The Greatest Risk of External Hackers Gaining Access to the Corporate Network

C.

Out of the given vulnerabilities, the one that presents the greatest risk of external hackers gaining access to the corporate network is missing patches on a workstation.

Explanation:

A. Internal hosts running unnecessary services: This vulnerability may expose the system to an attacker if the service has a known vulnerability or if it's a backdoor. However, this vulnerability is not specific to external hackers, and it can be mitigated by disabling unnecessary services, firewalls, or network segmentation.

B. Inadequate logging: While inadequate logging may make it harder to detect and respond to an attack, it does not necessarily increase the risk of external hackers gaining access to the corporate network.

C. Excessive administrative rights to an internal database: This vulnerability may allow an attacker to gain access to sensitive data or modify it. However, it's not specific to external hackers, and it can be mitigated by granting the least privilege necessary and implementing access control policies.

D. Missing patches on a workstation: This vulnerability is a significant risk factor because attackers often exploit known vulnerabilities to gain access to systems. Missing patches may allow attackers to execute code remotely or gain access to sensitive information. In some cases, attackers can use automated tools to scan the network for unpatched systems and exploit them. It's crucial to have a patch management process that ensures timely patching of all systems, especially critical ones such as workstations that are exposed to the internet.

In conclusion, missing patches on a workstation presents the greatest risk of external hackers gaining access to the corporate network, and it's crucial to have a robust patch management process to mitigate this risk.