CompTIA IT Fundamentals+ (ITF+) Exam Syllabus

1. ASCII
2. Unicode

1. Integers
2. Floats

- Boolean

1. Trademarks
2. Copyright
3. Patents

- Digital products
- Data-driven business decisions

1. Data capture and collection
2. Data correlation
3. Meaningful reporting

1. Bit
2. Byte
3. KB
4. MB
5. GB
6. TB
7. PB

- Throughput unit

1. bps
2. Kbps
3. Mbps
4. Gbps
5. Tbps

- Processing speed

1. MHz
2. GHz

1. Gather information
2. Duplicate the problem, if possible
3. Question users
4. Identify symptoms
5. Determine if anything has changed
6. Approach multiple problems individually

- Establish a theory of probable cause

1. Question the obvious
2. Consider multiple approaches
3. Divide and conquer

- Test the theory to determine the cause

1. Once the theory is confirmed (confirmed root cause), determine the next steps to resolve the problem
2. If the theory is not confirmed, establish a new theory or escalate

- Establish a plan of action to resolve the problem and identify potential effects
- Implement the solution or escalate as necessary
- Verify full system functionality and, if applicable, implement preventive measures
- Document findings/lessons learned, actions, and outcomes

1. Wired
   - Telephone connector (RJ-11)
   - Ethernet connector (RJ-45)
2. Wireless
   - Bluetooth
   - NFC

- Peripheral device

1. USB
2. FireWire
3. Thunderbolt
4. Bluetooth
5. RF

- Graphic device

1. VGA
2. HDMI
3. DVI
4. DisplayPort
5. Mini DisplayPort

1. Printer
2. Scanner
3. Keyboard
4. Mouse
5. Camera
6. External hard drive
7. Speakers
8. Display

- Installation types

1. Plug-and-play vs. driver installation
2. Other required steps
3. IP-based peripherals
4. Web-based configuration steps

1. ARM
   - Mobile phone
   - Tablet
2. 32-bit
   - Laptop
   - Workstation
   - Server
3. 64-bit
   - Laptop
   - Workstation
   - Server

- Storage

1. Hard drive
2. SSD

- GPU
- Cooling
- NIC

1. Wired vs. wireless
2. On-board vs. add-on card

1. Radio frequency
2. Satellite
3. Cellular

1. RAM
2. Hard drive
   - Solid state vs. spinning disk
3. Optical
4. Flash drive

- Local network storage types

1. NAS
2. File server

- Cloud storage service

1. Home appliances
2. Home automation devices
   - Thermostats
   - Security systems
3. Modern cars
4. IP cameras
5. Streaming media devices
6. Medical devices

1. Basics of packet transmission
2. DNS
   - URL-to-IP translation
3. LAN vs. WAN

- Device addresses

1. IP address
2. MAC address

- Basic protocols

1. HTTP/S
2. POP3
3. IMAP
4. SMTP

- Devices

1. Modem
2. Router
3. Switch
4. Access point
5. Firewall

1. Older vs. newer standards
2. Speed limitations
3. Interference and attenuation factors

- Best practices

1. Change SSID
2. Change default password
3. Encrypted vs. unencrypted
   - Open
   a) Captive portal
   - WEP
   - WPA
   - WPA2

1. Kill process/end task

- Application management
- Memory management
- Device management
- Access control/protection
- Types of OS

1. Mobile device OS
2. Workstation OS
3. Server OS
4. Embedded OS
   - Firmware
5. Hypervisor (Type 1)

1. File systems
   - NTFS
   - FAT32
   - HFS
   - Ext4

- Features

1. Compression
2. Encryption
3. Permissions
4. Journaling
5. Limitations
6. Naming rules

- File management

1. Folders/directories
2. File types and extensions
3. Permissions

- Services
- Processes
- Drivers
- Utilities

1. Task scheduling

- Interfaces

1. Console/command line
2. GUI

1. Word processing software
2. Spreadsheet software
3. Presentation software
4. Web browser
5. Visual diagramming software

- Collaboration software

1. Email client
2. Conferencing software
3. Instant messaging software
4. Online workspace
5. Document sharing

- Business software

1. Database software
2. Project management software
3. Business-specific applications
4. Accounting software

1. Locally installed
   - Network not required
   - Application exists locally
   - Files saved locally
2. Local network hosted
   - Network required
   - Internet access not required
3. Cloud hosted
   - Internet access required
   - Service required
   - Files saved in the cloud

- Application architecture models

1. One tier
2. Two tier
3. Three tier
4. n-tier

1. Add
2. Remove
3. Enable/disable

- Private browsing
- Proxy settings
- Certificates

1. Valid
2. Invalid

- Popup blockers
- Script blockers
- Compatible browser for application(s)

1. Compatibility concerns

- Licensing

1. Single use
2. Group use/site license
3. Concurrent license
4. Open source vs. proprietary
5. Subscription vs. one-time purchase
6. Product keys and serial numbers

- Software installation best practices

1. Reading instructions
2. Reading agreements
3. Advanced options

1. Scripting languages
2. Scripted languages
3. Markup languages

- Compiled programming languages
- Query languages
- Assembly language

1. Pseudocode concepts
2. Flow-chart concepts
   - Sequence

- Logic components

1. Branching
2. Looping

1. Variables
2. Constants

- Containers

1. Arrays
2. Vectors

- Functions
- Objects

1. Properties
2. Attributes
3. Methods

1. Create
2. Import/input
3. Query
4. Reports

- Flat file vs. database

1. Multiple concurrent users
2. Scalability
3. Speed
4. Variety of data

- Records
- Storage

1. Data persistence

1. Schema
2. Tables
   - Rows/records
3. Fields/columns
   - Primary key
   - Foreign key
4. Constraints

- Non-relational databases

1. Key/value databases
2. Document databases

1. Data manipulation
   - Select
   - Insert
   - Delete
   - Update
2. Data definition
   - Create
   - Alter
   - Drop
   - Permissions

- Database access methods

1. Direct/manual access
2. Programmatic access
3. User interface/utility access
4. Query/report builders

- Export/import

1. Database dump
2. Backup

1. Snooping
2. Eavesdropping
3. Wiretapping
4. Social engineering
5. Dumpster diving

- Integrity concerns

1. Man-in-the-middle
2. Replay attack
3. Impersonation
4. Unauthorized information alteration

- Availability concerns

1. Denial of service
2. Power outage
3. Hardware failure
4. Destruction
5. Service outage

1. Antivirus/Anti-malware
2. Host firewall
3. Changing default passwords
4. Enabling passwords
5. Safe browsing practices
6. Patching/updates

- Device use best practices

1. Software sources
   - Validating legitimate sources
   - Researching legitimate sources
   - OEM websites vs. third-party websites
2. Removal of unwanted software
3. Removal of unnecessary software
4. Removal of malicious software

1. The Internet
   - Social networking sites
   - Email
   - File sharing
   - Instant messaging
2. Mobile applications
3. Desktop software
4. Business software
5. Corporate network

- Written policies and procedures
- Handling of confidential information

1. Passwords
2. Personal information
3. Customer information
4. Company confidential information

1. Single factor
2. Multifactor
3. Examples of factors
   - Password
   - PIN
   - One-time password
   - Software token
   - Hardware token
   - Biometrics
   - Specific location
   - Security questions
4. Single sign-on

- Authorization

1. Permissions
2. Least privilege model
3. Role-based access
   - User account types
4. Rule-based access
5. Mandatory access controls
6. Discretionary access controls

- Accounting

1. Logs
2. Tracking
3. Web browser history

- Non-repudiation

1. Video
2. Biometrics
3. Signature
4. Receipt

1. File level
2. Disk level
3. Mobile device

- Data in transit

1. Email
2. HTTPS
3. VPN
4. Mobile application

1. Replication
2. Redundancy
   - Data
   - Network
   - Power
3. Backup considerations
   - Data
   a) File backups
   b) Critical data
   c) Database
   d) OS backups
   - Location
   a) Stored locally
   b) Cloud storage
   c) On-site vs. off-site
4. Contingency plan

- Disaster recovery

1. Data restoration
2. Prioritization
3. Restoring access