CompTIA A+ Core 2 Exam: Answering the Question on Hacker Code Execution

Understanding Hacker Code Execution Vulnerabilities

Question

When hackers execute code against a vulnerability in the hope that it has not yet been addressed, this is known as a:

Answers

Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

A.

The correct answer is A. zero-day attack.

A zero-day attack, also known as a zero-day exploit, is a type of cyber attack that occurs when a hacker exploits a vulnerability in software or hardware that the software or hardware vendor is not aware of, and has not yet issued a patch or security update to fix. Zero-day attacks are considered especially dangerous because there is no known defense or fix against them.

Zero-day vulnerabilities can exist in any type of software or hardware, including operating systems, web browsers, mobile devices, and even Internet of Things (IoT) devices. These vulnerabilities can be discovered by hackers through reverse engineering or other techniques, and can be used to launch attacks that can compromise systems, steal data, or install malware.

Zero-day attacks can be difficult to defend against because they can occur without warning and without the knowledge of the affected vendor. However, there are some steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of a zero-day attack, such as keeping software and hardware up to date with the latest security patches, using security tools such as antivirus and intrusion detection systems, and implementing security best practices such as strong passwords and multi-factor authentication.

Spoofing attacks involve a hacker disguising their identity or location to gain access to a system or network, while a DDoS attack is a type of attack that floods a network or server with traffic in order to make it unavailable to legitimate users. A brute force attack involves attempting to crack a password or encryption key by trying every possible combination of characters.