an expanding number of items with embedded connections.

In a scenario of the Internet of Things (IoT), inanimate objects, living things, and people all have the ability to independently exchange data via a network without the requirement for human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.

32. What is a botnet?

A botnet is a collection of computers infected with malware, and controlled by an attacker to carry out some background tasks to attack a specific target. For instance, the attacker might use all of the infected computers to speed up a dictionary attack on another system.

33. What is CSRF?

CSRF stands for cross-site request forgery attack, where a victim is tricked into carrying out the attacker's instructions. Depending on the victim's degree of permission, the attack's effect will vary. Such attacks profit from the fact that when a user's identity has been verified, a website automatically trusts them. 

A CSRF requires two basic steps for execution: 

First, the hacker dupes the target into opening a page or clicking on a link. Typically, social engineering and fraudulent links are used to do this. Next, the victim's browser makes an artificially convincing request to the website.

34. What is 2FA?

2FA stands for “two-factor identification.” It’s the second security layer that ensures anyone attempting to log into an online account is who they claim to be. First, the user must provide their username and password. 

Then, they must offer another piece of information, usually a code sent through email or another device. 

35. What is cross-site-scripting?

Cross-site scripting ( XSS ) is an injection where an attacker inserts script (typically Javascript ) onto a page, and it essentially functions as if the administrators had created it themselves. 

A hacker can have total power to change the display, tweak the browser, or even steal your session cookie and sign in as an administrator with XSS.

36. What is network sniffing?

Network sniffing intercepts data packets sent over a network. 

37. Describe the salting procedure and its purpose.

Salting employs special characters to lengthen and protect passwords. Additionally, it stops attackers from scanning the system for recognized words.

38. Describe the weaknesses in network security.

Vulnerabilities are the weak spot in software code that a threat actor could attack. They are most frequently discovered in SaaS.

39. What do you understand about the term forward secrecy? 

Forward secrecy is an attribute of key agreement protocols, which assures that even if the server’s private keys are exposed, sessions will not be exposed. It is also referred to as the perfect forward secrecy. 

40. What is penetration testing?

Penetration testing assesses and enhances an organization’s security system, network, or data center. Ethical hackers will seek out vulnerabilities and attempt to penetrate the system to improve security standards. 

41. How can user authentication be made to be more secure?

You can make user identification more secure by requiring an ID and Key, as well as 2FA. 

42. What is a worm?

A worm is a type of malware that spreads from computer to computer.

43. What dangers come with using public Wi-Fi?

Public Wi-Fi security is a serious concern. Wi-Fi assaults might include snooping, war-driving, brute-force attacks, and more. Public Wi-Fi may identify data transported across a network device, such as emails, browser history, passwords, and credit card information.

44. What is the definition of remote desktop connection?

You can take complete control of another computer using a remote desktop connection. 

45. What is a buffer overflow attack?

A buffer overflow attack is a process that tries to write extra data to a fixed-length memory block.

46. What is spyware?

Spyware is software intended to remain undetected while tracking and recording your online activities and reporting that activity to remote control. Spyware can be either software or hardware, and it's frequently installed as Trojan malware that impersonates another program. As hardware, it could take the form of a keylogger-like device connected to a computer or network that records data flow, online movements, or user names and passwords.

47. What is a computer virus?

A computer virus is malicious software that infects and takes control of computers. You should be cautious while opening attachments and clicking on links in unsolicited messages to avoid computer viruses. Trojan horses, overwrite viruses, and web scripting viruses are a few computer virus examples. 

48. What is CryptoAPI?

CryptoAPI helps developers build projects on a secure network.

49. What is ethical hacking?

Ethical hacking identifies system or program vulnerabilities to prepare for cyber-attacks. 

50. What are some popular hacking tools?

Some popular hacking tools include: 

• Angry IP scanner

If you need to recollect cyber security’s basic and advanced concepts, review these comprehensive cyber security interview questions and answers. But you don’t have to stop there. 

Here are some bonus tips to ace your next cybersecurity interview: 

• Prepare for scenario-based interview questions. Leverage the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, and Result) technique. Simply collect your views, and present an answer that explains the situation and the result.
• Try mock interviews. Practice our list of security analyst interview questions with a friend! 
• Update your resume. Completed a recent cyber security project, or finished an internship? Make sure to add anything you Keep your resume updated. 
• Be confident. You’ve studied hard and prepared well for your interview. Don’t doubt yourself!

These top cyber security interview questions are a fantastic way to feel confident and prepared for your next interview. But you don’t need to stop there — cyber security college programs, boot camps, certifications, and even tutorials cover topics like databases, web technologies, cryptography, network, computer viruses, and more. 

Furthering your education is a great first step to preparing for network security interview questions. 

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• Frequently Asked Questions

1. How Do You Do a Good Cyber Security Interview?

You should be well-versed with major computer science-related topics, like Web Technologies, DBMS, Cryptography, and mathematics, along with some hands-on experience with cyber security tools.

2. What Are the 3 Major Types of Cyber Security?

The three major types of cyber security are: 

Application security

Network security

Cloud Security

3. What is Phishing in Cyber Security?

Phishing is a form of social engineering where an attacker delivers a false message to dupe an authorized user into giving up personal information. This enables the attacker to install harmful software, such as ransomware, on the victim's computer.

4. Is Cyber Security Easy or Hard?

Learning cybersecurity can be challenging without any programming knowledge. However, you can choose from endless tutorials and courses to prepare for a cyber security career.

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Sameeksha is a freelance content writer for more than half and a year. She has a hunger to explore and learn new things. She possesses a bachelor's degree in Computer Science.

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Table of Contents

Cybersecurity is pivotal in safeguarding our data, privacy, and critical systems. As our reliance on technology grows, so do the threats and vulnerabilities that cybercriminals exploit. In this blog, we'll delve into cybersecurity, from the basics to the advanced, and provide a comprehensive set of interview questions and answers for individuals at different expertise levels.

Become an Expert in the Cyber Security Field

Cybersecurity Interview Questions for Beginners

1. what is cybersecurity, and why is it important.

Cybersecurity protects computer systems, networks, and data from theft, damage, or unauthorized access. It's important to safeguard sensitive information, maintain privacy, prevent financial losses, and protect critical infrastructure from cyber threats.

2. Define the terms Virus, Malware, and Ransomware.

• Virus: A program that replicates itself and spreads to other files or systems, often causing harm.
• Malware: A broader term encompassing any malicious software that disrupts or gains unauthorized access to computer systems.
• Ransomware: A malicious software encrypting files or computer systems and requesting a ransom for their decryption.

3. Explain the difference between a Threat, Vulnerability, and Risk in cybersecurity.

• Threat: Any potential danger or harmful event that can exploit vulnerabilities and negatively impact security.
• Vulnerability: Weaknesses or gaps in security measures that threats can exploit.
• Risk: The probability of a threat capitalizing on a vulnerability and the potential consequences or damage it may inflict.

4. What is Phishing? Provide an example.

• Phishing : A cyberattack in which malicious actors employ deceptive emails or messages to deceive individuals into disclosing sensitive information.
• Example: An email claiming to be from a bank, requesting the recipient to provide their login credentials by clicking a link that leads to a fake website.

5. How do firewalls protect network security?

• Firewalls serve as protective barriers, overseeing and screening both inbound and outbound network traffic in accordance with established security regulations.
• They block unauthorized access and help prevent malicious data from entering or leaving a network.

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6. What is a VPN and why is it used?

• A Virtual Private Network encrypts and secures internet connections, ensuring privacy and anonymity.
• It protects data from eavesdropping, accesses restricted content, and enhances public Wi-Fi security.

7. Explain the concept of a secure Password.

• A secure password is complex, lengthy, and difficult to guess.
• It comprises a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters, with the requirement that this combination should be distinct for every individual account.

8. What are the common techniques for securing a computer network?

Techniques include using strong passwords, regular updates and patch management, implementing firewalls, using intrusion detection systems, and conducting security audits.

9. What is two-factor authentication, and why is it important?

• Two-factor authentication enhances security by necessitating users to furnish two distinct forms of verification, typically a password and a temporary code, thereby bolstering protection.
• It's important because even if a password is compromised, unauthorized access is prevented without the second factor.

10. Define the terms Encryption and Decryption.

• Encryption: Converting plaintext data into a coded format to protect it from unauthorized access.
• Decryption: Converting encrypted data back into its original, readable form.

11. What is SSL encryption?

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption is a protocol that ensures secure data transmission between a user's web browser and a website server, protecting data during transit.

12. What is the difference between IDS and IPS?

• IDS (Intrusion Detection System): Monitors network traffic and generates alerts when suspicious activity is detected.
• IPS (Intrusion Prevention System): Not only detects but also actively blocks or prevents suspicious network activity.

13. Explain what a security audit Is.

A security audit systematically evaluates an organization's information systems and security policies to assess their effectiveness, identify vulnerabilities, and recommend improvements.

14. What steps would you take if you discovered a security breach?

Isolate affected systems, contain the breach, notify relevant parties, investigate the incident, remediate vulnerabilities, and implement measures to prevent future breaches.

15. What is social engineering? Give an example.

• Social engineering manipulates individuals to disclose confidential information or perform actions for malicious purposes.
• Example: Pretending to be a trusted colleague and asking for login credentials over the phone.

Get the Skills to Ace a Cybersecurity Interview

16. What are cookies in a web browser?

Cookies are stored by websites on a user's device. They are used to track user preferences, session information, and provide a personalized browsing experience.

17. What is a DDoS attack and how does it work?

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack inundates a target server or network with excessive traffic originating from numerous sources, making it inaccessible to genuine users.

18. Explain what a security policy is.

A security policy comprises a collection of formally documented regulations, recommendations, and protocols that delineate an organization's methods to safeguard its information, assets, and technological resources.

19. What is the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?

• Symmetric Encryption uses a similar key for encryption and decryption.
• Asymmetric Encryption employs a pair of keys, one public and one private. Data that is encrypted with one key can only be deciphered using the complementary key.

20. How can you prevent a Man-In-The-Middle attack?

Use secure communication protocols, verify digital certificates, and avoid public Wi-Fi for sensitive transactions. Implementing strong encryption also helps.

21. What is a honeypot in cybersecurity?

A honeypot is a decoy system or network designed to attract attackers. It allows security professionals to study their tactics, techniques, and motivations.

22. Explain the concept of a digital signature.

A digital signature employs cryptographic methods to confirm the genuineness and unaltered state of a digital document or message, assuring both the sender's authenticity and the content's integrity.

23. What is a brute force attack?

It involves attackers employing a trial-and-error approach to find a password or encryption key by systematically testing every conceivable combination until they discover the correct one.

24. What are the common cyber threats today?

Common threats include malware, ransomware, phishing, DDoS attacks, insider threats, and zero-day vulnerabilities.

25. What is the role of patch management in maintaining security?

Patch management regularly applies updates and patches to software and systems to fix security vulnerabilities. It's crucial for preventing the exploitation of known weaknesses by attackers.

Learn How to Secure, Test & Manage IT Systems

Cybersecurity Interview Questions for Intermediate Level

1. explain the concept of public key infrastructure (pki)..

PKI is a system of cryptographic techniques that enables secure communication over an insecure network. A public key and a private key pair are employed for various cryptographic operations such as encryption, decryption, the creation of digital signatures, and the validation of public keys through the use of certificate authorities (CAs) to ensure their authenticity.

2. What are the key elements of a strong security policy?

A strong security policy includes elements like access control, encryption, regular updates, user training, incident response plans, and compliance with relevant regulations.

3. How does a rootkit work and how would you detect it?

A rootkit is malicious software that gives attackers unauthorized access to a computer or network. Detection involves using specialized anti-rootkit tools and monitoring for suspicious system behavior.

4. Explain cross-site scripting and SQL injection.

XSS involves injecting malicious scripts into web applications, which can compromise user data. SQL Injection exploits vulnerabilities in SQL queries to manipulate a database. Both are forms of web application vulnerabilities.

5. What is a zero-day vulnerability?

It refers to a security vulnerability present in software or hardware that is undisclosed to the vendor and lacks an existing solution. This loophole can be leveraged by malicious actors before a remedy is created.

6. Discuss the ISO 27001/27002 standards.

It is a framework for information security management systems (ISMS), while ISO 27002 provides guidelines for implementing security controls and practices within an organization.

7. How do threat detection systems work?

Threat detection systems monitor network traffic and system logs to identify suspicious activities or potential security threats using predefined rules and machine learning algorithms.

8. Explain the principles of ethical hacking.

Ethical hacking involves testing systems and networks for vulnerabilities to strengthen security. Principles include obtaining proper authorization, maintaining confidentiality, and responsible disclosure of findings.

9. What are the different types of network security?

Network security includes perimeter security, firewall protection, intrusion detection systems, VPNs, and network segmentation to safeguard data and resources.

10. Discuss the concept of risk assessment in cybersecurity.

Risk assessment in cybersecurity involves identifying, assessing, and prioritizing potential threats and vulnerabilities to make informed decisions on security measures.

Learn How To Safeguard From Cyber Attacks!

11. What is incident response, and how is it managed?

Incident response encompasses a methodical strategy for handling and diminishing security incidents, encompassing key phases such as preparation, detection, containment, eradication, recovery, and knowledge acquisition.

12. Explain the principle of least privilege.

The Least Privilege principle limits the access of users and processes to the bare minimum required for their specific tasks, thereby minimizing the potential for unauthorized actions.

13. How does Secure Socket Layer (SSL) work?

SSL protocol ensures secure data transmission between web browsers and servers using encryption, authentication, and data integrity checks.

14. What is network sniffing?

Network sniffing is the practice of intercepting and analyzing network traffic to gather information, potentially for malicious purposes. It can be used for monitoring or attacks.

15. Discuss the importance of disaster recovery planning in cybersecurity.

Disaster recovery planning encompasses the proactive preparation and responsive actions required to safeguard against data loss or system failures, ultimately ensuring the uninterrupted operation of a business.

16. What is a Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) System?

SIEM systems gather, correlate, and scrutinize security-relevant data from diverse origins to identify and react to security events.

17. How do you manage cryptographic keys?

Cryptographic keys should be securely generated, stored, rotated, and protected to maintain the confidentiality and integrity of encrypted data.

18. What are the common methods for secure data disposal?

Common methods include data shredding, overwriting, degaussing, and physical destruction to ensure that sensitive information cannot be recovered from storage media.

19. Explain the concept of endpoint security.

Endpoint security focuses on securing individual devices (endpoints) like computers and mobile devices by using antivirus, anti-malware, and intrusion detection systems.

20. Discuss the role of artificial intelligence in cybersecurity.

AI is used for threat detection, pattern recognition, and anomaly detection to improve cybersecurity defenses and automate incident response.

21. What are the challenges in cloud security?

Challenges include data breaches, compliance, data loss prevention, and securing shared responsibility models in cloud environments.

22. How do penetration testing and vulnerability assessments differ?

Penetration testing replicates real-world attack scenarios to discover vulnerabilities, whereas vulnerability assessments concentrate on scanning systems to detect recognized weaknesses.

23. What is a Security Operations Center (SOC)?

SOC is a centralized team responsible for real-time monitoring, detecting, and responding to security incidents.

24. Discuss the importance of compliance in cybersecurity.

Compliance ensures that an organization follows relevant laws and regulations, helping protect data and avoid legal consequences.

25. What Is multi-factor authentication and how does it enhance security?

MFA bolsters security by necessitating users to furnish multiple authentication factors, typically a combination of something they possess (e.g., a mobile token) and something they are aware of (e.g., a password).

Learn from Top Cyber Security Mentors!

Cybersecurity Interview Questions for Advanced Level

1. discuss the challenges and strategies of securing iot devices..

• Challenges: Device diversity, limited resources, and vulnerabilities. 
• Strategies: Regular updates, strong authentication, network segmentation, and IoT security frameworks.

2. Explain Advanced Persistent Threats (APT).

APTs are long-term, targeted cyberattacks by skilled adversaries. They use stealth, persistence, and sophisticated techniques to breach systems.

3. Discuss the role of blockchain in cybersecurity.

Blockchain can enhance security through decentralized consensus, data integrity, and immutable records. It's used in secure transactions and identity management.

4. How do you approach securing a large, distributed network?

Employ segmentation, strong access controls, regular audits, and network monitoring to protect against threats across a vast network.

5. What is the importance of forensics in cybersecurity?

Forensics helps investigate incidents, gather evidence, and understand attack vectors, aiding in incident response and legal actions.

6. Discuss the intricacies of network protocol security.

Secure protocols are essential for data confidentiality and integrity. Use encryption and authentication, and keep protocols updated to mitigate risks.

7. How do you manage security in a DevOps environment?

Implement security into the development pipeline with automation, continuous monitoring, and collaboration between development and security teams.

8. Explain the concept of micro-segmentation in network security.

Micro-segmentation isolates network segments for finer control and security. It limits the lateral movement of threats within a network.

9. Discuss the challenges of securing big data environments.

Challenges include data volume and diversity. Strategies involve encryption, access controls, monitoring, and data classification.

10. What are your strategies for managing supply chain risks in cybersecurity?

Assess third-party vendors, enforce security standards, conduct audits, and maintain a supply chain risk management program.

Master the Essential Cybersecurity Skills

11. Explain the concept of container security.

Secure containerized applications with image scanning, access controls, and runtime protection to prevent vulnerabilities.

12. How do you ensure compliance with international data protection laws (like GDPR)?

Implement data protection policies, conduct privacy impact assessments, and ensure compliance with consent and data subject rights.

13. Discuss the future trends in cybersecurity.

Trends include AI/ML for threat detection, zero-trust architecture, cloud security, and increased focus on IoT and 5G security.

14. What are the ethical considerations in cybersecurity?

Ethical concerns involve privacy, responsible disclosure, and avoiding harm to individuals and organizations.

15. How do you measure the effectiveness of a cybersecurity program?

Use metrics like risk assessments, incident response times, and security posture evaluations to measure program effectiveness.

16. Discuss the challenges in securing wireless networks.

Challenges include rogue access points and eavesdropping. Solutions include strong encryption, network monitoring, and user education.

17. What is quantum cryptography and its implications for security?

Quantum cryptography uses quantum mechanics to secure communication. It has the potential to resist quantum attacks, ensuring long-term security.

18. Explain the concept of federated identity management.

Federated identity allows users to access multiple systems with a single set of credentials, enhancing convenience and security.

19. What are the latest developments in cybersecurity threats?

Threats evolve with new attack vectors, such as supply chain attacks, ransomware, and AI-driven attacks.

20. How do you manage security in a hybrid cloud environment?

Secure hybrid cloud environments with consistent security policies, identity management, and data protection across on-premises and cloud resources.

21. Discuss the impact of artificial intelligence on cybersecurity threats.

AI can automate threat detection, enhance incident response, and improve security analytics. However, it can also be exploited by attackers.

22. What is the role of machine learning in detecting cyber threats?

ML algorithms analyze large datasets to detect anomalies and patterns associated with cyber threats, enabling proactive security measures.

23. Explain the concept of threat intelligence and its application.

Threat intelligence is the collection and analysis of data to identify and respond to emerging threats, enabling proactive cybersecurity.

24. What strategies would you implement for securing mobile applications?

Secure mobile apps with encryption, code reviews, secure APIs, and regular updates to protect against vulnerabilities and data breaches.

25. Discuss the challenges and solutions in endpoint detection and response (EDR).

EDR solutions monitor and respond to endpoint threats in real-time, providing visibility and incident response capabilities.

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The Post Graduate Program in Cyber Security , offered in collaboration with MIT SCC and EC-Council, is a comprehensive 6-month online bootcamp designed to prepare you for a career in the high-demand field of cybersecurity. This program equips you with foundational to advanced cybersecurity skills, featuring live masterclasses from MIT faculty, modules from MIT SCC and EC-Council, and hands-on projects including a capstone in three domains.

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About the author.

Simplilearn is one of the world’s leading providers of online training for Digital Marketing, Cloud Computing, Project Management, Data Science, IT, Software Development, and many other emerging technologies.

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• PMP, PMI, PMBOK, CAPM, PgMP, PfMP, ACP, PBA, RMP, SP, and OPM3 are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.

Cyber Security MCQ with Answers PDF [285 Important Questions]

Cyber security MCQ with answers pdf . Computer IT security related most important Questions and answers for all competitive exams & interview. All these MCQs asked in previous year exam papers.

Cyber Security MCQ with Answers PDF

1.What is the full form of LDAP?

A Light Weight Directory Access Provider

B Light Weight Directory Access Protocol

C Light Weight Directory Access Program

D Light Weight Directory Access Protection

2.What is called the collective terms of malicious software, such as viruses, worms and trojans?

A Spam         

B Phishing   

C Malware    

3. What is the full form of CIA under information security?

A Confidentiality Integrity Availability     

B Criminal Investigation Agency

C Cost Information Agency                       

D Credit Integrity Assessment

4.What is called periodic assessment of security vulnerability in computer system?

A Threat        

B Attack        

C Hacking    

D Security audit

5.What is called a single point of access for several networking services?

A Phishing   

B Web service         

C Directory service             

6.Which activities endanger the sovereignty and integrity of nation?

A Cyber Terrorism   

B Cyber vandalism             

C Cyber squatting   

7. Which crime involves the use of computer networks to create, distribute or access materials tha sexually expoit underage persons?

A Assault by Threat            

B Cyber squatting   

C Cyber vandalism             

D Child pornography

8.Which method go through all the files or network elements with an intention to detect something unusual?

A Probing     

C Infecting   

9. Victims of cyber attack might loose _______.

(a) data          

(b) money     

(c) both a & b           

(d) none of them

10. Under information security, any device having _______is classified as a computing device.

(a) processor            

(b) memory               

(c) both a & b           

(d) neither a nor b

11. Under information security, CIA stands for _______.

(a) Criminal Investigation Agency                       

(b) Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability

(c) Cost Information Agency                     

(d) Credit Integrity Assessment

12. Script files sent mostly through email attachment to attack host computer are called ______.

(a) Worms     

(b) Phishing attacks

(c) Trojans

(d) Computer Viruses

13. Attacking the victims through fake URL resembling that of a valid financial Institution

is called_____ .

(b) Phishing attack

14. Getting the user ID and password from avictim through dubious program is called _____attack.

15. A malicious program spreading through internet and storage media and attacking the data in victims computer is called_______.

(d) Computer Virus

16. Potential weaknesses in IT infrastructure through which a cyber attack might occur is called __.

(a) strength

(b) antivirus

(c) vulnerability

17. Vulnerability for cyber attack may be in______.

(a) operating system

(b) application software

(c) IT infrastructure

(d) all of them

18. To protect the network infrastructure from vulnerability, _____ is setup.

(a) firewall

(b) Internet security software

(c) both a & b

19. The person using vulnerability in operating system or application software or IT infrastructure to intrude in to the computer of a victim is called ______ .

(a) hacker     

(b) cracker    

(c) maker       

20. Periodic assessment of security vulnerability in computer systems is called _______audit.

(a) threat       

(c) hacking

(d) security

21. The security audit team______ to keep the computers safe from cyber attacks.

(a) assesses vulnerability

(b) decides the safety measures through hardware and software

(c) considers latest threat scenario and implements information safety

22. To ensure information safety, ________should be implemented.

(a) physical access security          

(b) password access security

(c) secure IT infrastructure            

23. A single point of access for several networking services is called _____.

(a) Directory Service           

(b) web server

(c) email server                    

24. Directory service permits security administrators to ______.

(a) concentrate on security of directory service instead of individual machines

(b) create new vulnerabilities

(c) damage the security of computers

(d) create new virus

25. Directory service should be able to _______in the infrastructure.

(a) include new services

(b) esaily search for information in the network

(c) the information stored on the directory server should be accessible from any operating system

26. LDAP in directory service stands for ______.

(a) Light Weight Director Access Provider

(b) Light Weight Director Access Protocol

(c) Light Weight Director Access Provider

(d) Light Weight Director Access Protection

27. Protecting access to a computer through________ is called access control.

(a) physical restriction of entry

(b) password security for login

28. Security should be implemented at the stage of ______in software.

(a) development stage

(b) entire life cycle

(c) Sofware Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

29. SDLC in software development stands for _____.

(a) Software Development Life Circus

(b) Software Development Life Cycle

(c) Software Drafting Life Cycle

(d) Software Development Lead Cycle

30. Protection from______ of source code means non-disclosure of the source code to outsiders.

(a) disclosure

(b) alteration

(c) destruction

(d) log of changes (whois making request)

31. Protection from ______of source code means alloting the right to edit the source code to authorized persons only.

32. Protection from _______of source code means protection of any individual from destroying the software source code.

33. Protection from ________of source code means recording all changes made to the source code and the person making such changes.

32. _______of access rights in source code development means verification of role before permitting access to source code.

(a) verification

(b) maintaining historical records

(c) error handling

33. _____in source code development means verification of role before permitting access to source code.

34. _____in source code development means handling of configuration errors, session errors and exceptions.

35. Protecting the data divulged by customers from unauthorized access is called____.

(a) privacy protection

(c) antinvirus

(d) vulnerability

36. Information on criminal records of individuals, financial data of companies, genetic information, address, mobile number, email ID, record of web surfing behaviour, record of credit card, record of debit card, netbanking details, etc. are classified under ______.

37. Information security audit may be conducted with reference to _____ .

(a) vulnerabilities

(b) threats

(c) preventive measures

38. Information security audit analyses events of past threats to formulate _____.

(a) security measures

(b) safe practices

(c) software protection

39. Any single employee ______hold all data needed for making a complete financial transaction.

(a) should not          

40. IT audit of the firm should be conducted periodically, which may be every______ .

(a) fortnight

(c) quarter

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Introduction to Cybersecurity Answers (Modules Quize & Labs)