CompTIA SecurityX Practice Test (CAS-005)
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CompTIA SecurityX CAS-005 (V5) Information
What is the CompTIA SecurityX Certification?
CompTIA SecurityX is a high-level cybersecurity certification. It used to be called CASP+ but was renamed in 2024 when the CAS-005 exam was released. This certification proves that you can design and manage secure systems in big, complex businesses.
Who is SecurityX For?
SecurityX is meant for advanced IT professionals. You should have at least 10 years of general IT experience and 5 years working directly with cybersecurity. If you're a senior engineer, architect, or lead, this certification is a good fit for you.
What Topics Does It Cover?
The SecurityX exam tests your skills in four main areas:
- Security Architecture: Building secure systems and networks
- Security Operations: Handling incidents and keeping systems running safely
- Governance, Risk, and Compliance: Following laws and managing risk
- Security Engineering and Cryptography: Using encryption and secure tools
What Is the Exam Like?
- Questions: Up to 90 questions
- Types: Multiple-choice and performance-based (real-world problems)
- Time: 165 minutes
- Languages: English, Japanese, and Thai
- Passing Score: Pass/Fail (no number score is shown)
You’ll find out if you passed right after finishing the test.
Why Take the SecurityX Exam?
SecurityX shows that you can handle high-level security work. Many jobs, especially in the government or large companies, ask for this type of certification. It’s also approved by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD 8140.03M).
Is There a Prerequisite?
There’s no required course or other exam before SecurityX, but CompTIA strongly recommends that you have 10 years in IT and 5 years in security. Without this experience, the exam may be too hard.
Should I take the SecurityX exam?
If you're already working in cybersecurity and want to prove your skills, SecurityX is a great choice. It shows that you’re ready to lead, solve complex problems, and keep organizations secure.

Free CompTIA SecurityX CAS-005 (V5) Practice Test
- 20 Questions
- Unlimited time
- Governance, Risk, and ComplianceSecurity ArchitectureSecurity EngineeringSecurity Operations
An organization discovered older sensors that cannot be updated. Attackers have been taking advantage of weaknesses to reach other systems in the environment. Which approach addresses these vulnerable devices while balancing operational requirements?
Apply advanced user access controls on these devices to deter intrusions
Enable remote logging on the environment to capture threat attempts
Remove the older sensors in favor of modern hardware
Segment these devices using a dedicated VLAN with restricted pathways
Answer Description
Older sensors that cannot be updated benefit from network isolation. A separate VLAN with restricted traffic paths hinders lateral movement and contains threats. Advanced user controls or audit logs do not fully address underlying vulnerabilities or limit interactions, and decommissioning is not valid when hardware must remain operational.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What is a VLAN and how does it help in securing a network?
What is lateral movement in cybersecurity attacks?
Why can't advanced user access controls or remote logging fully address this issue?
Which technique yields a higher level of consistency when restricting newly generated content across multiple repositories?
Use user-defined labels at each department boundary with periodic manual reviews
Retain inherited parameters throughout the lifecycle while considering updates from new metadata
Adopt an automated scanning system that assigns protective measures by analyzing and flagging critical details
Consolidate related content in a single location and organize usage by original source categories
Answer Description
An automated scanning approach that assigns protective measures by analyzing and flagging critical details provides consistent coverage. Manual processes can miss items during peak times, inherited settings may become outdated as data evolves, and consolidating related content in a single location does not maintain reliable policies for distributed repositories.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What is an automated scanning system, and how does it work?
What are the risks of relying on inherited parameters throughout the lifecycle?
Why do manual reviews fall short in ensuring consistency across repositories?
An organization reports excessive data arriving from many remote addresses, leading to frequent shutdowns. Which tactic best secures continued operations?
Filter incoming requests from a static file on each host
Increase allowable sessions at perimeter equipment
Use an external service that detects harmful flows
Add more servers with identical configurations
Answer Description
Using a specialized external service to detect suspicious traffic ensures harmful flows are rejected before reaching internal infrastructure. This reduces overload on local systems. Filtering requests on each host relies on static entries that become ineffective when attackers rotate addresses. Simply adding capacity may delay problems but does not stop harmful data. Raising connection thresholds can also block legitimate users when a surge overwhelms the system.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What are harmful flows, and how do they affect system performance?
How does an external service detect harmful flows?
Why is filtering traffic directly on each host less effective?
A company deploys a secure device for advanced cryptography and physical tamper controls. They observe longer-than-expected processing times for numerous signing requests each day. Which method alleviates these delays while protecting the device’s key storage?
Enable parallel processing options on the secure device to handle cryptography simultaneously
Perform all cryptographic tasks on a server to offload workload from the secure device
Use unencrypted storage for private keys to reduce retrieval time
Increase the request time window so each operation finishes without error
Answer Description
Enabling parallel processing on the secure device allows multiple signing operations at once, preserving tamper protections and preventing key exposure. Offloading cryptographic tasks to a general-purpose system removes dedicated safeguards, storing keys unencrypted breaks core security principles, and extending time windows does not address the actual performance bottleneck.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What is parallel processing in cryptographic devices?
Why is using unencrypted private key storage insecure?
How do tamper protections work in secure devices?
An investigator finds that a suspicious binary reuses multiple coding structures and variable naming styles seen in a previous high-impact threat. Which tactic best supports drawing a reliable link between the new binary and the previously observed malicious code base?
Scheduling a sandbox run to observe the binary’s malicious actions
Reviewing code stylometry to identify repeated programming conventions
Matching binary hashes against antivirus signatures
Comparing event logs to see if both binaries triggered the same alert
Answer Description
Code stylometry examines programming patterns that persist across different binaries, allowing analysts to attribute samples to specific threat actor toolsets. Unlike behavior analysis or log comparison, which confirm malicious activity or operational context, stylometry links binaries based on development style, aiding in attribution. This makes it an effective method for associating unknown binaries with previously observed malicious code bases.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What is code stylometry in malware analysis?
Why is code stylometry more reliable for attribution compared to behavior analysis?
How does code stylometry differ from comparing binary hashes?
A company plans to initiate a script whenever a particular system entry is generated to handle tasks without human assistance. Which method enhances automation efficiency in this scenario?
Scheduling a regular job that runs once every day to check for recent events
Setting up a script to launch when the system creates new entries
Utilizing a remote mechanism that starts its procedures after an additional step is confirmed
Running a script whenever someone presses a prompt in the monitoring tool
Answer Description
Using a script that activates right after the operating system sends its notification addresses specific entries as they happen and reduces manual effort. By listening for each event, the environment can react with minimal delay. A daily job imposes a waiting period and can create gaps where issues remain undetected for hours. Launching a script by clicking a prompt requires constant operator vigilance. A remote push that relies on a verification step might intervene too late, undermining the advantage of automatic detection.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What does 'listening for each event' mean in the context of automation?
What is the main advantage of event-driven scripts compared to scheduled tasks?
How does an 'event-driven architecture' improve automation efficiency?
An organization is deploying a new online platform expected to handle elevated user activity while safeguarding critical business functions. Which method fulfills these requirements?
Encrypt business information during transfer but reduce the number of environments to handle usage
Use a single environment and limit security measures to maintain a rapid response
Scale capacity to very high limits and avoid additional safeguards
Combine more than one environment for handling user volume and provide a defense layer to deter harmful interactions
Answer Description
Combining more than one environment supports heavier usage demands while adding a protective measure to deter harmful activity. Relying on a single environment or reducing detection capabilities may provide speed, but it weakens defenses. Emphasizing data encryption alone ensures confidentiality, yet it does not address managing high traffic or halting dangerous behavior. Increasing capacity without proper safeguards covers volume but disregards data protection needs.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What does 'combining more than one environment' mean?
What types of security measures deter harmful interactions?
Why is scaling capacity without proper safeguards insufficient?
Which method ensures the secret is shared in a way that multiple participants must collaborate before locked information can be revealed?
Applying local encryption for participants with unique passcodes
Adopting a threshold-based algorithm that splits the secret into several portions
Storing the secret in a hardware security device
Implementing a passphrase policy among trusted staff
Answer Description
A threshold-based algorithm divides the secret among multiple parties, requiring a set number of them to combine their shares for access. Storing the secret in one hardware device centralizes it and does not require multiple shares. A passphrase policy might manage credentials across personnel but does not rely on sharing portions of the secret. Local encryption with unique passcodes isolates individual data instead of creating a unified threshold scheme.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What is a threshold-based algorithm?
How does a threshold-based algorithm differ from storing secrets in hardware security devices?
What are real-world use cases of threshold-based algorithms?
A threat intelligence team discovered an unauthorized device gaining entry to a protected segment without a challenge. Logs show that this device bypassed policy-based checks, indicating no authentication request was triggered on the switch. Which solution best addresses the cause of the unauthorized entry?
Enable extended authentication negotiations on the trunk interface to enforce credential checks
Implement anomaly detection on the router that connects external traffic
Apply domain blocking rules through authoritative DNS filtering
Rotate and reissue the internal certificate authority credentials
Answer Description
When a switch is not configured to pass extended authentication messages over its interfaces, devices can join the network without being prompted for credentials. Adjusting the trunk interface so it supports 802.1X or other port-based authentication ensures request and response traffic is not dropped. Enabling DNS filtering, reissuing certificates, or monitoring suspicious activity at the edge do not fix the underlying data-link problem that permits access without authentication.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What is 802.1X authentication?
Why is enabling extended authentication on trunk interfaces important?
How does DNS filtering differ from authentication protocols like 802.1X?
An investigator obtains a custom-built device suspected of storing code on its embedded components. Which approach is most likely to produce comprehensive details for an in-depth review?
Copying application logs and files to an external storage for offline inspection
Reinstalling the firmware before analyzing it with a software-based script
Attaching a hardware probe to the debug interface for a bit-by-bit memory acquisition
Running a memory dump tool from the operating system while the device is booted
Answer Description
Accessing memory through a hardware debug interface provides full visibility into embedded system data, including volatile memory and hidden regions inaccessible to OS-level tools. This method avoids dependency on potentially compromised firmware and ensures a comprehensive snapshot. Relying on system utilities or logs risks incomplete data capture and omits critical forensic artifacts.
Ask Bash
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Why is a hardware probe preferred for memory acquisition in embedded systems?
What is volatile memory, and why is it important in forensic investigations?
What is the purpose of a debug interface in embedded devices?
Which EU legislation places constraints on dominant online companies to encourage fair competition for smaller businesses?
General Data Protection Regulation
Cyber Resilience Act
Digital Markets Act
Payment Services Directive
Answer Description
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is designed to regulate large tech companies—referred to as gatekeepers—to prevent unfair practices that disadvantage smaller competitors. It aims to promote a more balanced and competitive digital market in the EU. While GDPR covers data privacy, the Payment Services Directive governs financial services, and the Cyber Resilience Act focuses on security standards, none of these directly address platform dominance or market fairness.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What is the role of gatekeepers in the Digital Markets Act (DMA)?
How does the Digital Markets Act differ from the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)?
Why does the EU consider it important to regulate large tech companies through legislation like the DMA?
An analyst inspects a list controlling inbound traffic to a web server. Certain subnets cannot connect, even though they are intended to have access. Logs indicate a deny action for these subnets. The firewall and router settings have no visible errors. Which method best restores the expected connectivity?
Lower the range of transient ports used by the web server
Add a passive inspection line for tracking inbound requests
Delete existing rules and trust system defaults instead
Put the permit rule for those subnets ahead of the general deny line
Answer Description
Access control lists (ACLs) are processed top-down, and once a match is found, subsequent rules are ignored. If a general deny rule precedes a specific permit, intended access will be blocked. Placing permit rules for specific subnets before the deny-all rule ensures proper functionality and expected access without removing security controls.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What is an Access Control List (ACL)?
Why are ACL rules processed in a top-down manner?
What is the purpose of a deny-all rule in an ACL?
A company needs to obscure its traffic between remote offices without heavy certificate-based overhead. The team wants short-lived keys for each session so attackers cannot reuse captured data to access future sessions. Which arrangement achieves these goals?
Relying on one certificate to safeguard all data flows across the offices
Embedding a single long-term key in each endpoint
Applying a hash function to data before sending it
A method that generates short-lived keys for every session
Answer Description
Generating a new session key for each connection limits the impact of intercepted traffic. This technique, often used in protocols supporting Perfect Forward Secrecy, ensures that even if one session key is compromised, past and future sessions remain secure. Reusing a static certificate or long-term key creates risk, and hashing alone doesn’t encrypt data — it only verifies integrity. Temporary session keys are ideal for protecting sensitive traffic between remote offices.
Ask Bash
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What is Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS)?
Why is hashing not sufficient for securing data traffic?
What are the drawbacks of using static certificates or long-term keys?
A manufacturing company’s financial leader notices a history of server failures that halt production lines. Which step best addresses the goal of minimizing production stoppages?
Set up parallel systems hosted in different locations with verified failover steps
Keep weekly archival sets secured in a locked cabinet
Install the latest hardware updates every quarter
Implement continuous traffic inspection on the perimeter
Answer Description
Virtual systems placed in separate sites help maintain operations when key infrastructure fails. Tested failover procedures verify that the backup environment can handle the load. Storing archives locally does not provide resilience beyond the damaged facility. Applying patches helps with stability but does not ensure services continue in the event of a larger outage. Network monitoring does not protect against system failures that disrupt service entirely.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What is a failover system?
Why are parallel systems hosted in different locations important?
What are tested failover procedures?
An organization discovers passwords in application code stored on a public repository. Which action addresses the exposure while preserving existing commits for future reference?
Purge the repository but retain the existing secret for continuity
Scrub references from upcoming code commits and rotate the compromised secret
Delete past commits to remove sensitive references
Redact the latest commit so passwords are no longer visible
Answer Description
To preserve repository history while preventing further exposure, it’s best to remove the sensitive credential from all new commits and immediately rotate the compromised secret. This ensures that future use of the exposed value is invalidated, and no additional commits contain the sensitive data. Other actions, such as deleting commit history or redacting a single commit, do not address all instances of exposure and may introduce operational or audit challenges.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What does it mean to rotate a compromised secret?
Why shouldn't commit history be deleted to address sensitive data exposure?
What challenges arise when redacting only the latest commit?
A technology company has expanded its operations by adding cloud-based hosts while retaining equipment on-premises. They want a unified encryption approach that applies to data in both locations. Which action achieves consistent key handling and minimizes complexity?
Use a centralized system that manages encryption keys for both locations
Adopt separate local solutions so each site encrypts data independently
Exchange key updates manually through scheduled procedures at each site
Distribute new keys through email whenever a key rotation is planned
Answer Description
A single management solution streamlines key use across on-premises and external resources. Other methods rely on multiple software setups, manual handling, or insecure distribution channels, which can result in inconsistent practices and administrative complications.
Ask Bash
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What is a centralized key management system?
How does a centralized solution simplify encryption in hybrid environments?
Why are manual and decentralized key management methods insecure?
A company maintains a widely used internal platform for managing customer information. The organization plans to integrate a new connection to a third-party marketing service. Which approach best addresses potential vulnerabilities introduced by this added functionality?
Stop outbound traffic to external services that are not maintained under direct oversight
Analyze all data flows and define additional trust boundaries where external services meet internal processes
Run an automated scan on source code after the new feature is fully deployed
Depend on firewall rules to control interactions between the platform and the marketing service
Answer Description
Reviewing data flow and architecture before integrating new services helps identify how trust boundaries are affected and where new vulnerabilities may emerge. This process allows teams to spot previously unmonitored entry points, ensuring layered security and limiting attack surface expansion. Scanning code or enforcing firewall rules alone cannot capture these architectural risks. Blocking external traffic entirely undermines business objectives without resolving underlying security concerns.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What are trust boundaries in system architecture?
Why is analyzing data flow important before integrating new services?
Why are automated scans or firewalls insufficient for addressing architectural risks?
When a sudden operational disruption threatens an organization’s stability, which methodology ensures rapid coordination of resources, decisive leadership, and timely communication to contain the situation as quickly as possible?
Configuration management
Vendor risk oversight
Asset inventory processes
Crisis management
Answer Description
This approach dictates how teams mobilize and communicate during impactful events, ensuring that executive direction, resource utilization, and stakeholder notification are unified. Asset inventory processes, configuration management, and vendor risk oversight do not focus on orchestrating an organization-wide response to pressing disruptions.
Ask Bash
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What is Crisis Management?
How does Crisis Management differ from Configuration Management?
Why are Asset Inventory Processes not effective for Crisis Management?
Which method helps detect minor alterations in a file by producing a new output if the content changes?
It reduces storage size by compressing content
It restricts users from modifying certain files or folders
It encodes information to conceal its contents from others
It processes the file with a specialized function that produces a new output for altered data
Answer Description
This method generates a result that shifts whenever the original material shifts, drawing attention to unauthorized changes. Encoding data only conceals information, compression reduces size, and access controls restrict usage. None of those indicate if a file has been tampered with.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What is the specialized function used to detect file alterations called?
Can you explain the difference between hashing and encryption?
What are some common use cases for hashing in cybersecurity?
A state-funded competitor is focusing on gathering confidential information from a pharmaceutical research center. Unusual outbound connections suggest that the competitor might be taking advantage of newly developed findings. Which action limits this covert activity while preserving global relationships?
Periodically check international partner addresses without adding any new network segregation measures.
Increase network logs and implement division of key systems to track unusual transmissions and constrain data routes.
Prevent employees from using internal secure data transport so malicious traffic is easier to spot.
Terminate all external links related to international research collaborators to stop external infiltration attempts.
Answer Description
Increasing the level of network logs and applying segmentation constraints prevents unauthorized flows and better highlights any malicious patterns. Extended logging captures unusual traffic, while segmentation restricts channels for data extraction. Blocking all foreign connections hinders necessary business interactions. Disabling secure channels compromises data integrity. Verifying partner addresses alone is not enough without further security controls.
Ask Bash
Bash is our AI bot, trained to help you pass your exam. AI Generated Content may display inaccurate information, always double-check anything important.
What is network segmentation, and how does it help in preventing unauthorized data flows?
Why are extended network logs important in detecting unusual traffic patterns?
Why is it important to preserve international partnerships while addressing cybersecurity threats?
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