Lesson 12 of 12By Shruti M
Last updated on Feb 23, 20216260In today's digital world, protecting our data is highly crucial. Individuals to organizations find it challenging to safeguard crucial digital data. To overcome these challenges, we implement cybersecurity. Currently, there is an enormous demand for cybersecurity professionals. This article on cybersecurity interview questions will acquaint you with a set of the top 50 cybersecurity interview questions and answers.
For your convenience, we have segregated the questions into various concepts. They are as follows:
So, let's start with our cybersecurity interview questions article.
We will start with a set of cybersecurity interview questions based on networking.
The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model is a reference model that describes how applications interact with each other over a computer network. It has seven layers; they are as shown below:
Unicast, Multicast, and Broadcast are the three methods by which we transmit data over a network.
DNS stands for Domain Name System. It maps the domain name into its corresponding IP address.
As seen below, the DNS server provides the website's IP address.
It is software or hardware that blocks incoming or outgoing traffic from the internet to your computer. They are responsible for securing a network.
The figure above shows how good traffic is allowed to enter the user's network. Similarly, the figure below shows how the firewall blocks the bad traffic, thereby protecting the user's network.
A few common types of firewalls are:
VPN is also called a Virtual Private Network; it connects a VPN server and a VPN client. It creates a safe encrypted tunnel across the internet.
As seen below, the user has a VPN client installed on the machine. The VPN client then creates an encrypted tunnel to the VPN server; thus, information is received and sent to the internet securely.
Distributed processing describes various computer systems that use more than one processor to run an application. Multiple computers across different locations share the same processor. The advantages of distributed processing are:
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) is a set of communication protocols used to interconnect network devices on the internet. It defines how data should be transmitted over the internet by providing end-to-end communication.
Internet Protocol (IP) is all about routing every individual packet to ensure it reaches its destination. The TCP/IP model is a compressed version of the OSI model. It consists of four layers; they are:
ipconfig |
ifconfig |
ipconfig (Internet Protocol Configuration) is a command used on Microsoft Windows to view and configure the network interface. |
ifconfig (Interface Configuration) command is used on Linux, Mac, and UNIX operating systems. |
This is a useful command for displaying all the TCP/IP network summary information currently available on a network. Additionally, it also helps in modifying the DHCP protocol and the DNS setting. |
This command is used to configure and control the TCP/IP network interface parameters from the Command Line Interface. It also allows you to view the IP addresses of these network interfaces. |
Domain |
Workgroup |
A domain is a centralized network model. |
A workgroup is a decentralized network model. |
Here, one administrator manages the domain and its resources. |
Here, every user manages the resources individually on their PCs. |
It is good for large networks. |
It is good for small networks. |
Here, the computer can be connected to any network. |
All the computers here should be connected to the same LAN. |
Data encapsulation is the process of adding headers and trailers to data. The data link layer binds each packet into a frame that consists of the hardware address of the source and the destination computer.
Let's now head to the next section of this article on cybersecurity interview questions.
This section will take you through a set of cybersecurity interview questions based on software and programming.
There are a few steps that one has to implement in order to keep their computer secure. A few of these steps are:
Aspects |
C |
C++ |
Java |
Pointers |
Supports pointers, most secure. |
Supports pointers, secure. |
Not supported, direct access to the memory location. |
Code translations |
Compiled, not secure. |
Compiled, not secure. |
Interpreted, abstracted, and secure. |
Storage allocation |
Uses malloc, calloc, less secure. |
Uses new, delete, comparatively secure. |
Uses garbage collector, more secure. |
Inheritance |
No inheritance, not secure. |
Supported, most secure. |
Multi-inheritance not supported, comparatively secure. |
Overall |
Least secure |
More secure |
Most secure |
Malware is a malicious software that harms the security of your device. The different sources of malware are:
As you can see below, here, there are two servers, both using SMTP. We have John and Jack, and in this scenario, John wants to send an email to Jack. Thus, they have an email client installed on their machine connected to the mail exchange server, which has a DNS server that maps the routing and maps the exchange server and inboxes.
So when John composes the message and clicks on send, he should be connected to a mail exchange server where the email is sent through that particular person's inbox. So John's inbox will then be validated, and that email will then be sent through the DNS server through the internet and will be received by the recipient mail server.
While John composes the mail, the from the field will have his email address, and the to the field will have Jack's email address. When he clicks on send, it will go to their exchange server. The exchange server will then validate the inbox and identify where the inbox is located for Jack, and then through the internet, it will be sent to the mail server of Jack.
The mail server will then identify the right inbox that email needs to be sent to, and it stores the email in that particular inbox of the recipient. This way, when Jack accesses his inbox, the email from John will be waiting in his inbox. Jack can then reply the same way John sent the email.
There are several threats that a company can face; on a broader scale, we can classify them as:
In black box testing, the tester has zero knowledge of the IT infrastructure. Here, the testers will be unaware of the application, and they would have to gather information all by themselves. Based on the gathered information, testers will identify system vulnerabilities, if any. It is important as it emulates the attack of an external hacker.
A white box attack emulates an insider who can be an employee in the organization trying to make unvalidated profits. In this form of testing, the tester has complete knowledge of the IT infrastructure.
Use-case testing is a functional black box testing. Testers use it to get the test scenarios to exercise the entire system from start to finish. For example, when the software is made for users to use for documentation. The testers will test all the cases that a user can do like shown below:
Static Testing |
Dynamic Testing |
Static testing is done in the early stage of the development life cycle. |
Dynamic testing is done at the end of the development life cycle. |
It includes walkthroughs and code review. |
It includes functional and non-functional testing. |
Static testing is 100% accurate in a very short amount of time. |
Dynamic testing involves several test cases that take a longer time. |
Static testing is about prevention. |
Whereas dynamic testing is about a cure. |
The test levels in software testing are:
The following steps can be implemented to resolve issues while testing:
Let's now proceed to the next section of this article on cybersecurity interview questions.
This section of cybersecurity interview questions is based on operating systems and applications.
Virtual memory is a storage allocation method in which a secondary memory (hard disk) is used as the primary memory (RAM).
Listed below are the different scheduling algorithms:
This is more of an ethical hacking question; the steps involved in hacking a server or network are:
Given below is a list of a few of the sniffing tools:
It is a software program that provides a computer hardware platform to communicate and operate with the computer software.
For input and output functions, the operating system acts as an intermediate between the program and computer hardware. Some examples of OS are Windows, Unix, Android, Linux, etc.
Aspects |
Microkernel |
Macrokernel |
Size |
Small |
Large |
Execution |
Slow |
Fast |
Extendibility |
Easy to extend |
Hard to extend |
Security |
If it crashes, only the working on the microkernel is affected |
If it crashes, the whole system is affected |
Code |
More coding is required |
Less coding is required |
Example |
QNX, Symbian, L4Linux |
Linux, BSDs |
The various types of operating systems are:
Aspects |
Logical Address |
Physical Address |
Definition |
The address generated during the running of a program is called the logical address. |
A physical address is the physical location of the memory. |
Visibility |
Viewable |
Not viewable |
Address space |
Logical |
Physical |
Access |
Access only physical address |
Not directly accessed |
Generation |
Generated by CPU |
Computed by the memory management unit |
Variation |
Variable |
Constant |
The shells used in Linux are:
The process states in Linux are:
Let's go to the next section of this article on cybersecurity interview questions.
This section of cybersecurity interview questions is based on cyberattacks.
An SQL injection vulnerability enables an attacker to inject malicious input into an SQL statement. This attack allows the attackers to view, edit, and delete tables in a database. Additionally, attackers can also obtain administrative rights.
The types of SQL injection are:
In spoofing, an attacker pretends to be another person or organization and sends you an email that appears to be legitimate. The email looks almost genuine, and it is hard to spot such a fake one. An example of such an email is as follows:
A Denial of Service attacks' objective is to flood networks and systems with traffic to exhaust their resources and bandwidth. By doing so, a website is unable to cater to legitimate service requests. When hackers use multiple systems to launch this attack, it is known as a Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) attack.
The following steps can avoid ARP poisoning:
Ransomware blocks victims from accessing personal files and demands a ransom to regain access. It is a type of malware. There are three categories of ransomware:
As seen below, in an active attack, the attacker attempts to disrupt a network's normalcy, edits data, and alters the system resources.
Whereas, in a passive attack, the hacker intercepts the data traveling through the network. Here as seen below, the intruder eavesdrops but does not modify the message.
Social engineering attacks manipulate people so that they end up sharing their confidential information. This attack has three categories:
Here, the attacking computer takes the IP address of the client. The server continues communicating with the attacker, unaware of this.
Black hat hackers are highly skilled individuals who illegally hack into a system. The motive behind this is mostly for monetary gain. These individuals are also known as security crackers.
White Hat Hackers, also called ethical hackers, are individuals who discover vulnerabilities in a computer network. Such a hacker works to defend organizations and governments.
Honeypots are computer systems that are used to lure attackers. It is used to deceive attackers and defend the real network from any attack. As seen below, the real network is safeguarded.
Let's now head to the final section of this article on cybersecurity interview questions.
This section of cybersecurity interview questions is based on the concept of cryptography.
Ethical hackers use cryptography to secure information. It involves converting data from a readable format to a non-readable format and vice versa.
Encryption: Converting a message from a readable state to a scrambled state, making no sense. In the below example, Key = Alphabet + 2.
Decryption: The message is decrypted using a secret key that is known only to the recipient. Decryption = Alphabet - 2 in the given example.
Ciphertext refers to the text which is encrypted and undecipherable. The message received after decryption is known as cleartext. This text is understandable.
This refers to the method of encrypting the plain message block by block. The plain message is broken down into fixed-size blocks and then encrypted.
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) is a set of policies that secures the communication between a server and a client. It uses two cryptographic keys, public and private.
PKI enables trusted digital identities for people. PKI grants secure access to digital resources. The core of PKI is a certificate authority, which ensures the trustworthiness of the digital data.
RSA is a public-key cryptosystem that is used for secure data transmission. RSA stands for Rivest, Shamir, and Adleman, who are the inventors of the technique. It is an asymmetric cryptography algorithm that works on both public and private keys. Here, the encryption key is public, and the decryption key is kept private.
The alternatives to RSA are as follows:
The prime objectives of modern cryptography are:
Secure and Fast Encryption Routine(SAFER) is a block cipher. This has a 64-bit block size and a byte-oriented algorithm. SAFER's encryption and decryption procedures are highly secure. This technology is used widely in applications like digital payment cards.
The working of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) at a macro level is as follows:
It is a 64-bit symmetric encryption algorithm. The same secret key is used for encrypting and decrypting. Here, the operations are based on exclusive ors and additions on 32bit words. The key has a maximum length of 448 bits; it is variable. It is also used to generate several subkey arrays.
So, those were the top 50 cybersecurity interview questions that can help you crack your cybersecurity interview.
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Now that you know the various cybersecurity interview questions that can be asked in an interview, you can prepare by referring to the given answers for each of these concept-based cybersecurity questions.
Here, we had a look at a plethora of cybersecurity interview questions based on concepts like networking, software and programming, operating system and applications, cyberattacks, and cryptography. I hope this article on cybersecurity interview questions was useful.
Do you have any questions for us related to this article? If so, then please put it in the comments section of the article. Our experts will answer your queries right away!
Shruti is an engineer and a technophile. She works on several trending technologies. Her hobbies include reading, dancing and learning new languages. Currently, she is learning the Japanese language.
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