SANS FOUNDATION SEC275 FINAL PAPER 2026
FULL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
GRADED A+
◉ What's the difference between passive learning and active learning?
Answer: Passive = reading/watching; Active = doing
questions/labs/recall to test yourself. SEC275:Intro
◉ Why are quizzes useful during a course? Answer: They reveal weak
areas early and reinforce memory through retrieval practice.
SEC275:Intro
◉ What does the motherboard do? Answer: Connects components and
allows CPU, RAM, storage, and peripherals to communicate.
SEC275:Hardware
◉ What is the CPU? Answer: The processor that executes instructions
(programs) and performs computations. SEC275:Hardware
◉ What is RAM used for? Answer: Short-term working memory for
active programs/data; cleared on power off. SEC275:Hardware
,◉ What is the difference between RAM and storage? Answer: RAM is
temporary/fast; storage is persistent/long-term. SEC275:Hardware
◉ Name two common storage types. Answer: HDD and SSD (also
NVMe SSD, optical, flash). SEC275:Hardware
◉ What is a GPU used for? Answer: Accelerates graphics and parallel
computations; helpful in some compute workloads. SEC275:Hardware
◉ What are input devices? Answer: Hardware used to send data to a
computer (keyboard, mouse, scanner). SEC275:Hardware
◉ What are output devices? Answer: Hardware that displays/outputs
results (monitor, printer, speakers). SEC275:Hardware
◉ Why do computers need heat sinks/fans? Answer: To dissipate heat
and prevent overheating/thermal throttling. SEC275:Hardware
◉ What does a power supply do? Answer: Converts AC to DC and
provides stable power to system components. SEC275:Hardware
◉ What is a bit? Answer: A single binary digit: 0 or 1. SEC275:Data
◉ What is a byte? Answer: 8 bits. SEC275:Data
, ◉ Why is binary used in computing? Answer: Electronics represent two
states reliably (on/off). SEC275:Data
◉ What is hexadecimal used for? Answer: Compact representation of
binary (memory addresses, bytes, hashes). SEC275:Data
◉ How many hex digits represent one byte? Answer: Two hex digits
(00-FF). SEC275:Data
◉ What is ASCII? Answer: A character encoding standard that maps
characters to numeric codes. SEC275:Data
◉ What is encoding? Answer: Converting data into a specific
format/representation. SEC275:Data
◉ What is decoding? Answer: Converting encoded data back to its
original form. SEC275:Data
◉ What is a file header? Answer: Bytes at the start of a file that identify
file type/format (magic bytes). SEC275:Data
◉ Why are file headers important in forensics/security? Answer: They
help verify real file type even if extension is misleading. SEC275:Data
FULL QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
GRADED A+
◉ What's the difference between passive learning and active learning?
Answer: Passive = reading/watching; Active = doing
questions/labs/recall to test yourself. SEC275:Intro
◉ Why are quizzes useful during a course? Answer: They reveal weak
areas early and reinforce memory through retrieval practice.
SEC275:Intro
◉ What does the motherboard do? Answer: Connects components and
allows CPU, RAM, storage, and peripherals to communicate.
SEC275:Hardware
◉ What is the CPU? Answer: The processor that executes instructions
(programs) and performs computations. SEC275:Hardware
◉ What is RAM used for? Answer: Short-term working memory for
active programs/data; cleared on power off. SEC275:Hardware
,◉ What is the difference between RAM and storage? Answer: RAM is
temporary/fast; storage is persistent/long-term. SEC275:Hardware
◉ Name two common storage types. Answer: HDD and SSD (also
NVMe SSD, optical, flash). SEC275:Hardware
◉ What is a GPU used for? Answer: Accelerates graphics and parallel
computations; helpful in some compute workloads. SEC275:Hardware
◉ What are input devices? Answer: Hardware used to send data to a
computer (keyboard, mouse, scanner). SEC275:Hardware
◉ What are output devices? Answer: Hardware that displays/outputs
results (monitor, printer, speakers). SEC275:Hardware
◉ Why do computers need heat sinks/fans? Answer: To dissipate heat
and prevent overheating/thermal throttling. SEC275:Hardware
◉ What does a power supply do? Answer: Converts AC to DC and
provides stable power to system components. SEC275:Hardware
◉ What is a bit? Answer: A single binary digit: 0 or 1. SEC275:Data
◉ What is a byte? Answer: 8 bits. SEC275:Data
, ◉ Why is binary used in computing? Answer: Electronics represent two
states reliably (on/off). SEC275:Data
◉ What is hexadecimal used for? Answer: Compact representation of
binary (memory addresses, bytes, hashes). SEC275:Data
◉ How many hex digits represent one byte? Answer: Two hex digits
(00-FF). SEC275:Data
◉ What is ASCII? Answer: A character encoding standard that maps
characters to numeric codes. SEC275:Data
◉ What is encoding? Answer: Converting data into a specific
format/representation. SEC275:Data
◉ What is decoding? Answer: Converting encoded data back to its
original form. SEC275:Data
◉ What is a file header? Answer: Bytes at the start of a file that identify
file type/format (magic bytes). SEC275:Data
◉ Why are file headers important in forensics/security? Answer: They
help verify real file type even if extension is misleading. SEC275:Data
