Chapter 2 of 5 · CompTIA Security+ SY0-801
Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Attacks
Actors, vectors, weaknesses, attacks, indicators and AI threats.
- 10topics
- 49 minfast track
- 2diagrams and exhibits
- 24%of the exam
Topics in this chapter
Take them in order, or jump to the one you need.
- 1Characteristics of Threats and VulnerabilitiesSecurity+ threat and vulnerability basics: threat feeds, intelligence sources and life cycle, likelihood and impact, CVE, CVSS…5 min
- 2Threat Actors and MotivationsCompare Security+ threat actors such as state-sponsored groups, crime syndicates, hacktivists and insiders by resources, skill…5 min
- 3Message, File, Browser and Network VectorsSecurity+ threat vectors: APTs, email, SMS, RCS and chat, QR codes and fake CAPTCHAs, macros and PDFs, browser extensions…5 min
- 4Endpoint, Supply Chain, Human and Physical VectorsSecurity+ threat vectors: endpoints and living off the land, supply chain and SaaS, malicious USB, visitors, watering holes, IoT…5 min
- 5System and Software VulnerabilitiesSecurity+ vulnerabilities: unsupported, unpatched and obsolete systems, open ports, race conditions, hardcoded secrets, VM…5 min
- 6Attack Surfaces and ExposuresSecurity+ attack surfaces: stale credentials, rogue devices, shadow IT, low-power wireless, LLMs, identity providers…5 min
- 7Malware Attacks and Indicators of CompromiseIdentify Security+ malware such as ransomware, worms, rootkits and fileless malware, and read indicators like hashes, timestamps…5 min
- 8Social Engineering and Physical AttacksSecurity+ social engineering and physical attacks: phishing, smishing, vishing, quishing, whaling, deepfakes, tailgating…4 min
- 9Network, Application and Credential AttacksSecurity+ attacks: DDoS, downgrade, rogue devices, spoofing, on-path, DNS cache poisoning, injection, forgery, traversal…Diagram5 min
- 10Threats and Vulnerabilities of AI UsageSecurity+ AI risks: prompt injection, jailbreaking, poisoning, evasion, model manipulation, hallucinations, bias, data loss…5 min
About this chapter
What this chapter covers
This chapter explains who attacks, how they get in, what weaknesses they use, how to recognize an attack, and what new risks AI brings.
It follows six outline topics: characteristics of threats and vulnerabilities, threat actors and motivations, threat vectors and sources, vulnerabilities and attack surfaces, indicators of malicious activity, and threats of AI usage. It is 24% of the CompTIA Security+ SY0-801 exam, and many questions give a short scenario and ask you to name the attack or the evidence.
How the topics fit together
The chapter moves from the attacker to the evidence.
- Threats and vulnerabilities gives the vocabulary: threat feeds, likelihood and impact, CVE and CVSS.
- Threat actors are compared by location, resources and sophistication, and by motive.
- Vectors describe the ways in, from messages and browsers to suppliers, visitors and radio signals.
- Vulnerabilities and attack surfaces are the weaknesses in systems, code, accounts, devices and cloud storage.
- Attacks and indicators show what malware, social engineering, network, application and credential attacks look like in practice.
- AI threats cover prompt injection, poisoning, hallucinations and the other risks of using AI.
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 memorize.
- 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+ SY0-801 question bank has 998 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.