Explore 100 cybersecurity basics MCQs with correct answers. Ideal for students, exams, interviews, and beginners to understand core cybersecurity concepts easily. Cybersecurity has become a critical skill in today’s digital world, where cyber threats such as malware, phishing, ransomware, and data breaches are increasing rapidly. Understanding the fundamentals of cybersecurity is essential for students, IT professionals, and anyone who uses the internet. This collection of 100 Cybersecurity Basics MCQs with correct answers is designed to help learners strengthen their knowledge of core cybersecurity concepts, including network security, information security, online safety, and cyber awareness. These multiple-choice questions are ideal for exam preparation, competitive tests, interviews, and self-assessment, making them a valuable resource for beginners as well as those looking to refresh their cybersecurity fundamentals.
Here are 100 MCQs on the topic “Cybersecurity Basics” with correct answers, written clearly and in sequence.
Cybersecurity Basics – 100 MCQs
1. What is cybersecurity?
A. Protecting hardware only
B. Protecting software only
C. Protecting systems, networks, and data from attacks
D. Writing computer programs
Answer: C
2. Which of the following is a cyber threat?
A. Firewall
B. Antivirus
C. Malware
D. Backup
Answer: C
3. What does malware stand for?
A. Malicious Software
B. Managed Hardware
C. Manual Software
D. Machine Language
Answer: A
4. Which malware replicates itself and spreads automatically?
A. Trojan
B. Spyware
C. Worm
D. Adware
Answer: C
5. What is a computer virus?
A. A hardware defect
B. A self-replicating malicious program
C. A firewall
D. An antivirus tool
Answer: B
6. What is phishing?
A. Physical theft
B. Network monitoring
C. Trick to steal sensitive information
D. Data backup
Answer: C
7. Which is a common phishing method?
A. Fake emails
B. Antivirus scan
C. Software update
D. Encryption
Answer: A
8. What does a firewall do?
A. Deletes viruses
B. Filters network traffic
C. Creates backups
D. Encrypts files
Answer: B
9. What is encryption?
A. Deleting data
B. Converting data into unreadable form
C. Copying data
D. Sharing data
Answer: B
10. What does “CIA” stand for in cybersecurity?
A. Central Intelligence Agency
B. Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability
C. Computer Internet Access
D. Cyber Intelligence Agency
Answer: B
11. Which ensures data is not altered?
A. Confidentiality
B. Availability
C. Integrity
D. Authentication
Answer: C
12. Which ensures data is accessible when needed?
A. Integrity
B. Availability
C. Confidentiality
D. Authorization
Answer: B
13. What is authentication?
A. Data encryption
B. Verifying user identity
C. Blocking attacks
D. Storing data
Answer: B
14. Which is an example of authentication?
A. Firewall
B. Password
C. Backup
D. Encryption key
Answer: B
15. What is a strong password?
A. Short and simple
B. Only numbers
C. Long with letters, numbers, and symbols
D. Your name
Answer: C
16. What is two-factor authentication (2FA)?
A. Two passwords
B. Password plus another verification
C. Two usernames
D. Two firewalls
Answer: B
17. What is spyware?
A. Software that protects systems
B. Software that spies on user activity
C. Software that cleans viruses
D. Software for backup
Answer: B
18. What is ransomware?
A. Software that steals passwords
B. Software that shows ads
C. Software that locks data for ransom
D. Software that speeds up systems
Answer: C
19. Which device commonly connects networks securely?
A. Switch
B. Router
C. Firewall
D. Hub
Answer: C
20. What is a data breach?
A. Data deletion
B. Unauthorized access to data
C. Data backup
D. Data encryption
Answer: B
21. What is social engineering?
A. Network programming
B. Manipulating people to reveal information
C. Data encryption
D. Virus removal
Answer: B
22. Which is an example of social engineering?
A. Phishing email
B. Firewall rule
C. Antivirus update
D. Data backup
Answer: A
23. What is a Trojan horse?
A. Hardware attack
B. Legitimate-looking malicious software
C. Antivirus tool
D. Network protocol
Answer: B
24. What does VPN stand for?
A. Virtual Private Network
B. Verified Public Network
C. Virtual Protection Node
D. Visual Private Network
Answer: A
25. Why is a VPN used?
A. Increase speed
B. Hide IP and encrypt traffic
C. Remove malware
D. Block websites
Answer: B
26. What is an IP address?
A. Password
B. Device identifier on a network
C. Antivirus tool
D. Firewall rule
Answer: B
27. Which attack overwhelms a system with traffic?
A. Phishing
B. DoS
C. Spyware
D. Trojan
Answer: B
28. What does DoS stand for?
A. Data over System
B. Denial of Service
C. Device on Server
D. Digital Operating System
Answer: B
29. What is DDoS?
A. Distributed Denial of Service
B. Data Driven Operating System
C. Direct Data Security
D. Digital Defense Operation
Answer: A
30. Which software protects against malware?
A. Firewall
B. Antivirus
C. VPN
D. Router
Answer: B
31. What is patching?
A. Data deletion
B. Updating software to fix vulnerabilities
C. Encrypting files
D. Blocking websites
Answer: B
32. What is a vulnerability?
A. Strong password
B. Security weakness
C. Antivirus tool
D. Firewall rule
Answer: B
33. What is a zero-day attack?
A. Old attack
B. Attack on unknown vulnerability
C. Physical attack
D. Password attack
Answer: B
34. What is brute force attack?
A. Physical force
B. Guessing passwords repeatedly
C. Network monitoring
D. Data backup
Answer: B
35. What is access control?
A. Antivirus scan
B. Restricting user permissions
C. Data backup
D. Encryption method
Answer: B
36. What does HTTPS provide?
A. Faster internet
B. Encrypted web communication
C. Free access
D. Malware protection
Answer: B
37. Which symbol shows a secure website?
A. Lock icon
B. Star
C. Triangle
D. Arrow
Answer: A
38. What is backup?
A. Virus removal
B. Copy of data for recovery
C. Encryption
D. Authentication
Answer: B
39. Why are backups important?
A. Increase speed
B. Recover from data loss
C. Remove viruses
D. Block hackers
Answer: B
40. What is incident response?
A. Data storage
B. Handling security breaches
C. Software update
D. Network setup
Answer: B
41. What is cybersecurity awareness?
A. Software installation
B. Knowledge of cyber threats
C. Data encryption
D. Network speed
Answer: B
42. What is endpoint security?
A. Server protection
B. Protecting user devices
C. Network cables
D. Cloud storage
Answer: B
43. What is cloud security?
A. Weather monitoring
B. Protecting cloud-based data
C. Antivirus software
D. Network routing
Answer: B
44. What is a security policy?
A. Software tool
B. Rules for protecting information
C. Hardware device
D. Antivirus update
Answer: B
45. What is user authorization?
A. Identity verification
B. Granting access rights
C. Data encryption
D. Malware scanning
Answer: B
46. Which is the safest email practice?
A. Open all attachments
B. Click unknown links
C. Verify sender before clicking
D. Share passwords
Answer: C
47. What is insider threat?
A. External hacker
B. Threat from within organization
C. Virus attack
D. Network failure
Answer: B
48. What is cybercrime?
A. Legal computing
B. Crime using computers and networks
C. Software development
D. Data storage
Answer: B
49. What is identity theft?
A. Password reset
B. Stealing personal information
C. Data backup
D. Network monitoring
Answer: B
50. Which practice improves security most?
A. Sharing passwords
B. Using strong passwords
C. Ignoring updates
D. Disabling firewall
Answer: B
51. What is a botnet?
A. Secure network
B. Network of infected computers
C. Antivirus tool
D. Firewall system
Answer: B
52. What is keylogging?
A. Keyboard cleaning
B. Recording keystrokes secretly
C. Password encryption
D. Firewall filtering
Answer: B
53. What is spam?
A. Useful email
B. Unwanted messages
C. Encrypted data
D. Secure mail
Answer: B
54. What is cyber hygiene?
A. Cleaning hardware
B. Safe online practices
C. Data encryption
D. Network routing
Answer: B
55. Which is a secure practice?
A. Using public Wi-Fi without VPN
B. Regular software updates
C. Sharing credentials
D. Ignoring alerts
Answer: B
56. What is data privacy?
A. Data speed
B. Protection of personal information
C. Data deletion
D. Network routing
Answer: B
57. What is penetration testing?
A. Data encryption
B. Simulated cyber attack testing
C. Malware installation
D. Network monitoring
Answer: B
58. What is a digital certificate?
A. Password
B. Proof of website identity
C. Antivirus tool
D. Firewall rule
Answer: B
59. Which attack targets human behavior?
A. Malware
B. Social engineering
C. DDoS
D. Brute force
Answer: B
60. What is least privilege principle?
A. Full access for all
B. Minimum access needed
C. No access
D. Guest access
Answer: B
61. What is data loss prevention (DLP)?
A. Virus removal
B. Preventing unauthorized data sharing
C. Network routing
D. Password cracking
Answer: B
62. What is biometric authentication?
A. Password
B. Fingerprint or face recognition
C. Firewall
D. Antivirus
Answer: B
63. What is cyber espionage?
A. Data backup
B. Stealing confidential information
C. Malware removal
D. Network setup
Answer: B
64. What is a secure network?
A. Fast network
B. Protected against unauthorized access
C. Public network
D. Open network
Answer: B
65. What is threat detection?
A. Virus creation
B. Identifying cyber threats
C. Data encryption
D. Network routing
Answer: B
66. What is system hardening?
A. Making system faster
B. Reducing vulnerabilities
C. Installing games
D. Increasing storage
Answer: B
67. What is patch management?
A. Removing software
B. Managing software updates
C. Network setup
D. Antivirus scan
Answer: B
68. What is cyber resilience?
A. Speed recovery after attack
B. Prevent all attacks
C. Ignore attacks
D. Disable systems
Answer: A
69. What is threat intelligence?
A. Password list
B. Information about threats
C. Firewall rule
D. Antivirus update
Answer: B
70. What is digital forensics?
A. Data encryption
B. Investigating cyber incidents
C. Network routing
D. Software development
Answer: B
71. What is secure browsing?
A. Using any website
B. Avoiding unsafe sites
C. Downloading files
D. Sharing data
Answer: B
72. What is malware detection?
A. Malware creation
B. Identifying malicious software
C. Software installation
D. Data backup
Answer: B
73. What is an exploit?
A. Security fix
B. Code that uses a vulnerability
C. Antivirus tool
D. Firewall
Answer: B
74. What is cyber safety?
A. Physical safety
B. Safe use of digital technology
C. Network routing
D. Data deletion
Answer: B
75. What is secure authentication?
A. Weak passwords
B. Multi-factor verification
C. No password
D. Public access
Answer: B
76. What is malware removal?
A. Malware creation
B. Cleaning infected systems
C. Network routing
D. Data encryption
Answer: B
77. What is information security?
A. Data speed
B. Protecting information assets
C. Software development
D. Hardware design
Answer: B
78. What is cyber risk?
A. Network speed
B. Potential for cyber harm
C. Data backup
D. Encryption method
Answer: B
79. What is a secure password policy?
A. Same password for all
B. Regular password changes
C. Short passwords
D. No passwords
Answer: B
80. What is malicious intent?
A. Helpful action
B. Harmful purpose
C. Legal activity
D. Data protection
Answer: B
81. What is threat mitigation?
A. Creating threats
B. Reducing threat impact
C. Ignoring threats
D. Sharing threats
Answer: B
82. What is network security?
A. Network speed
B. Protecting network infrastructure
C. Hardware repair
D. Data backup
Answer: B
83. What is a secure system?
A. Fast system
B. Protected against attacks
C. Open system
D. Public system
Answer: B
84. What is cyber defense?
A. Offensive attack
B. Protecting against cyber threats
C. Network routing
D. Data storage
Answer: B
85. What is malware prevention?
A. Installing malware
B. Using security tools
C. Sharing files
D. Disabling antivirus
Answer: B
86. What is security monitoring?
A. Watching movies
B. Observing systems for threats
C. Network routing
D. Data deletion
Answer: B
87. What is cyber awareness training?
A. Software update
B. Educating users on cyber risks
C. Hardware setup
D. Data encryption
Answer: B
88. What is password management?
A. Sharing passwords
B. Secure handling of passwords
C. Ignoring passwords
D. Deleting passwords
Answer: B
89. What is data protection?
A. Data sharing
B. Safeguarding data
C. Data deletion
D. Data transfer
Answer: B
90. What is cyber ethics?
A. Illegal hacking
B. Responsible use of technology
C. Data theft
D. Malware creation
Answer: B
91. What is secure configuration?
A. Default settings
B. Safe system settings
C. Fast settings
D. Public settings
Answer: B
92. What is cyber compliance?
A. Breaking rules
B. Following security laws
C. Ignoring policies
D. Sharing data
Answer: B
93. What is security awareness?
A. Ignoring threats
B. Understanding cyber risks
C. Installing software
D. Network routing
Answer: B
94. What is cyber protection?
A. Data deletion
B. Preventing cyber attacks
C. Network routing
D. Hardware repair
Answer: B
95. What is digital security?
A. Physical locks
B. Protecting digital assets
C. Network speed
D. Data deletion
Answer: B
96. What is online safety?
A. Ignoring risks
B. Safe internet usage
C. Data encryption
D. Network routing
Answer: B
97. What is threat prevention?
A. Allowing threats
B. Stopping attacks before they occur
C. Ignoring threats
D. Sharing threats
Answer: B
98. What is cyber protection plan?
A. Entertainment plan
B. Strategy to secure systems
C. Network speed plan
D. Data backup plan
Answer: B
99. What is security best practice?
A. Weak passwords
B. Regular updates and strong authentication
C. Ignoring threats
D. Sharing data
Answer: B
100. What is the main goal of cybersecurity?
A. Increase internet speed
B. Protect systems and data
C. Share information
D. Disable networks
Answer: B
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