Question

Difficulty: EasyVulnerability Scanning and Assessment

A security technician needs to conduct an internal vulnerability scan across local workstations to accurately audit operating system patch levels and local registry configurations while minimizing network traffic overhead. Which of the following scan methods should the technician select?

  1. Credentialed vulnerability scanAnswer
  2. B
    Non-credentialed vulnerability scan
  3. C
    Intrusive penetration test
  4. D
    Inline web application firewall assessment

Answer

Credentialed vulnerability scan
Credentialed vulnerability scans authenticate directly to the target system using valid user or service credentials. This enables the scanner to inspect internal file versions, installed updates, and registry configurations directly on the host, producing highly accurate results with minimal network traffic.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the goal and constraints of the scanning request
The goal is to inspect local OS patch levels and registry configurations with minimal network bandwidth usage.
Accurate patch and registry checks require internal access to host operating system details.
2
Compare scanning access modes
Credentialed scans utilize user/administrative privileges to query the host locally, whereas non-credentialed scans infer vulnerabilities externally through exposed network ports.
Credentialed scanning provides deeper visibility with significantly fewer probe packets sent over the network.
3
Select the appropriate scanning technique
The credentialed vulnerability scan fulfills all auditing and low-overhead requirements.
It directly accesses internal system information without attempting disruptive exploitation.

Key Concept

Credentialed vs. Non-Credentialed Vulnerability Scanning
Rate this question