CompTIA Exam Questions & Answers 2026 (21–30)

Question 1

What is the primary benefit of retaining audit logs for an extended period in a cybersecurity program?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

To support forensic investigations and incident response. Long-term audit log retention provides historical records that can be analyzed during forensic investigations, incident response activities, and compliance audits, enabling organizations to reconstruct events and gather evidence.

Question 2

The CISO has requested a report identifying which incident response processes need improvement following a recent security incident. What type of document addresses this request?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Lessons learned. A lessons-learned report is produced after an incident to review what went well, what did not, and which processes need improvement. It is a key output of the post-incident activity phase and is used to strengthen future incident response capabilities.

Question 3

Which network device forwards packets across multiple networks and uses routing tables to determine the optimal path to a destination?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Routers. Routers operate at Layer 3 of the OSI model and use routing tables to determine the best path for forwarding packets across different networks. Switches forward frames within a single network based on MAC addresses. Bridges connect two network segments. Hubs broadcast traffic to all connected ports.

Question 4

Under what circumstances is it acceptable to yell at a user?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Never. It is never acceptable to get angry or raise your voice at a customer or user under any circumstances.

Question 5

You are purchasing an inkjet printer cartridge for home use and want an MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) for it. How do you obtain one?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Visit the printer cartridge manufacturer's website.. The MSDS can be downloaded from the manufacturer's website. Retailers are not required to provide one at purchase, and it is not required to be included in packaging. OSHA regulations do allow consumers to obtain MSDS documents, and it is advisable to have them in case of an emergency.

Question 6

Which CPU component handles primary processing operations?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

ALU. The Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) is responsible for performing the primary processing duties within the CPU.

Question 7

A technician cannot find a mechanical reason for a printer failure and asks you to restart the Windows background service that manages the printer queue. What is the name of that service?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Print Spooler. The Print Spooler is the Windows service that manages print job queuing and communication between applications and printers. Restarting it often resolves stalled or unresponsive printing.

Question 8

Which feature built into modern memory modules allows a motherboard to automatically configure memory at the correct speed and latency settings?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

SPD. The Serial Presence Detect (SPD) chip on a memory module stores information about the module's speed, capacity, and latency, enabling the motherboard to configure memory settings correctly at startup.

Question 9

In a client-server network, what mechanism ensures that data from a client application is delivered to the correct server application?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

port number. Port numbers direct client application data to the appropriate server application. Common port numbers such as those used by Telnet, SSH, and SMTP are frequently tested on the CompTIA A+ exam.

Question 10

You are auditing a system that stores credit card data. You notice that the credit card numbers in stored records are partially obscured — for example, only the last four digits are visible. Which data protection technique does this represent?

TheoryPractice · Accepted Answer

Data masking. Data masking replaces sensitive data values with altered or partially hidden versions, allowing records to be used or displayed without exposing the complete sensitive value. Showing only the last four digits of a credit card number is a classic example of data masking. Tokenization replaces the sensitive value with a non-sensitive token that references the original via a secure lookup. Anonymization removes or alters data so it can no longer be linked to an individual.

CompTIA Exam Questions & Answers 2026 (21–30)

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