Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyVulnerability Scanning and Assessment

A systems administrator needs to assess internal enterprise servers for missing operating system patches and local security misconfigurations. To obtain accurate, detailed host inspection results while minimizing false positives and network noise, the administrator must avoid attempting any actual system exploitation. Which of the following scanning approaches best satisfies these requirements?

  1. Credentialed vulnerability scanAnswer
  2. B
    Non-credentialed network scan
  3. C
    Intrusive penetration test
  4. D
    Inline firewall packet analysis

Answer

Credentialed vulnerability scan
The option selecting a credentialed vulnerability scan is correct because providing valid login credentials allows the scanner to log into the host and examine local settings, registry keys, and missing system updates directly. This yields precise findings with minimal false positives and zero risk of causing service outages through exploit execution.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the primary requirements of the scenario
The requirement calls for identifying missing OS patches and local misconfigurations on internal servers accurately, without attempting system exploitation.
Understanding the operational goals separates passive/external checks from deep host-level assessment methods.
2
Evaluate host access requirements for software patch detection
Direct host authentication (using credentials) is required to inspect local system registries, missing security updates, and local settings accurately.
Network-only scans cannot query internal software inventories directly.
3
Select the appropriate non-intrusive vulnerability scanning approach
A credentialed vulnerability scan delivers detailed, low-noise results safely without attempting active exploitation.
Credentialed scanning provides host-level visibility without performing penetration testing attack vectors.

Key Concept

Credentialed vs. Non-Credentialed Vulnerability Scanning
Estimated Time:45s
Rate this question

Topics

Vulnerability Scanning and Assessment

More questions from this topic