A penetration tester needs to evaluate the order in which the next systems will be selected for testing. Given the following output:
Hostname | IP address | CVSS 2.0 | EPSS hrdatabase | 192.168.20.55 | 9.9 | 0.50
financesite | 192.168.15.99 | 8.0 | 0.01
legaldatabase | 192.168.10.2 | 8.2 | 0.60
fileserver | 192.168.125.7 | 7.6 | 0.90
Which of the following targets should the tester select next?
Correct Answer:A
Given the output, the penetration tester should select the fileserver as the next target for testing, considering both CVSS and EPSS scores. Explanation
✑ CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System):
✑ EPSS (Exploit Prediction Scoring System):
✑ Evaluation:
Pentest References:
✑ Prioritization: Balancing between severity (CVSS) and exploitability (EPSS) is crucial for effective vulnerability management.
✑ Risk Assessment: Evaluating both the impact and the likelihood of exploitation helps in making informed decisions about testing priorities.
By selecting the fileserver, which has a high EPSS score, the penetration tester focuses on a target that is more likely to be exploited, thereby addressing the most immediate risk.
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A penetration tester is performing network reconnaissance. The tester wants to gather information about the network without causing detection mechanisms to flag the reconnaissance activities. Which of the following techniques should the tester use?
Correct Answer:A
To gather information about the network without causing detection mechanisms to flag the reconnaissance activities, the penetration tester should use sniffing.
✑ Sniffing:
✑ Advantages:
✑ Comparison with Other Techniques:
Pentest References:
✑ Reconnaissance Phase: Using passive techniques like sniffing during the initial reconnaissance phase helps gather information without alerting the target.
✑ Network Analysis: Understanding the network topology and identifying key assets and vulnerabilities without generating traffic that could trigger alarms.
By using sniffing, the penetration tester can gather detailed information about the network in a stealthy manner, minimizing the risk of detection.
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A penetration tester assesses a complex web application and wants to explore potential security weaknesses by searching for subdomains that might have existed in the past. Which of the following tools should the penetration tester use?
Correct Answer:C
The Wayback Machine is an online tool that archives web pages over time, allowing users
to see how a website looked at various points in its history. This can be extremely useful for penetration testers looking to explore potential security weaknesses by searching for subdomains that might have existed in the past.
✑ Accessing the Wayback Machine:
✑ Navigating Archived Pages:
✑ Identifying Subdomains:
✑ Tool Integration:
✑ Real-World Example:
✑ References from Pentesting Literature: Step-by-Step ExplanationReferences:
✑ HTB Official Writeups
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Which of the following protocols would a penetration tester most likely utilize to exfiltrate data covertly and evade detection?
Correct Answer:D
Covert data exfiltration is a crucial aspect of advanced penetration testing. Penetration testers often need to move data out of a network without being detected by the organization's security monitoring tools. Here's a breakdown of the potential methods and why DNS is the preferred choice for covert data exfiltration:
✑ FTP (File Transfer Protocol) (Option A):
✑ HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) (Option B):
✑ SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) (Option C):
✑ DNS (Domain Name System) (Option D):
Conclusion: DNS tunneling stands out as the most effective method for covert data exfiltration due to its ability to blend in with normal network traffic and avoid detection by conventional security mechanisms. Penetration testers utilize this method to evade scrutiny while exfiltrating data.
During an assessment, a penetration tester manages to get RDP access via a low-privilege user. The tester attempts to escalate privileges by running the following commands:
Import-Module .PrintNightmare.ps1
Invoke-Nightmare -NewUser "hacker" -NewPassword "Password123!" -DriverName "Print"
The tester attempts to further enumerate the host with the new administrative privileges by using the runas command. However, the access level is still low. Which of the following actions should the penetration tester take next?
Correct Answer:A
In the scenario where a penetration tester uses the PrintNightmare exploit to create a new user with administrative privileges but still experiences low-privilege access, the tester should log off and log on with the new "hacker" account to escalate privileges correctly.
✑ PrintNightmare Exploit:
✑ Commands Breakdown:
✑ Issue:
✑ Solution:
Pentest References:
✑ Privilege Escalation: After gaining initial access, escalating privileges is crucial to gain full control over the target system.
✑ Session Management: Understanding how user sessions work and ensuring that new privileges are recognized by starting a new session.
✑ The use of the PrintNightmare exploit highlights a specific technique for privilege escalation within Windows environments.
By logging off and logging on with the new "hacker" account, the penetration tester can ensure the new administrative privileges are fully applied, allowing for further enumeration and exploitation of the target system.
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