Chapter 2 of 5 · CompTIA Security+ SY0-701
Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations
Actors, vectors, weaknesses, attacks, indicators and mitigations.
- 9topics
- 36 minfast track
- 2diagrams and exhibits
- 22%of the exam
Topics in this chapter
Take them in order, or jump to the one you need.
- 1Threat Actors and MotivationsCompare Security+ threat actors such as nation states, hacktivists, organized crime and insiders by resources, skill, location…4 min
- 2Threat Vectors and Attack SurfacesLearn the Security+ threat vectors, from email and removable media to unsupported software and suppliers, and how to reduce the…4 min
- 3Social Engineering TechniquesSocial engineering for Security+: phishing, vishing, smishing, BEC, pretexting, typosquatting, watering holes and physical…4 min
- 4Application, OS and Web VulnerabilitiesSecurity+ software vulnerabilities: buffer overflow, race conditions, SQL injection, XSS, cryptographic flaws, misconfiguration…4 min
- 5Hardware, Cloud, Mobile and Supply Chain RisksSecurity+ vulnerability types in hardware, virtualization, cloud, supply chain and mobile devices, including VM escape, side…4 min
- 6Malware and Physical AttacksIdentify Security+ malware types such as worms, trojans, ransomware, rootkits and logic bombs, plus physical attacks like RFID…4 min
- 7Network and Password AttacksSecurity+ network and password attacks: DDoS, DNS poisoning, evil twin, on-path, replay, spraying, brute force, credential…Diagram4 min
- 8Application Attacks and IndicatorsSecurity+ application attacks such as injection, CSRF, SSRF and traversal, plus indicators of compromise like impossible travel…Diagram4 min
- 9Mitigation and Hardening TechniquesSecurity+ mitigation and hardening: segmentation, isolation, allow lists, patching, least privilege, configuration enforcement…4 min
About this chapter
What this chapter covers
This chapter explains who attacks, how they get in, what weaknesses they use, how to recognise an attack, and how to reduce the risk.
It follows five outline topics: threat actors and motivations, threat vectors and attack surfaces, vulnerabilities, indicators of malicious activity, and mitigation techniques. It is a large part of the Security+ SY0-701 exam, and many questions give a short scenario and ask you to name the attack or the best defense.
How the topics fit together
The chapter moves from the attacker to the defense.
- Threat actors are compared by location, resources and sophistication, and by motive.
- Vectors and attack surfaces describe the ways in, including human vectors such as phishing.
- Vulnerabilities are the weaknesses in software, hardware, cloud, mobile devices and suppliers.
- Attacks and indicators show what malware, network, password and application attacks look like in practice.
- Mitigations are the controls that close the gaps.
Read each scenario for three clues: who the actor is, what path or flaw was used, and what evidence was left behind.
How to use these pages
Each topic page has the same shape, so you can skim for what you need.
- What it is: the idea in plain words.
- How it works: the mechanism, with diagrams and tables.
- What to remember for the exam: the facts to memorise.
- Common mistakes: the classic traps.
- Check yourself: three questions to test your understanding.
Many attack names look alike, so pay close attention to the comparison tables and the "common mistakes" sections.
Ready for more practice?
The full CompTIA Security+ SY0-701 question bank has 848 questions, with timed practice exams and an explanation for every answer.
This study guide is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by CompTIA. Vendor names, certification names and exam codes are trademarks of their respective owners and are used for identification only.