220-1202 Practice Test 22 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A user reports that their Windows 10 PC is running slowly and they suspect too many programs start automatically. Which tool in the Settings app would you use to disable unnecessary startup programs?

Accepted Answer

Apps > Startup. The Apps > Startup page in the Windows 10 Settings app provides a list of all startup programs with toggle switches to enable or disable them. This directly addresses the user's issue of too many programs launching automatically, which can slow down boot time and overall performance. The tool shows the impact of each startup item (e.g., 'High', 'Medium', 'Low') to help prioritize which to disable.

Answer

System > About

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Devices > Bluetooth & other devices

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Update & Security > Troubleshoot

Question 2

A small business wants to prevent unauthorized individuals from following employees through a secure entrance after badge access is granted. Which physical security control is specifically designed to address this threat?

Accepted Answer

Deploy a mantrap. A mantrap is a physical security control consisting of two interlocking doors with a small vestibule between them. It prevents tailgating by allowing only one person to enter at a time; the first door must close and lock before the second door can open, ensuring that only the authenticated individual passes through.

Answer

Install a biometric fingerprint scanner

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Use a proximity card reader

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Add a security guard

Question 3

A technician is investigating a security breach where sensitive customer data was exfiltrated. The only malware found is a hidden driver that intercepts keystrokes and sends them to a remote server. Which malware type is responsible, and what is the best removal strategy?

Accepted Answer

Keylogger; use a rescue disk to boot and run an anti-rootkit scanner.. The malware is a hidden driver that intercepts keystrokes and sends them to a remote server, which is the classic behavior of a keylogger. Because it is a driver, it likely operates at the kernel level, making it a rootkit. Standard antivirus scans may miss it because the OS is compromised, so the best removal strategy is to boot from a rescue disk (clean OS) and run an anti-rootkit scanner to detect and remove the driver without the rootkit hiding itself.

Answer

Spyware; remove by running a standard antivirus scan.

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Ransomware; restore from backup.

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Adware; uninstall suspicious programs from Control Panel.

Question 4

A technician is deploying 20 new laptops to a department. The manager asks the technician to install the software quickly, but the technician knows that a full deployment includes user training and data migration. Which action BEST demonstrates professional communication?

Accepted Answer

Explain the standard deployment process and offer a revised timeline that includes training.. It demonstrates professional communication by clearly explaining the standard deployment process—which includes user training and data migration—and offering a revised timeline. This aligns with the CompTIA A+ objective of managing expectations and ensuring a complete, effective rollout rather than a rushed, incomplete installation.

Answer

Agree to the manager's request and rush the installation to avoid conflict.

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Install the software and let the users figure out the rest on their own.

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Tell the manager that training is not part of the technician's job.

Question 5

Your company is deploying a new application that requires .NET Framework 3.5 on multiple Windows 10 workstations. You need to enable this feature on a single test machine first. Which tool should you use?

Accepted Answer

Windows Features. Windows Features (accessible via 'Turn Windows features on or off' in the Control Panel or Settings) is the correct tool to enable .NET Framework 3.5 on a Windows 10 workstation. This feature includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0, and it can be installed from local sources or Windows Update. Programs and Features is used for uninstalling or changing installed programs, not for enabling Windows roles or features.

Answer

Programs and Features

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Device Manager

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Services

Question 6

A user is unable to install a new printer on their Windows 10 workstation because the 'Print Spooler' service is not running. You need to start the service and ensure it starts automatically on boot. Which tool should you use?

Accepted Answer

Services. The Print Spooler is a Windows service that manages print jobs sent to the printer. To start it and set its startup type to Automatic, you must use the Services console (services.msc), which provides direct control over service state and startup configuration. Device Manager manages hardware drivers, not service states.

Answer

Device Manager

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Task Scheduler

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System Configuration

Question 7

During a security incident investigation, a technician finds that an attacker called the help desk, pretended to be a new employee who forgot their password, and successfully reset it. The attacker knew the employee's name and department. Which social engineering technique was used?

Accepted Answer

Pretexting. Pretexting is a social engineering technique where the attacker fabricates a scenario (pretext) to manipulate a target into performing an action. In this case, the attacker called the help desk, assumed the identity of a new employee, and used the known details (name and department) to create a believable story, convincing the help desk to reset the password. This relies on psychological manipulation rather than technical exploitation.

Answer

Phishing

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Tailgating

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Shoulder surfing

Question 8

A user reports that they clicked a link in a text message that appeared to be from their bank, warning of suspicious activity. The link led to a realistic-looking login page, but the user realized it was fake after entering their credentials. What type of social engineering attack is this?

Accepted Answer

Smishing. Smishing (SMS phishing) is the correct classification because the attack vector is a text message (SMS) containing a link to a fraudulent website. The user received the message on their mobile device, clicked the link, and entered credentials on a fake login page, which is the hallmark of smishing. Unlike vishing (voice phishing), this attack uses text-based messaging to deliver the malicious link.

Answer

Vishing

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Pharming

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Pretexting

Question 9

A technician is tasked with creating a PowerShell script that will parse a CSV file containing user information and create local user accounts on a Windows 10 machine. The CSV has columns: 'Username', 'FullName', 'Password'. The script must skip any row where the 'Username' is empty. Which control structure should the technician use to handle this requirement?

Accepted Answer

An 'if' statement to test whether the Username property is not empty. The requirement is to conditionally skip rows based on a property value. An 'if' statement in PowerShell allows you to test whether the 'Username' property is empty or null using a condition like `if ($_.Username -ne '')` and then skip the row with `continue` or simply not process it. This is the most direct and efficient control structure for a simple boolean check on each row.

Answer

A 'for' loop with a counter to skip empty rows

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A 'switch' statement to match usernames

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A 'try/catch' block to handle errors when creating the account

Question 10

During a major software rollout, a technician discovers that the deployment script modifies a registry key that is also used by a legacy application. The change was not included in the original change request. What should the technician do?

Accepted Answer

Stop the deployment and submit a new change request for the registry modification.. Any unapproved change to a system, even if necessary, must follow the change management process. The technician discovered that the deployment script modifies a registry key shared with a legacy application, which was not included in the original change request. Stopping the deployment and submitting a new change request ensures proper review, risk assessment, and approval before altering a shared resource that could impact the legacy application.

Answer

Proceed with the deployment since the registry change is necessary for the new software.

Answer

Modify the script to skip the registry change and continue.

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Document the registry change after the deployment is complete.

Question 11

A technician is troubleshooting why a smart card reader at a secure entrance fails intermittently. Users can sometimes enter, but other times the reader does not respond. What should the technician check first?

Accepted Answer

Check the cabling and connections to the reader. Intermittent failures in a smart card reader are most often caused by physical connection issues, such as loose or damaged cabling, rather than software or firmware problems. Checking cabling and connections is the first step in a structured troubleshooting approach because it addresses the most common and easily verifiable cause of intermittent behavior.

Answer

Update the smart card reader firmware

Answer

Replace the smart cards for all users

Answer

Reconfigure the access control software

Question 12

During a software deployment, you need to ensure that all users on a Windows 10 workstation have the company logo as their desktop background. Which Control Panel applet would you use to set a mandatory desktop background?

Accepted Answer

Personalization. The Personalization applet in Control Panel allows you to set a desktop background image. To enforce a mandatory background for all users, you would configure a Group Policy setting (via gpedit.msc) that references the Personalization category, specifically the 'Desktop Wallpaper' policy under User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Desktop > Desktop. This overrides individual user settings and locks the background.

Answer

Ease of Access Center

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Display

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Folder Options

Question 13

An organization uses Windows 10 and wants to prevent users from installing unauthorized software. They have configured Software Restriction Policies via Group Policy. However, a user bypassed the policy by renaming the executable. What additional measure should be taken to enforce the restriction?

Accepted Answer

Use AppLocker with publisher rules. AppLocker with publisher rules is the correct additional measure because Software Restriction Policies (SRP) can be bypassed by renaming executables, as SRP relies on file path or hash rules. AppLocker's publisher rules use digital signatures to identify software, making it immune to filename changes. This provides a more robust enforcement mechanism for preventing unauthorized software installation.

Answer

Enable Windows Defender Real-time Protection

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Set User Account Control to Always Notify

Answer

Enable BitLocker

Question 14

A user's computer is infected with adware that changes the browser homepage and displays constant pop-ups. After removing the adware with an antivirus, the homepage remains changed. What additional remediation step should you take?

Accepted Answer

Reset the browser settings to default. After adware removal, the browser's homepage and settings are often stored in the browser's configuration files or registry keys that the antivirus does not reset. Resetting the browser settings to default restores the homepage, search engine, and new tab page to their original state, clearing any persistent malicious configurations left behind by the adware.

Answer

Reinstall the operating system

Answer

Run a disk cleanup utility

Answer

Update the antivirus definitions and scan again

Question 15

A company's IT policy requires that all wireless connections use certificate-based authentication to prevent unauthorized access. The network is currently using WPA2-PSK. Which configuration change is necessary to meet this policy?

Accepted Answer

Switch to WPA2-Enterprise and configure a RADIUS server.. The policy requires certificate-based authentication, which is a feature of WPA2-Enterprise (802.1X). WPA2-Enterprise uses a RADIUS server to validate certificates and authenticate users individually, replacing the pre-shared key (PSK) model. This meets the requirement for certificate-based authentication to prevent unauthorized access.

Answer

Enable MAC address filtering on the access point.

Answer

Upgrade to WPA3-Personal.

Answer

Change the encryption from AES to TKIP.