A Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) is software that a user may not have knowingly installed. It often gets bundled with legitimate software and installs without full disclosure. PUPs can affect performance, change system settings, or display unwanted ads but are not necessarily malicious like viruses or ransomware.
A). Viruses replicate and spread; they are generally more harmful and not " bundled " in the same way.
B). Ransomware encrypts files for payment and is deliberately malicious.
D). A Trojan disguises itself as legitimate software to perform malicious actions but is not typically pre- bundled by legitimate publishers.
Reference:
CompTIA A+ 220-1102 Objective 2.5: Given a scenario, detect, remove, and prevent malware using appropriate tools and methods.
Study Guide Section: Types of malware - PUPs and bundled software

AVPN (Virtual Private Network)creates a secure tunnel between the clerk's home device and the town server, ensuring private and authenticated access.
FromQuentin Docter - CompTIA A+ Complete Study Guide:
"VPNs are essential for remote access to internal resources, providing secure connections over public networks."

SSO issues are often related to cached session data, cookies, or browser artifacts. The fact that the user can access the company portal but not one specific SaaS tool suggests a session or token problem. Using a private
/incognito browsing window allows a clean session to be initiated, which often resolves SSO conflicts.
A). Reenrolling MFA is not related unless access issues stem from failed multifactor authentication.
C). Bypassing SSO may not be possible depending on the SaaS tool and company policies.
D). Factory resetting a device is a last resort and unnecessary in this case.
Reference:
CompTIA A+ 220-1102 Objective 3.3: Troubleshoot common software, application, and OS security issues.
Study Guide Section: Troubleshooting login and authentication issues, especially with SSO services.

An " OS Not Found " error typically indicates that the computer is attempting to boot from a drive that doesn ' t contain a valid operating system or bootable partition. The presence of a USB drive might be confusing the boot order. Therefore, the first step a technician should take is to verify and adjust the boot sequence in the system's firmware (BIOS or UEFI). It ' s possible that the USB drive is being prioritized over the internal hard drive, which may cause the system to miss the OS entirely.
A). Running data recovery tools is premature before confirming boot order.
B). Repartitioning the disk would destroy existing data-this should not be done until confirmed the OS is actually missing.
D). Switching between UEFI and BIOS (legacy mode) might help in rare cases, but it is not the first step in standard OS boot issue troubleshooting.
Reference:
CompTIA A+ 220-1102 Objective 1.7: Troubleshoot common operating system problems.
Study Guide Section: Boot process and boot order configuration.

After containment and remediation, one of the final steps in incident response is user education. Since the root cause was a phishing attack, it is essential to educate users about identifying phishing attempts, safe browsing practices, and how to handle suspicious communications. This improves overall security posture and helps prevent future incidents.
A). Installing additional tools may be helpful but is a long-term step.
C). Flashing router firmware is not warranted unless the network hardware is known to be compromised.
D). Suggesting more advanced tools might be excessive given that the EDR successfully contained the incident.
Reference:
CompTIA A+ 220-1102 Objective 2.5: Given a scenario, detect, remove, and prevent malware using appropriate tools and methods.
Study Guide Section: Incident response and user education after a security event