AutoQuiz is edited by Joel Don, ISA's social media community manager.
This automation industry quiz question comes from the ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP) certification program. ISA CAP certification provides a non-biased, third-party, objective assessment and confirmation of an automation professional's skills. The CAP exam is focused on direction, definition, design, development/application, deployment, documentation, and support of systems, software, and equipment used in control systems, manufacturing information systems, systems integration, and operational consulting. Click this link for more information about the CAP program.
a) digital signatures
b) virtual local area network (VLAN)
c) virtual private network (VPN)
d) wired equivalent privacy (WEP)
e) none of the above
Answer A is not correct because digital signatures are encrypted. Information signed, such as a contract or data record, is compressed via a cryptographic one-way function (a hash) into a short bit string.
Answer C is not correct because a virtual private network (VPN) is an encrypted private network that operates as an overlay on a public infrastructure.
Answer D is not correct because Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) is an encryption algorithm for IEEE 802.11 wireless networks, originally intended to provide data confidentiality comparable to a wired network.
The correct answer is B. A virtual local area network (VLAN) is achieved through configuration of Ethernet switches and not encryption. It divides a physical network into smaller logical networks to increase performance, improve manageability, and simplify network design.
Reference: ANSI/ISA-TR99.00.01-2400 Security Technologies for Manufacturing and Control Systems
About the Editor
Joel Don is the community manager for ISA and is an independent content marketing, social media and public relations consultant. Prior to his work in marketing and PR, Joel served as an editor for regional newspapers and national magazines throughout the U.S. He earned a master's degree from the Medill School at Northwestern University with a focus on science, engineering and biomedical communications, and a bachelor of science degree from UC San Diego.