Identifying Initial Exploits | Network Vulnerabilities
Question
A security analyst wants to identify which vulnerabilities a potential attacker might initially exploit if the network is compromised.
Which of the following would provide the BEST results?
Answers
Explanations
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A. B. C. D.B.
Of the given options, the BEST way for a security analyst to identify which vulnerabilities a potential attacker might initially exploit if the network is compromised is through an external penetration test.
An external penetration test involves simulating an attack on a network from an external perspective, attempting to gain unauthorized access to the network's resources. This test can help identify vulnerabilities in the network that could be exploited by an attacker. It provides a real-world scenario that evaluates the network's security posture and can give insight into how an attacker might gain access to the network.
Baseline configuration assessment involves checking if the system is configured to a known good standard or baseline, which helps identify deviations from the standard. This test can provide information on whether the system has been tampered with, but it may not identify vulnerabilities that can be exploited by an attacker.
An uncredentialed scan is a vulnerability scan that does not require authentication to the system. It scans the network for known vulnerabilities but may not detect all vulnerabilities, as it cannot assess vulnerabilities that require authentication to the system.
A network ping sweep involves sending ICMP packets to a range of IP addresses to identify active hosts on the network. This test can help identify systems that are online and responding, but it does not identify vulnerabilities that an attacker could exploit.
In summary, an external penetration test would be the BEST option to identify vulnerabilities that an attacker could initially exploit if the network is compromised.
