TechKnowSurge
CompTIA Security+ 4.2 NIST 800-53 PE-20 NIST 800-53 CM-8
InteractiveSecurityFree

Pick the Tracking Method

A stolen laptop in another city, pallets passing a dock door, a rogue access point, a flagged laptop's owner: which tracking method answers it?

⚑ Complete this interactive to capture a CTF flag worth 5 points.

About this interactive

The Monitoring and Asset Tracking lesson gives each method a job. Inventory count: take the list of assets, such as the printout from accounting, and go and find each one to make sure it is accounted for. Asset tags, barcodes and QR codes make this faster, because you scan the tag and it is checked off the list. GPS positioning: find where an asset is, anywhere in the world, at the time you ask. Checkpoint scans: RFID tags and barcodes read at set points, such as a dock door or the stops along a shipping route. Each scan is logged, so you know when the item passed that point. Network scan: assets can end up on the network without anyone tracking them, such as a laptop bought outside the process, a personal phone or a rogue access point. Scanning the network finds the devices on it, and enumeration (with port scanning) tells you more about each one, such as what kind of device it is and which ports are open. Asset database lookup: the database records each asset and its owner. When the anti-malware dashboard flags a laptop, or an employee leaves, the database tells you whose it is. A quick test for each card: are you counting what you have, finding where something is now, logging it at a fixed point, finding what you did not know about, or finding whose it is?

What you'll learn

Aligned to

CompTIA Security+
4.2 Explain the security implications of proper hardware, software, and data asset management.
NIST 800-53
PE-20 Asset Monitoring and Tracking
CM-8 System Component Inventory

Key terms

Inventory
A documented list of an organization's assets used to track and account for each item's location and status.
GPS Positioning
GPS
A satellite-based navigation technology used to determine and track the real-time geographic location of an asset anywhere in the world.
Radio Frequency Identification
RFID
Radio Frequency Identification uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects or embedded in access cards; in physical security, RFID cloning and eavesdropping attacks can allow unauthorized facility access.
Network Scanning
The process of probing a network to discover connected devices and identify assets that may be untracked or unauthorized.
Asset Tag
A physical label affixed to IT equipment containing an identifier used to track and inventory organizational assets.
Barcode
A machine-readable optical label containing encoded data used to identify and track assets during inventory or shipping.
Network Enumeration
The process of actively probing a network to discover hosts, open ports, running services, and operating system details in order to map the attack surface.
Port Scanning
A technique used to discover open ports and services available on a networked device.

Topics

Asset Management Asset Tracking Network Scanning Interactive Categorize

About TechKnowSurge

TechKnowSurge builds IT and cybersecurity professionals through hands-on, concept-first training built around real understanding — not memorization. Free interactive tools, structured programs, and 25+ years of real-world experience, all in one place.

Explore free tools and programs →