Digital Forensics: Network Security Architecture and Cryptographic Protocols
Published:
Questions
30
Duration
30 min
Faculty-reviewed
0
Updated
20 May 2026
About this mock
This FACT-aligned mock test exercises the network security architecture and cryptographic protocols block of the digital forensics syllabus. Thirty single-best-answer questions sweep IPSec including AH (RFC 4302), ESP (RFC 4303), transport versus tunnel mode, and IKEv2 (RFC 7296). It covers VPN families from PPTP, deprecated since the MS-CHAPv2 break of 2012, through L2TP over IPSec, OpenVPN, and modern WireGuard, and contrasts site-to-site with remote-access deployments. Firewall types from packet filtering through stateful inspection to next-generation firewalls appear alongside the default-deny philosophy of NIST SP 800-41 and the DMZ or screened-subnet pattern. IDS versus IPS, signature-based versus anomaly-based detection, password storage under bcrypt, scrypt, and Argon2, the EAP family with EAP-TLS and PEAP, Kerberos with its AS, TGS, and KDC roles under RFC 4120, X.509 certificate fields under RFC 5280, and LDAP distinguished names under RFC 4514 round out the authentication and directory block.
This mock is intended for MSc and BSc forensic science aspirants targeting the FACT entrance examination and for working professionals preparing for CISSP, Security+, or CHFI papers. The Indian PKI material covering the Controller of Certifying Authorities under Section 17 of the IT Act 2000 and Class 3 Digital Signature Certificates is included.
Topics covered:
- IPSec architecture: AH, ESP, IKEv2 and transport versus tunnel mode
- VPN protocols and topologies including PPTP, L2TP over IPSec, OpenVPN, WireGuard
- Firewall design, default-deny policy, DMZ and IDS versus IPS
- Password storage, the EAP family, Kerberos AS-TGS-KDC and LDAP DN structure
- Digital signatures, X.509 fields and PKI components CA, RA, CRL, OCSP
- CCA India and Digital Signature Certificates under the IT Act 2000
- TLS 1.3, the TLS handshake, Secure Electronic Transaction and HSTS
- 802.1X NAC, multi-factor authentication and Zero Trust under NIST SP 800-207
Use this set as a calibration exercise before attempting full-length FACT digital forensics papers. Allow 30 minutes.
Sources & references
Questions in this mock are written and verified against the following sources. Citations are recorded per question and shown in the explanation after submission.
- cited in 7 questions
Stallings, William
Cryptography and Network Security: Principles and Practice, 7th Edition, Chapter on Electronic Payment Security
- cited in 2 questions
- cited in 2 questions
NIST SP 800-41 Revision 1
Guidelines on Firewalls and Firewall Policy (2009), Section on Policy Design
Open source - cited in 1 question
NIST SP 800-92
Guide to Computer Security Log Management, Sections on Log Aggregation and Correlation
Open source - cited in 1 question
NIST SP 800-63B
Digital Identity Guidelines: Authentication and Lifecycle Management, Section on Authenticator Types
Open source - cited in 1 question
- cited in 1 question
Information Technology Act, 2000
Section 17 on the Controller of Certifying Authorities; Section 35 on Issuance of DSC
Open source - cited in 1 question
- cited in 1 question
- cited in 1 question
- cited in 1 question
Tanenbaum, Andrew S.; Wetherall, David J.
Computer Networks, 5th Edition (Pearson), Chapter on Network Security and Virtual Private Networks
- cited in 1 question
- cited in 1 question
IETF RFC 4862
IPv6 Stateless Address Autoconfiguration, Section on Router Advertisement Processing
Open source - cited in 1 question
Kurose, James F.; Ross, Keith W.
Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach, 7th Edition (Pearson), Chapter on Network Security and IPSec
- cited in 1 question
IETF RFC 5246
The Transport Layer Security (TLS) Protocol Version 1.2, Section on the Handshake Protocol
Open source - cited in 1 question
- cited in 1 question
- cited in 1 question
NIST FIPS PUB 180-4
Secure Hash Standard (SHS) defining the SHA-2 family including SHA-256
Open source - cited in 1 question
- cited in 1 question
NIST SP 800-94
Guide to Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS), Section on Detection vs Prevention
Open source - cited in 1 question
OWASP Foundation
OWASP Password Storage Cheatsheet, Sections on Argon2, bcrypt, scrypt and Salting
Open source - cited in 1 question
IETF RFC 4120
The Kerberos Network Authentication Service (V5), Section on the Key Distribution Centre
Open source
How our mocks are built
Questions are written and edited by the ForensicSpot team and cited from peer-reviewed forensic textbooks, official syllabi and primary case law. Each one is verified before publishing. Detailed explanations show after you submit, so the test stays a real test. See a mistake? Tell us.
Common questions
What does the Digital Forensics: Network Security Architecture and Cryptographic Protocols mock cover?+
This FACT-aligned mock test exercises the network security architecture and cryptographic protocols block of the digital forensics syllabus. Thirty single-best-answer questions sweep IPSec including AH (RFC 4302), ESP (RFC 4303), transport versus tunnel mode, and IKEv2 (RFC 7296). It covers VPN families from PPTP, deprecated since the MS-CHAPv2 break of 2012, through L2TP over IPSec, OpenVPN, and modern WireGuard, and contrasts site-to-site with remote-access deployments. Firewall types from pac
How many questions and how long is the test?+
30 multiple-choice questions, 30 minutes total. Difficulty: easy. Tier: Premium.
Who is this mock for?+
Forensic science students and aspirants who want timed, exam-style practice with explanations and verified source citations on Digital Forensics, FACT. Useful for postgraduate entrance preparation and for BSc / MSc forensic students testing their recall under time.
Are the questions reviewed?+
Each question carries a verified source citation. Faculty review for individual questions is in progress.
Do I need an account to take this mock?+
Yes, a free ForensicSpot account is required to start a timed attempt — this lets you save progress, see per-question explanations after submission, and track your topic-level performance over time.