Question

Difficulty: MediumVulnerability Scanning and Assessment

A security analyst is reviewing results from a routine network vulnerability scan targeting internal application servers. The generated report lists open network ports and OS banners, but fails to identify missing operating system patches, misconfigured registry settings, or internal web application vulnerabilities. Which of the following adjustments should the analyst make to resolve these scanning visibility gaps? (Select TWO)

  1. Provide valid administrative credentials to the scanner to perform local host checks.Answer
  2. B
    Configure inline network intrusion prevention system (NIPS) signatures to automatically remediate missing host patches.
  3. Run an authenticated web application vulnerability scan targeted at inspecting dynamic application code and scripts.Answer
  4. D
    Reclassify the scanner IP address within perimeter firewalls to function as a detective compensating control.

Answer

The analyst should provide valid administrative credentials for host-level checks and execute an authenticated web application vulnerability scan.
Uncredentialed network scans can only identify exposed network ports and basic service banners. To detect missing operating system patches and misconfigured registry keys, the scanner requires administrative credentials to perform host-based checks. Similarly, assessing web application vulnerabilities requires dedicated, application-aware scanning techniques to audit client-side scripts and application logic.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the limitation of uncredentialed network scanning
Uncredentialed scans interact only with network-facing services and banners, missing internal OS configurations, missing patches, and hidden application flaws.
Identifying internal system state requires local execution privileges on the target.
2
Select credentialed host auditing and application-layer scanning tools
Administrative credentials enable deep host auditing, while application-focused scanners audit web application logic.
Both methods address distinct visibility gaps identified in the scan report.

Key Concept

Credentialed vs. Uncredentialed Vulnerability Scanning and Web Application Assessment Methods
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