Question

Difficulty: EasyVulnerability Scanning and Assessment

A security administrator needs to perform a routine vulnerability scan on a critical production database server during business hours. The administrator must maximize detection accuracy for missing operating system patches while ensuring database availability is not impacted. Which of the following scanning practices should the administrator select? (Select TWO.)

  1. Perform a credentialed scan using administrative account privilegesAnswer
  2. Configure the scanner to use non-intrusive scan optionsAnswer
  3. C
    Enable automated exploit verification scripts to validate identified vulnerabilities
  4. D
    Deploy inline packet-filtering firewalls to automatically remediate application-layer vulnerabilities

Answer

The administrator should perform a credentialed scan using administrative account privileges and configure the scanner to use non-intrusive scan options.
Selecting credentialed scanning enables the vulnerability scanner to log into the host and accurately read installed patches and system configurations with minimal network overhead. Pairing this with non-intrusive scan settings ensures the scanner only checks system state against known vulnerability signatures without executing potentially destabilizing exploit code on production systems.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the operational constraints of the scenario
Identified the need for high vulnerability detection accuracy on a live production server without risking service interruption.
Production environments require non-disruptive assessment techniques.
2
Evaluate authentication requirements for scanning
Selected credentialed scanning because authenticating directly to the host provides precise insight into local patch levels and configurations.
Uncredentialed network scans can miss internal local vulnerabilities or misinterpret closed ports.
3
Evaluate impact controls for vulnerability scanning
Selected non-intrusive scanning to ensure checks only inspect signatures and version headers rather than attempting system exploitation.
Intrusive tests or exploit scripts can cause unexpected system crashes on production databases.

Key Concept

Credentialed vs. Non-Intrusive Vulnerability Scanning Configuration
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