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Difficulty: EasyVulnerability Assessment and Security Testing Methods

A security administrator needs to conduct a vulnerability assessment on internal workstations to identify missing operating system patches and software misconfigurations with high accuracy and a minimal false-positive rate. Which of the following testing methods should the administrator perform?

  1. Credentialed vulnerability scanAnswer
  2. B
    Non-credentialed vulnerability scan
  3. C
    Passive network traffic monitoring
  4. D
    Honeypot deployment

Answer

Credentialed vulnerability scan
A credentialed vulnerability scan uses system authentication credentials to access local system resources directly. This allows the scanner to accurately audit missing operating system patches, installed applications, and local security configurations with a very low rate of false positives.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the assessment requirements
The requirement calls for evaluating local endpoint patch levels and system configurations with minimal false positives.
Determining the correct assessment technique depends on the level of system access needed to gather accurate data.
2
Compare authenticated vs. unauthenticated vulnerability scanning methods
Credentialed vulnerability scanning provides authorized local access to inspect host-level settings and installed software details.
Using valid credentials enables the scanner to perform internal checks that produce more reliable and comprehensive results than external network banners.

Key Concept

Credentialed vs. Non-Credentialed Vulnerability Scanning
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Topics

Vulnerability Assessment and Security Testing Methods

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