Cyber Security Technical Interview [CHEATCODES] | Brain dumps

Here is my brain dump of Cyber Security interview questions from the past, after every interview, I wrote down the questions and made up my own for preparation. I hope this helps someone get a job and take care of your family.

Advise for Hiring managers

You should allow the candidate to ask you 3 technical questions in return, too many times, I’ve had technical questions from interviewers who got the answer incorrect. or blast through a list questions. Someone times hiring people get these answers wrong or could not even pass their own interviews.

I would ask experience based question, for a Solution Architect for a Solutions Integrator, give me a example of how you wrote a SOW and the process you went about doing that and pick apart that answer or Explain how you would design X solution?

Take One Day, One Step at a Time.

Some advice; I was recently out of work and going to multiple interviews for Email Security, to Micro segmentation to Identify Architect, If you are in this situation, it is very difficult, as you are doing multiple interviews per day and may need to do multiple technical interviews and even presentations and even proposals and even write code and build environments inside cloud. This is not an ideal situation, getting a job is very difficult. The best way is to apply for a single job and really research exactly the requirements and prepare, which takes allot of investment in time and of course, there is always luck of the draw. So take One day and One step at a time.

Treat technical cybersecurity interviews as an opportunity to demonstrate curiosity, capability, and ongoing development. Show what you build at home, how you learn, and how you contribute to the community. Move beyond a basic home lab and develop projects that reflect practical experience, such as DFIR work, AI security research, community engagement, or technical content creation.

Use platforms like blogs, communities, podcasts, and YouTube to share insights and sharpen your communication skills. Ensure this body of work is visible and easy for hiring managers to understand, so it supports your applications rather than getting overlooked.

Stay focused on solving complex problems, continuous learning, and demonstrating the energy you will bring to a high-performing security team. If an organisation values professionals who actively practise technical cybersecurity and AI, remain open to discussions and new roles.

I found this very useful for Webcam interviews;

Cyber Security Interview Questions

Threat Modelling:	Threat modeling is a systematic approach used to identify, assess, and mitigate potential threats and vulnerabilities in a system, application, or process. It involves analyzing the system’s architecture, identifying potential threats, and evaluating their potential impact. The goal is to proactively identify and address security risks, enabling organizations to design and implement effective security controls.
STRIDE	STRIDE is an acronym that represents different categories of threats used in threat modeling. It stands for: – Spoofing An attacker impersonates a legitimate user or system to gain unauthorized access – Tampering, Unauthorized modification or alteration of data, code, or system components -Repudiation, The inability to prove or disprove an action or event, often used by attackers to deny their involvement. – Information Disclosure: Unauthorized access to sensitive or confidential information. – Denial of Service: Disrupting or disabling the availability or functionality of a system or service. – Elevation of Privilege: An attacker gains unauthorized privileges or elevated access rights. By considering each of these threat categories during threat modeling, organizations can identify potential security weaknesses and develop appropriate countermeasures.
DevSecOps	DevSecOps and SDLC: DevSecOps is an approach that integrates security practices into the software development lifecycle (SDLC) from the beginning, rather than treating security as an afterthought. It emphasizes collaboration between development, operations, and security teams to ensure that security considerations are addressed at every stage of the software development process.
SDLC	The SDLC refers to the series of phases and activities involved in developing software, from conception to retirement. It typically includes requirements gathering, design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance. When security is incorporated into the SDLC, it ensures that security measures are implemented at each stage, reducing vulnerabilities and enhancing overall system security
Security Strategy	A security strategy is a comprehensive plan that outlines an organization’s approach to managing and mitigating security risks. It includes a set of guiding principles, objectives, and measures to protect critical assets, data, and systems. A security strategy typically covers areas such as risk assessment, incident response, access control, threat prevention, and employee awareness and training. The strategy is tailored to the organization’s specific needs, considering factors such as industry regulations, business goals, and the threat landscape. It provides a roadmap for implementing security controls and establishes a framework for ongoing monitoring, evaluation, and improvement of security measures.
BIA	BIA (Business Impact Analysis): Business Impact Analysis is a process used to identify and evaluate the potential impact of a disruption or incident on critical business operations. It assesses the potential financial, operational, and reputational consequences of various events, such as natural disasters, cyber-attacks, or system failures. BIA involves identifying key business processes, determining their criticality and dependencies, and estimating the potential impacts of disruptions, including financial losses, customer dissatisfaction, and regulatory non-compliance. The analysis helps prioritize the allocation of resources for disaster recovery planning, business continuity strategies, and risk mitigation efforts.
Risk Management	Risk management is the process of identifying, assessing, and prioritizing risks to minimize their impact on an organization’s objectives. It involves understanding potential threats and vulnerabilities, analyzing their likelihood and potential impact, and developing strategies to mitigate or transfer the risks. The risk management process typically includes risk identification, risk assessment, risk mitigation planning, risk monitoring, and risk review. It aims to strike a balance between risk reduction and business goals, enabling organizations to make informed decisions and allocate resources effectively to address security threats.
FIRST Method	The FIRST (Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams) method is a framework used for incident response. It provides a structured approach to handling security incidents effectively and efficiently. The FIRST method consists of the following steps:
What is the Kubernetes command line tool, and what does it do?	Kubectl, this allows you to run commands against your Kubernetes clusters
What is a control plane?	The brain of the Kubernetes cluster. It contains several components like the API server, which acts as a gateway to the cluster, the scheduler, which assigns workloads to nodes, and the controller manager, which manages various controllers to maintain desired state of the cluster. Resides on designated node in the cluster
What is the kubectl command to view all CBContainer resources?	kubectl get all -n cbcontainers-dataplane
What are the two K8’s processes that you will find running on all of your K8’s nodes?	Kubeproxy and kubelet
What is a secret in containerization?	A secret refers to a sensitive piece of information or confidential data that is securely stored and managed for use by applications running within containers. Secrets are typically used to handle sensitive information, such as API keys, passwords, or other authentication creden
What are some risks associated with Containers and Kubernetes	Third party image registries -> Attackers target these and insert malicious code- Ephemeral nature of containers- > Makes it more challenging to monitor and detect vulnerabilities- Speed of deployment -> Modern apps are updated rapidly which means that rigorous testing and scanning is required to prevent vulnerabilities in prod environments- Complexity of environments, difficult for any one person to understand it
What Kubernetes hardening rules modules are used to restrict the capabilities of individual programs and containers, confining them to a specific set of permissions and limiting their access to system resources?	Confidential │© Carbon Black7AppArmor, SELinux, SecComp Profile
What is a POD	A pod is the smallest deployable unit in Kubernetes and is the basic building block of the Kubernetes object model. Basically, a pod is a group of one or more containers with shared storage and network resources, and a specification for how to run the containers. Pods run on nodes. If a pod (or the nodes it runs on) fails, Kubernetes can automatically create a new replica of that pod to continue operations. Pods are used for deploying and m
What is a container image?	A container image is a lightweight, standalone, and executable software package that includes everything needed to run a piece of software including code, runtime, libraries, and system tools. It is a static and immutable file, meaning it cannot be changed. A container image has a very basic operating system only to run its application within the container. W
What is a container?	A container is a running instance of a container image. It is a runnable process that encapsulates the application and its dependencies. When a container is started, it runs the code and processes defined in the container image. Container creation also adds a writable layer on top of the container image.
What is the writable layer in a container?	When a container starts, it creates what we call a writable layer. This is also referred to as the container layer. This writable layer, known as the container’s file system, allows processes running inside the container to make changes, create files, modify
Does the writable layer affect the container image	No, the underlying image remains immutable and unchanged. And modifications or changes made within the running container are stored in the writable layer on top of the container image
What are some IRL scenarios where changes would be made to a container’s writable layer?	Confidential │© Carbon Black14Application logs, database data updates, temporary files/caches, configuration overrides, application updates
Explain Email Security	Sure, here are the top 5 email security interview questions with their answers: 1. What are the common types of email attacks, and how can they be mitigated? Answer: Common types of email attacks include phishing, spear-phishing, Business Email Compromise (BEC), and malware distribution. Phishing: Use email filtering solutions to detect and block phishing emails. Educate users about recognizing suspicious emails. Spear-phishing: Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA) and train employees to verify unusual requests, especially those involving financial transactions. Business Email Compromise (BEC): Use email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to prevent email spoofing. Conduct regular security awareness training. Malware distribution: Employ advanced threat protection that includes sandboxing to detect and block malicious attachments and links. 2. How does SPF, DKIM, and DMARC work together to secure email? Answer: SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Validates that the email comes from an authorized server. The domain owner publishes an SPF record specifying which IP addresses are allowed to send emails on its behalf. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a digital signature to emails. This signature allows the recipient’s server to verify that the email was indeed sent by the domain owner and was not altered in transit. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Uses SPF and DKIM to determine the authenticity of an email. Domain owners publish DMARC policies in their DNS records to instruct receiving servers on how to handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks and provide reports on email delivery and authentication statistics. When combined, these protocols help to prevent spoofing and phishing by ensuring that only legitimate emails are delivered. 3. What steps would you take to secure an organization’s email infrastructure? Answer: Implement Email Filtering: Use email security gateways to filter out spam, phishing, and malware. Enable Email Authentication: Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to authenticate email senders. Use Encryption: Ensure emails are encrypted in transit using TLS and, where necessary, use end-to-end encryption. Conduct Security Awareness Training: Educate employees on recognizing phishing attempts and the importance of email security. Regularly Update Systems: Keep email servers and security software up to date with the latest patches. Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Require MFA for email account access to add an extra layer of security. Monitor and Respond: Continuously monitor email traffic for suspicious activity and have an incident response plan in place. 4. What is Business Email Compromise (BEC) and how can organizations protect against it? Answer: Business Email Compromise (BEC) is a type of email attack where attackers impersonate a trusted entity, such as a company executive or business partner, to trick employees into making unauthorized transfers of funds or sensitive data. Protection Measures: User Education: Train employees to recognize and report suspicious emails and verify unusual requests through a different communication channel. Email Authentication: Use SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to prevent email spoofing. MFA: Implement multi-factor authentication for accessing email accounts. Policies and Procedures: Establish and enforce policies for verifying financial and sensitive information requests. Email Filtering: Use advanced threat protection to detect and block BEC attempts. 5. How can an organization handle phishing email incidents? Answer: Identification and Reporting: Ensure employees know how to identify and report phishing emails. Use automated tools to flag suspicious emails. Containment: Immediately block the sender and isolate affected systems to prevent the spread of any potential malware. Investigation: Analyze the phishing email to understand its origin and intent. Check if any sensitive information was compromised. Remediation: Remove the phishing email from all affected mailboxes. Reset passwords and review access logs for any unauthorized activity. Communication: Inform affected users about the incident and provide guidance on how to handle similar threats in the future. Training: Update training programs based on the incident to improve user awareness and response. Review and Improve: Regularly review and update email security policies and technologies to enhance protection against future phishing attempts. These questions and answers should help you prepare for an email security interview effectively. Secure Email Gateways (SEGs) employ various technology methods to secure emails. Here are the top 5: 1. Spam and Phishing Filtering Description: SEGs use advanced algorithms and threat intelligence to detect and block spam and phishing emails. How it works: They analyze email content, sender reputation, and email patterns to identify and quarantine malicious emails before they reach the end-user. 2. Malware Detection and Prevention Description: SEGs incorporate anti-malware engines to scan and block emails containing malicious attachments or links. How it works: They use signature-based detection, heuristic analysis, and sandboxing to identify known and unknown malware threats. 3. Email Encryption Description: Encryption ensures that emails are secure during transit and can only be read by the intended recipient. How it works: SEGs use protocols like TLS (Transport Layer Security) for encrypting emails in transit and may offer end-to-end encryption for highly sensitive communications. 4. Content Filtering and Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Description: SEGs can scan emails for sensitive or confidential information and prevent unauthorized data leaks. How it works: They use predefined policies and content analysis to detect and block emails containing sensitive data like credit card numbers, social security numbers, or proprietary information. 5. Email Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) Description: SEGs support email authentication protocols to verify the legitimacy of email senders and prevent spoofing. How it works: SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Verifies if an email is sent from an authorized IP address. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Uses digital signatures to ensure the email has not been tampered with. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Provides a policy framework for how to handle emails failing SPF or DKIM checks and offers reporting capabilities. These technologies collectively enhance email security by preventing unauthorized access, detecting and blocking threats, and ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of email communications. 6. URL Protection and Link Analysis Description: SEGs provide protection against malicious URLs embedded in emails. How it works: They scan and analyze URLs in real-time to detect and block access to phishing sites or sites hosting malware. This can involve rewriting URLs to route through secure servers that check the destination before allowing users to proceed. Additionally, SEGs often use threat intelligence databases to identify and block known malicious links. 7. Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) Description: ATP involves sophisticated techniques to detect and mitigate advanced email threats such as zero-day exploits, targeted attacks, and other sophisticated malware. How it works: Behavioral Analysis: Monitors the behavior of attachments and links in a sandbox environment to detect malicious activity. Machine Learning: Uses machine learning algorithms to identify and predict new and evolving threats by analyzing patterns and anomalies. Threat Intelligence Integration: Leverages global threat intelligence feeds to stay updated on the latest threats and adapt defenses accordingly. 8. Outbound Email Protection Description: SEGs not only protect incoming emails but also monitor and secure outgoing emails to prevent data leaks and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. How it works: DLP Policies: Apply data loss prevention rules to scan outgoing emails for sensitive or confidential information and take actions such as encryption, blocking, or flagging for review. Content Filtering: Analyze the content of outgoing emails to ensure they do not contain inappropriate or unauthorized information. Compliance Checks: Ensure that outgoing emails adhere to industry regulations and corporate policies, automatically applying necessary actions like encryption or archiving. 9. Attachment Sandboxing and Analysis Description: SEGs employ sandboxing technology to safely execute and analyze email attachments in an isolated environment before they reach the recipient. How it works: Isolated Execution: Attachments are opened and executed in a controlled, virtualized environment (sandbox) to observe their behavior. Behavioral Analysis: Monitors for malicious activities such as unusual system changes, network communications, or attempts to exploit vulnerabilities. Threat Detection: If the attachment exhibits suspicious or harmful behavior, it is blocked or quarantined to prevent it from reaching the end-user. 10. Email Continuity Description: Ensures continuous email flow and access even during outages or failures in the primary email system. How it works: Failover Mechanisms: Automatically redirects email traffic to backup servers or cloud-based systems when the primary email server is down. Email Queueing: Temporarily stores emails in a queue if the destination server is unreachable, delivering them once the server is back online. User Access: Provides users with web-based access to their emails during an outage, allowing them to send and receive messages seamlessly until normal operations are restored. 11. Email Archiving and Retrieval Description: Securely stores and manages email communications for long-term retention and easy retrieval. How it works: Archiving Policies: Automatically archives emails based on predefined policies, such as retention periods, compliance requirements, and specific keywords. Storage Solutions: Uses scalable and secure storage solutions to retain large volumes of email data, ensuring data integrity and accessibility. Search and Retrieval: Provides powerful search tools to quickly locate and retrieve archived emails for legal, compliance, or business purposes, ensuring that critical information is always accessible when needed.
What is the difference between Phishing and Spear Phishing	Spear phishing emails are a more advanced form of phishing. Spear phishing is a specific and targeted attack on one or a select number of victims, while regular phishing attempts to scam masses of people. In spear phishing, scammers often use social engineering and spoofed emails to target specific individuals in an organization. They may impersonate family members, colleagues, or business acquaintances.
How does SPF, DKIM, and DMARC work together to secure email?	SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Validates that the email comes from an authorized server. The domain owner publishes an SPF record specifying which IP addresses are allowed to send emails on its behalf. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Adds a digital signature to emails. This signature allows the recipient’s server to verify that the email was indeed sent by the domain owner and was not altered in transit. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance): Uses SPF and DKIM to determine the authenticity of an email. Domain owners publish DMARC policies in their DNS records to instruct receiving servers on how to handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks and provide reports on email delivery and authentication statistics. Configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC 1. Configuring SPF (Sender Policy Framework) Identify Your Sending IP Addresses: List all IP addresses that are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. Create an SPF Record: Construct an SPF record using the identified IP addresses. The format is typically: v=spf1 ip4:192.0.2.0/24 ip4:198.51.100.123 include:_spf.example.com ~all v=spf1 specifies the SPF version. ip4: and ip6: specify the authorized IP addresses. include: allows including SPF records from other domains. ~all or -all specifies the policy for handling non-compliant emails (~all is soft fail, -all is hard fail). Publish the SPF Record: Add the SPF record as a TXT record in your domain’s DNS settings. 2. Configuring DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) Generate DKIM Keys: Use your email server or a DKIM tool to generate a public and private key pair. Create a DKIM Record: The public key is published in the DNS as a TXT record. The format is: selector._domainkey.example.com IN TXT "v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=publicKey" selector is a unique identifier for the key. v=DKIM1 specifies the DKIM version. k=rsa specifies the key type. p=publicKey is the public key generated earlier. Configure the Mail Server: Configure your email server to sign outgoing emails with the private key. Publish the DKIM Record: Add the DKIM TXT record to your domain’s DNS settings. 3. Configuring DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) Create a DMARC Policy: Define your DMARC policy, which includes the policy for handling emails, reporting options, and alignment modes. The format is: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@example.com; ruf=mailto:forensic-reports@example.com; adkim=s; aspf=s v=DMARC1 specifies the DMARC version. p= specifies the policy (none, quarantine, or reject). rua= specifies the email address for aggregate reports. ruf= specifies the email address for forensic reports. adkim= and aspf= specify the DKIM and SPF alignment modes (s for strict, r for relaxed). Publish the DMARC Record: Add the DMARC record as a TXT record in your domain’s DNS settings at _dmarc.example.com. Example DNS Records SPF Record: example.com. IN TXT "v=spf1 ip4:192.0.2.0/24 include:_spf.example.com ~all" DKIM Record: selector._domainkey.example.com. IN TXT "v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQDmE..." DMARC Record: _dmarc.example.com. IN TXT "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@example.com; ruf=mailto:forensic-reports@example.com; adkim=s; aspf=s" By configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, you can significantly improve your email security, protect against spoofing, and ensure the integrity of your email communications.
Explain Zero Trust Concepts	Least Privileged and Continuous Authorization Never trust, always verify

Explain Email Routing

Questions to ask at the end of interview

1. Could you please explain the reason for this open position and what the company hopes to achieve by filling it?”
2. Can you provide an overview of the team I’ll be working with and how it fits within the larger organization?”
3. What is the onboarding process like for new employees, especially in this position?
4. What opportunities are there for cross-functional work or involvement in projects outside of this immediate team?” , Participating in Marketing Events Speaking Engagements or Building CTF, etc

Other resources

• https://www.deepshankaryadav.net/cyber-security-and-dfir-interview-questions/
• https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/us/security/definition/a
• https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/ccna-interview-questions
• https://www.imperva.com/learn/application-security/
• https://www.crowdstrike.com/cybersecurity-101/
• https://help.zscaler.com/zia
• https://www.hackthebox.com/storage/press/samplereport/sample-penetration-testing-report-template.pdf
• https://www.edureka.co/blog/interview-questions/cybersecurity-interview-questions/

Learning Resources

[1] https://lnkd.in/gkmzQFZ7 Several videos including 2 concerning technical interview questions by Mike Meyers of Total Seminars and Richard Chapman of CyberNow Labs.

[2] https://lnkd.in/g4shgnF8 An article on go-to answers for tricky interview questions; not SOC Analyst specific.

[3] https://lnkd.in/gFWn_TGY 47 Cybersecurity interview questions from Springboard.

[4] https://lnkd.in/gyBN9y_7 50 Cybersecurity interview questions from Edureka.

[5] https://lnkd.in/gUgA2GUQ SOC Analyst interview questions from LetsDefend.

[6] https://lnkd.in/gAAGZHcq What to do before, during, and after an interview from LinkedIn Learning.

[7] https://lnkd.in/gPRKmYd4 I’ve been told I will be asked about OWASP® Foundation Top 10. Here is all you need to answer questions about it from Sucuri Security.

[8] https://lnkd.in/gjdgqE9r A great interview prep resource list courtesy of Will Broom.

[9] https://lnkd.in/g8GV2uuN 12 SOC Analyst interview questions courtesy of  👉🏼 Gerald Auger, Ph.D. Auger, Ph.D. and Simply Cyber.

[10] https://lnkd.in/g5jvXbsM Short, sweet, and great interview advice courtesy of Thrive Global.

[11] https://lnkd.in/gdavh_ni This is a great post covering interview techniques courtesy of David Meece.

[12] https://lnkd.in/g_UhYqCi Some good pre-interview preparation advice courtesy of Josh Fullmer.

Professor Messera – https://www.youtube.com/@professormesser/videos