File and I-O systems, security and protection mechanisms, cryptography basics, virtualization and virtual machines. - One Line Questions
1.
What is a 'block device' in the context of I/O systems? —
A device that transfers data in fixed-size blocks, such as a hard drive or SSD
2.
In the context of file systems, what is a 'symbolic link' (symlink)? —
A special file that points to another file or directory by name
3.
What is the 'inode' in Unix-like file systems? —
A data structure that stores metadata about a file, including its location and permissions
4.
What is a virtual machine (VM)? —
A software-based emulation of a physical computer system
5.
What is a 'security domain' in the context of protection mechanisms? —
A region of the system where a particular set of security policies is enforced
6.
What is a 'virtual disk' in the context of virtualization? —
A file that emulates a physical hard drive for a virtual machine
7.
What is a 'security vulnerability'? —
A weakness in a system that could be exploited by a threat
8.
In security, what is a 'rootkit'? —
A piece of malware designed to gain unauthorized access and hide its presence
9.
What is a 'threat' in cybersecurity? —
An event or actor that has the potential to harm an asset
10.
Which cryptographic algorithm is commonly used for secure key exchange? —
Diffie-Hellman
11.
What is the difference between authentication and authorization? —
Authentication verifies identity; Authorization grants permissions.
12.
Which type of I/O operation typically involves reading or writing data sequentially, such as accessing a tape drive? —
Sequential Access I/O
13.
Which cryptographic concept ensures that a message has not been tampered with during transit? —
Integrity
14.
In the context of I/O systems, what does DMA stand for and what is its main advantage? —
Direct Memory Access; allows I/O devices to transfer data directly to/from main memory without CPU intervention
15.
Which security mechanism uses a set of rules to determine what actions a user or process is allowed to perform on a file or resource? —
Access Control Lists (ACLs)
16.
What is 'thrashing' in the context of operating system memory management and I/O? —
Excessive page swapping between main memory and secondary storage, leading to poor performance
17.
Which file system is native to Windows operating systems and supports features like file permissions, journaling, and encryption? —
NTFS
18.
What is the primary use of asymmetric encryption (public-key cryptography)? —
Secure key exchange and digital signatures
19.
Which file system is commonly used in Unix-like operating systems and supports features like journaling and hard links? —
ext4
20.
What is the principle of 'least privilege' in security? —
Granting users only the minimum permissions necessary to perform their tasks
21.
What is the primary difference between a hard link and a symbolic link? —
Hard links point to inodes; symbolic links point to file paths.
22.
Which cryptographic technique involves transforming plaintext into ciphertext using a secret key? —
Encryption
23.
What is the main advantage of using a virtual machine over a physical machine for testing purposes? —
Isolation and ability to revert to previous states
24.
Which I/O control method involves the CPU constantly checking the status of an I/O device? —
Programmed I/O (Polling)
25.
What is the main security benefit of using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) in conjunction with virtualization? —
It encrypts network traffic between the VM and the network, enhancing security.
26.
What is a key characteristic of symmetric encryption? —
It uses the same secret key for both encryption and decryption.
27.
Which file system feature allows multiple directory entries to point to the same file data? —
Hard links
28.
Which file system was developed by Oracle and is known for its advanced features like data integrity, performance, and scalability, often used in enterprise environments? —
ZFS
29.
Which I/O buffering technique involves using a separate memory area to hold data during transfer between a device and main memory? —
Direct Memory Access (DMA)
30.
Which I/O method uses interrupts to signal the CPU when an I/O operation is complete? —
Interrupt-driven I/O
31.
What is a benefit of using virtualization? —
Reduced hardware costs and better resource utilization
32.
Which of the following is an example of a hashing algorithm? —
MD5
33.
Which of the following is a cryptographic hash function known for its speed but now considered insecure due to collision vulnerabilities? —
MD5
34.
Which cryptographic primitive is essential for ensuring non-repudiation, meaning a sender cannot deny having sent a message? —
Digital Signatures
35.
What is 'virtualization overhead'? —
The additional system resources consumed by the hypervisor and virtualization layer
36.
In a Type II hypervisor (hosted), what component runs directly on the host hardware? —
The host operating system
37.
In the context of virtual machines, what is 'guest OS'? —
The operating system running inside a virtual machine
38.
What is 'virtualization' in computing? —
The creation of a virtual version of a computing resource, such as an operating system, server, storage device, or network
39.
In virtualization, what is 'snapshotting'? —
Saving the current state of a virtual machine so it can be restored later
40.
What is the purpose of a digital signature? —
To verify the authenticity and integrity of a digital message or document
41.
What is the main purpose of a hash function in cryptography? —
To generate a unique fixed-size fingerprint of data
42.
What is the primary function of the 'mount' command in Unix-like systems regarding file systems? —
To attach a file system to a specific point in the directory tree
43.
What is the primary purpose of a journaling file system? —
To ensure file system consistency after a crash
44.
What is the primary goal of data encryption? —
To ensure data confidentiality by making it unreadable to unauthorized parties
45.
What is the purpose of a 'salt' in password hashing? —
To add randomness to the password before hashing, protecting against rainbow table attacks
46.
What is the main goal of access control in operating systems? —
To prevent unauthorized access to system resources
47.
What is the purpose of a 'spooler' in I/O systems? —
To buffer data for slow devices like printers
48.
What is the role of a hypervisor? —
To create, run, and manage virtual machines
49.
Which type of hypervisor runs directly on the host's hardware? —
Type I (Bare-metal)
50.
What is the concept of 'disk striping' in RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) configurations? —
Splitting data into blocks and writing these blocks across multiple disks to improve performance.