Security+ Key Ports & Cryptography Cheat Sheet

Secure Shell and Secure FTP. Replaces Telnet and FTP by encrypting credentials and session data.

Domain Name System Security Extensions. Uses cryptographic signatures to verify DNS source authority.

HTTP over TLS/SSL. Secure web traffic encryption.

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol Secure. Encrypted active directory logins.

Used for VPN tunnels. Port 500 is for IKE key exchanges; 4500 is used for NAT traversal.

Uses a single shared key for encryption and decryption. AES is the current US government standard.

Uses public and private key pairs. ECC is preferred for mobile/IoT devices due to smaller key sizes for equivalent strength.

Generates fixed-size digests to check data integrity. MD5 and SHA-1 have known collision vulnerabilities.

An attacker inputs malicious SQL queries into input forms (e.g. entering ' OR 1=1 --) to view, modify, or delete sensitive DB records.

Stored, Reflected, or DOM-based script injections. Executed inside the victim's browser to steal session cookies, tokens, or credentials.

Tricking users into revealing sensitive data. Phishing is broad; Spear phishing targets specific individuals; Whaling targets executives; Vishing is voice-based; Smishing is SMS-based.

Restricts access to systems and files, requiring cryptographic payment keys to restore data. Best mitigated with offline, tested backups.

The core foundational pillar of cybersecurity. Confidentiality ensures privacy; Integrity ensures data accuracy; Availability ensures systems are operational.

Limits user and process privileges to only what is strictly required to perform their specific job functions, minimizing the blast radius of compromised credentials.

Multi-Factor Authentication requires 2 or more distinct categories of credentials (e.g. Password + Hardware token + Fingerprint scanner).

Implementing redundant safety systems (firewalls, host antivirus, physical security, user training) so that if one control fails, others remain to protect assets.

Highly recommended free video course aligned exactly with the CompTIA SY0-701 exam objectives. Includes monthly interactive study sessions.

The gold-standard reference textbook featuring detailed chapter reviews, practice questions, flashcards, and online testing environments.

A highly active online community where students share study plans, recommend practice exams (like Jason Dion's mock tests), and log their test results.