Common Cyber Security Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Want to be successful in cyber security interviews? Stand out confidently by answering the common questions about enrolling in a cybersecurity training program! Recruiters often seek applicants with good knowledge of cybercrime, analytical capabilities, and ethical hacking skills.

This blog shares a list of the most common cyber security interview questions and sample responses. These computer security interview questions not only help you write compelling answers but also help you get your dream job in the cybersecurity field.

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Basic Level Cyber Security Interview Questions

1. What is cybersecurity and why is It Important?

Importance: The interviewer asks this question to evaluate your understanding of today’s digital world and the role of cybersecurity efforts.

Answer: Cybersecurity addresses theft, damage, and illegal access to computer networks, systems, and data. Protecting private information, avoiding financial losses, and securing vital infrastructure from cyberattacks is essential.

2. What is a Secure Password?

Importance: The interviewer asks this question to examine your understanding of basic cybersecurity hygiene.

Answer: A secure password is long, complicated, and hard to figure out. It consists of a mix of capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Each user account must have a unique combination of these elements.

3. What do you mean by two-factor authentication and why is it important?

Importance: The interviewer asks this question to analyse your knowledge of unauthorised access to accounts.

Answer: Two-factor authentication strengthens security by asking users to provide two separate kinds of verification, usually a password and a temporary code. It is crucial because illegal access is restricted without a second password, even if one password is hacked.

4. What are the distinctions between threat, vulnerability, and risk in cybersecurity?

Importance: The importance of asking this question is to analyse your ability to differentiate cyber cybersecurity concepts.

Answer: Threat: A threat is any possible risk that can take advantage of weaknesses and compromise security.

Vulnerability: Vulnerability is a weakness or hole in security protocols that cybercriminals can use.

Risk: Risk is the likelihood that a threat may take advantage of weakness and can cause possible harm.

Intermediate Level Cyber Security Interview Questions

1. Explain the function of SSL encryption.

Importance: Interviewers ask this question to examine the candidate’s knowledge of web security protocols for protecting sensitive data.

Answer: Secure Sockets Layer or SSL is an encryption protocol that guarantees safe data transfer between a user's web browser and a website server.

2. What is a security audit?

Importance: The interview asks this question to analyse a candidate's knowledge of cybersecurity measures.

Answer: A security audit systematically examines an organisation’s security policies and information systems. This helps to determine their efficacy, spot weaknesses, and suggest enhancements.

3. What do you mean by social engineering? Give an example.

Importance: The interview asks this question to understand your knowledge of actions for malicious purposes.

Answer: People are manipulated by social engineering to share private information or do harmful activities. For example, a cybercriminal calls a user pretending to be from tech support and gathers private information.

4. What is a DDoS attack, and how does it work?

Importance: An interviewer asks this question to gauge candidates’ understanding of technical aspects of ensuring cybersecurity.

Answer: A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack makes a target server or network unavailable to legitimate users by flooding it with excessive traffic from several sources.

5. What is the distinction between an IP address and a Mac address?

Importance: This question is important for analysing a candidate’s understanding of network architecture and device identification.

Answer: An IP address is assigned to locate the device on the network. On the other hand, a MAC address is a distinct serial number that links to each device’s network interface.

Also Read:- Cloud Security Engineer Salary in India: A Comprehensive Guide

Expert Level Cyber Security Interview Questions

1. What is the definition of footprinting in ethical hacking?

Importance: The interviewer asks this question to analyse your knowledge of fundamental concepts of ethical hacking.

Answer: Footprinting is the process of gathering and revealing as much information as possible about the target network before obtaining access to any network. Hackers use this strategy before hacking.

2. What do you mean by network sniffing?

Importance: An interviewer asks this question to evaluate your understanding of identifying harmful network activity.

Answer: A network sniffer tracks data across computer network links to identify network issues by recording and examining packet-level data. This aids in lawful network administration and preventing information theft.

3. Explain digital signature.

Importance: A cybersecurity recruiter often asks this question to gauge a candidate's understanding of data integrity.

Answer: Digital signatures are similar to electronic fingerprints. They use the Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) standard format to verify document signatures and prevent tampering or copying.

4. What kind of information might attackers obtain when they infect a device with a virus?

Importance: Interviewers ask this question to understand the candidates’ knowledge of the results of malware infections.

Answer: A virus can provide someone access to a large amount of private and sensitive data that is saved on a device. They can access the user’s emails, bank account details, and passwords. 

5. Explain the concept of a traceroute.

Importance: The interviewer asks this question to analyse your knowledge of diagnosing connectivity issues.

Answer: A traceroute is a network diagnostic command that aids users in identifying communications failures, determining disconnect causes, and displaying the router’s path.

Final Words

Get a desired employment position by preparing these cyber security interview questions. Enhancing your knowledge through classes and programs is another strategy to get ready for challenging questions about cyber security and ensure you make the finest answers. 

You can opt for an MCA program with a specialisation in cyber security from Amity Online. Apply today to embark on an exciting educational adventure in cyber security!