Operating System Security MCQs with Answer
What is the primary goal of operating system security?
a) To ensure high system performance
b) To protect user data and resources
c) To minimize software complexity
d) To maximize hardware utilization
Correct Answer: b) To protect user data and resources
Which of the following is not a common threat to operating system security?
a) Malware
b) Denial of Service (DoS) attacks
c) User-friendly interfaces
d) Unauthorized access
Correct Answer: c) User-friendly interfaces
What is the purpose of access control mechanisms in operating systems?
a) To restrict physical access to the system
b) To regulate user permissions and privileges
c) To improve system performance
d) To enhance network connectivity
Correct Answer: b) To regulate user permissions and privileges
Which security measure helps prevent unauthorized access by requiring users to provide unique credentials?
a) Encryption
b) Authentication
c) Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
d) Firewalls
Correct Answer: b) Authentication
What is the role of encryption in operating system security?
a) To detect and prevent intrusions
b) To monitor network traffic
c) To protect data confidentiality and integrity
d) To regulate user permissions
Correct Answer: c) To protect data confidentiality and integrity
Which type of attack floods a system with excessive traffic, making it unavailable to legitimate users?
a) Phishing attack
b) Spoofing attack
c) Denial of Service (DoS) attack
d) Brute-force attack
Correct Answer: c) Denial of Service (DoS) attack
What is the purpose of intrusion detection systems (IDS) in operating system security?
a) To prevent malware infections
b) To monitor and detect suspicious activities
c) To encrypt sensitive data
d) To manage user permissions
Correct Answer: b) To monitor and detect suspicious activities
Which security measure helps verify the integrity of system files and configurations?
a) Encryption
b) Anti-virus software
c) File integrity checking
d) Access control lists
Correct Answer: c) File integrity checking
What is the role of firewalls in operating system security?
a) To prevent physical theft of hardware
b) To regulate network traffic based on predefined rules
c) To encrypt communication between network devices
d) To monitor system performance
Correct Answer: b) To regulate network traffic based on predefined rules
Which security measure helps protect against unauthorized software installation and execution?
a) Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
b) Anti-virus software
c) User authentication
d) Application whitelisting
Correct Answer: d) Application whitelisting
What is the purpose of role-based access control (RBAC) in operating system security?
a) To restrict physical access to the system
b) To regulate user permissions based on predefined roles
c) To monitor network traffic
d) To encrypt sensitive data
Correct Answer: b) To regulate user permissions based on predefined roles
Which type of malware disguises itself as legitimate software to trick users into installing it?
a) Virus
b) Worm
c) Trojan horse
d) Spyware
Correct Answer: c) Trojan horse
What is the purpose of periodic security audits in operating system security?
a) To improve system performance
b) To identify and address security vulnerabilities
c) To encrypt sensitive data
d) To regulate user permissions
Correct Answer: b) To identify and address security vulnerabilities
Which security measure helps protect against unauthorized access by encrypting data transmission over networks?
a) File integrity checking
b) Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
c) Virtual Private Network (VPN)
d) User authentication
Correct Answer: c) Virtual Private Network (VPN)
What is the role of multi-factor authentication (MFA) in operating system security?
a) To regulate user permissions
b) To encrypt network traffic
c) To enhance user authentication by requiring multiple forms of verification
d) To detect and prevent malware infections
Correct Answer: c) To enhance user authentication by requiring multiple forms of verification
Which type of attack involves tricking users into revealing sensitive information by impersonating a trustworthy entity?
a) Phishing attack
b) Denial of Service (DoS) attack
c) Brute-force attack
d) Spoofing attack
Correct Answer: a) Phishing attack
What is the purpose of security patches in operating systems?
a) To encrypt sensitive data
b) To improve system performance
c) To address known security vulnerabilities and bugs
d) To monitor network traffic
Correct Answer: c) To address known security vulnerabilities and bugs
Which security measure involves hiding the internal network structure from external entities?
a) Encryption
b) Virtualization
c) Network segmentation
d) Firewall configuration
Correct Answer: c) Network segmentation
What is the role of sandboxing in operating system security?
a) To regulate user permissions
b) To encrypt network traffic
c) To isolate and execute untrusted applications in a controlled environment
d) To detect and prevent malware infections
Correct Answer: c) To isolate and execute untrusted applications in a controlled environment
Which security measure helps prevent unauthorized access by monitoring and controlling incoming and outgoing network traffic?
a) User authentication
b) Encryption
c) Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
d) Role-based access control (RBAC)
Correct Answer: c) Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
What is the purpose of a security token in operating system security?
a) To regulate user permissions
b) To encrypt network traffic
c) To enhance user authentication by providing an additional form of verification
d) To monitor system performance
Correct Answer: c) To enhance user authentication by providing an additional form of verification
Which security measure helps protect against unauthorized access by creating a secure connection between a client and a server?
a) Encryption
b) Virtualization
c) Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
d) User authentication
Correct Answer: c) Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)
What is the purpose of digital signatures in operating system security?
a) To regulate user permissions
b) To encrypt network traffic
c) To verify the authenticity and integrity of digital documents
d) To monitor system performance
Correct Answer: c) To verify the authenticity and integrity of digital documents
Which security measure helps protect against unauthorized access by limiting the actions users can perform within the system?
a) Encryption
b) Virtualization
c) User access controls
d) Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
Correct Answer: c) User access controls
What is the role of security policies in operating system security?
a) To encrypt network traffic
b) To regulate user permissions and behaviors
c) To detect and prevent malware infections
d) To improve system performance
Correct Answer: b) To regulate user permissions and behaviors
Which type of attack involves repeatedly attempting different password combinations to gain unauthorized access?
a) Phishing attack
b) Spoofing attack
c) Brute-force attack
d) Denial of Service (DoS) attack
Correct Answer: c) Brute-force attack
What is the purpose of data backups in operating system security?
a) To regulate user permissions
b) To improve system performance
c) To protect against data loss and recovery from system failures
d) To monitor network traffic
Correct Answer: c) To protect against data loss and recovery from system failures
Which security measure helps protect against unauthorized access by assigning unique identifiers to individual users?
a) Encryption
b) Authentication
c) Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
d) User account management
Correct Answer: d) User account management
What is the purpose of incident response plans in operating system security?
a) To regulate user permissions
b) To improve system performance
c) To provide guidelines for responding to security breaches and incidents
d) To monitor network traffic
Correct Answer: c) To provide guidelines for responding to security breaches and incidents
Which type of attack involves intercepting and eavesdropping on communication between two parties?
a) Phishing attack
b) Spoofing attack
c) Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack
d) Denial of Service (DoS) attack
Correct Answer: c) Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack
What is the purpose of security awareness training in operating system security?
a) To encrypt network traffic
b) To regulate user permissions
c) To educate users about security risks and best practices
d) To improve system performance
Correct Answer: c) To educate users about security risks and best practices
Which security measure helps protect against data theft and unauthorized access by restricting the movement of data within the system?
a) Encryption
b) Data loss prevention (DLP)
c) Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
d) Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Correct Answer: b) Data loss prevention (DLP)
What is the purpose of antivirus software in operating system security?
a) To regulate user permissions
b) To monitor network traffic
c) To detect and remove malware infections
d) To improve system performance
Correct Answer: c) To detect and remove malware infections
Which security measure helps protect against unauthorized access by limiting the exposure of sensitive information?
a) Encryption
b) User authentication
c) Network segmentation
d) Data classification
Correct Answer: d) Data classification
What is the role of security updates in operating system security?
a) To regulate user permissions
b) To improve system performance
c) To address known security vulnerabilities and bugs
d) To monitor network traffic
Correct Answer: c) To address known security vulnerabilities and bugs
Which security measure helps protect against unauthorized access by monitoring and analyzing system activities for signs of suspicious behavior?
a) Encryption
b) User authentication
c) Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
d) File integrity checking
Correct Answer: c) Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
What is the purpose of privilege escalation in operating system security?
a) To regulate user permissions
b) To improve system performance
c) To gain elevated privileges beyond those originally granted
d) To monitor network traffic
Correct Answer: c) To gain elevated privileges beyond those originally granted
Which type of attack involves tricking users into installing malicious software by disguising it as legitimate applications?
a) Phishing attack
b) Spoofing attack
c) Social engineering attack
d) Denial of Service (DoS) attack
Correct Answer: c) Social engineering attack
What is the purpose of security logs in operating system security?
a) To encrypt network traffic
b) To monitor and record system events for auditing and analysis
c) To regulate user permissions
d) To improve system performance
Correct Answer: b) To monitor and record system events for auditing and analysis
Which security measure helps protect against unauthorized access by requiring users to verify their identities using biometric data?
a) Encryption
b) User authentication
c) Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
d) Secure Shell (SSH)
Correct Answer: b) User authentication
What is the purpose of patch management in operating system security?
a) To regulate user permissions
b) To improve system performance
c) To ensure that security patches and updates are applied in a timely manner
d) To monitor network traffic
Correct Answer: c) To ensure that security patches and updates are applied in a timely manner
Which type of attack involves exploiting software vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access or control over a system?
a) Phishing attack
b) Exploit attack
c) Denial of Service (DoS) attack
d) Spoofing attack
Correct Answer: b) Exploit attack
What is the purpose of security tokens in operating system security?
a) To regulate user permissions
b) To improve system performance
c) To provide an additional layer of authentication for user access
d) To monitor network traffic
Correct Answer: c) To provide an additional layer of authentication for user access
Which security measure helps protect against data breaches by encrypting sensitive information stored on disk?
a) File integrity checking
b) Data encryption
c) Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
d) User authentication
Correct Answer: b) Data encryption
What is the role of user training in operating system security?
a) To encrypt network traffic
b) To educate users about security best practices and policies
c) To regulate user permissions
d) To improve system performance
Correct Answer: b) To educate users about security best practices and policies
Which type of attack involves gaining unauthorized access to a system by intercepting and decrypting network traffic?
a) Phishing attack
b) Spoofing attack
c) Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack
d) Denial of Service (DoS) attack
Correct Answer: c) Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attack
What is the purpose of application whitelisting in operating system security?
a) To regulate user permissions
b) To improve system performance
c) To restrict the execution of unauthorized software
d) To monitor network traffic
Correct Answer: c) To restrict the execution of unauthorized software
Which security measure helps protect against unauthorized access by requiring users to provide something they know and something they have?
a) Encryption
b) User authentication
c) Intrusion Detection System (IDS)
d) Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Correct Answer: b) User authentication
What is the purpose of remote access controls in operating system security?
a) To regulate user permissions
b) To improve system performance
c) To manage and secure remote connections to the system
d) To monitor network traffic
Correct Answer: c) To manage and secure remote connections to the system
Which type of attack involves gaining unauthorized access to a system by exploiting weak or default credentials?
a) Phishing attack
b) Brute-force attack
c) Denial of Service (DoS) attack
d) Spoofing attack
Correct Answer: b) Brute-force attack