A+, Network+, Security+ Exams in a Nutshell

Security

The security section of the A+ exams tests your knowledge of basic principles of implanting security on desktop computers. You must have a good understanding of security fundamentals and be able to troubleshoot general problems related to security settings on a personal computer.

Principles of Security

This section covers the basic aspects of computer security, including access control methods, auditing, and logging. Besides this, I briefly explain the procedures for implementing basic security mechanisms on personal computers and methods to troubleshoot problems related to security settings.

Access control

The term access control refers to the method of granting or denying access to network resources by means of security policies, hardware devices, or software applications. In its simplest form, access control is applied on files and folders, or on other shared network resources by means of assigning permissions. Smart cards and biometric devices are examples of hardware devices used for access control. Access control can also be implemented by means of network devices such as routers and wireless access points (WAPs). Access control mainly falls into the following categories:

Mandatory Access Control (MAC)

A mechanism, usually hardcoded into an operating system, to protect computer processes, data, and system devices from unauthorized use. It may also be built into an application to grant or deny permissions, and is universally applied to all objects. MAC is also known as ...