OPERATIONS STUDY GUIDE 2026 PREP
MATERIAL ACCURATE A+
◉ Malware. Answer: Software designed to disrupt, damage, or gain
unauthorized access to computer systems.
◉ Keyloggers. Answer: A type of malware that captures usernames
and passwords by recording keystrokes.
◉ Encryption. Answer: A method that converts data into unreadable
form for unauthorized users.
◉ Authentication. Answer: The process of verifying user identity
before granting access.
◉ Tokenization. Answer: A security process that replaces sensitive
data with unique identification symbols or tokens.
◉ Key Stretching. Answer: A technique used to strengthen weak
passwords by running them through a hashing algorithm multiple
times.
,◉ Access Controls. Answer: Security measures that limit data access
to specific users or groups.
◉ Security Policies. Answer: Rules that define how data should be
handled and shared.
◉ Data Breaches. Answer: Incidents where unauthorized users gain
access to sensitive data.
◉ Eavesdropping. Answer: Intercepting data as it travels across a
network.
◉ Insider Threats. Answer: When employees intentionally leak or
misuse sensitive data.
◉ Healthcare Providers. Answer: Organizations that protect patient
records to ensure only medical staff can view them.
◉ Encryption in Action. Answer: A company uses encryption to
protect customer data sent over the internet.
◉ Screen Locking. Answer: Employees must lock their screens when
stepping away from their computers to protect information.
,◉ Document Classification. Answer: Organizations classify
documents as confidential, internal, or public to control access.
◉ Customer Account Access. Answer: Banks restrict access to
customer accounts to prevent identity theft.
◉ Sensitive Data Protection. Answer: Ensuring that sensitive data
such as passwords and personal details is not seen or stolen by
unauthorized users.
◉ Malicious Updates. Answer: Attacks that involve unauthorized
changes to software or data.
◉ SQL Injection Attacks. Answer: Attacks that exploit vulnerabilities
in a database by injecting malicious SQL code.
◉ Attacks against Supply Chain. Answer: Attacks that target the
supply chain to compromise data integrity.
◉ Secure Hashing Algorithm. Answer: A cryptographic algorithm
used to ensure data integrity by generating a fixed-size hash value
from input data.
, ◉ Digital Signature. Answer: A cryptographic technique that verifies
the authenticity and integrity of a message or document.
◉ Security Labeling. Answer: A method of marking data to indicate
its sensitivity and the controls required to protect it.
◉ Permissions/ Access Controls. Answer: Security measures that
restrict access to data and systems based on user roles.
◉ Checksums and Hashes. Answer: Methods used to verify that
downloaded files have not been altered or corrupted.
◉ Version Control Systems. Answer: Tools that track changes to code
and documents to preserve accuracy.
◉ Audit Logs. Answer: Records that document who made changes to
critical data and when.
◉ Man-in-the-middle attacks. Answer: Attacks that modify data
during transmission between two parties.
◉ Malware or Ransomware. Answer: Software that alters or
encrypts files without permission.