Ch 15 Flashcards
- Which one of the following tools is used primarily to perform network discovery scans?
A. Nmap
B. Nessus
C. Metasploit
D. lsof
Answer: A
Nmap is a network discovery scanning tool that reports the open ports on a remote system.
- Adam recently ran a network port scan of a web server running in his organization. He ran the scan from an external network to get an attacker’s perspective on the scan. Which one of the following results is the greatest cause for alarm?
A. 80/open
B. 22/filtered
C. 443/open
D. 1433/open
Answer: D
Only open ports represent potentially significant security risks. Ports 80 and 443 are expected to be open on a web server. Port 1433 is a database port and should never be exposed to an external network.
- Which one of the following factors should not be taken into consideration when planning a security testing schedule for a particular system?
A. Sensitivity of the information stored on the system
B. Difficulty of performing the test
C. Desire to experiment with new testing tools
D. Desirability of the system to attackers
Answer: C
The sensitivity of information stored on the system, difficulty of performing the test, and likelihood of an attacker targeting the system are all valid considerations when planning a security testing schedule. The desire to experiment with new testing tools should not influence the production testing schedule.
- Which one of the following is not normally included in a security assessment?
A. Vulnerability scan
B. Risk assessment
C. Mitigation of vulnerabilities
D. Threat assessment
Answer: C
Security assessments include many types of tests designed to identify vulnerabilities, and the assessment report normally includes recommendations for mitigation. The assessment does not, however, include actual mitigation of those vulnerabilities.
- Who is the intended audience for a security assessment report?
A. Management
B. Security auditor
C. Security professional
D. Customers
Answer: A
Security assessment reports should be addressed to the organization’s management. For this reason, they should be written in plain English and avoid technical jargon.
- Beth would like to run an nmap scan against all of the systems on her organization’s private network. These include systems in the 10.0.0.0 private address space. She would like to scan this entire private address space because she is not certain what subnets are used. What network address should Beth specify as the target of her scan?
A. 10.0.0.0/0
B. 10.0.0.0/8
C. 10.0.0.0/16
D. 10.0.0.0/24
Answer: B
The use of an 8-bit subnet mask means that the first octet of the IP address represents the network address. In this case, that means 10.0.0.0/8 will scan any IP address beginning with 10.
- Alan ran an nmap scan against a server and determined that port 80 is open on the server. What tool would likely provide him the best additional information about the server’s purpose and the identity of the server’s operator?
A. SSH
B. Web browser
C. telnet
D. ping
Answer: B
The server is likely running a website on port 80. Using a web browser to access the site may provide important information about the site’s purpose.
- What port is typically used to accept administrative connections using the SSH utility?
A. 20
B. 22
C. 25
D. 80
Answer: B
The SSH protocol uses port 22 to accept administrative connections to a server.
- Which one of the following tests provides the most accurate and detailed information about the security state of a server?
A. Unauthenticated scan
B. Port scan
C. Half-open scan
D. Authenticated scan
Answer: D
Authenticated scans can read configuration information from the target system and reduce the instances of false positive and false negative reports.
- What type of network discovery scan only follows the first two steps of the TCP handshake?
A. TCP connect scan
B. Xmas scan
C. TCP SYN scan
D. TCP ACK scan
Answer: C
The TCP SYN scan sends a SYN packet and receives a SYN ACK packet in response, but it does not send the final ACK required to complete the three-way handshake.
- Matthew would like to test systems on his network for SQL injection vulnerabilities. Which one of the following tools would be best suited to this task?
A. Port scanner
B. Network vulnerability scanner
C. Network discovery scanner
D. Web vulnerability scanner
Answer: D
SQL injection attacks are web vulnerabilities, and Matthew would be best served by a web vulnerability scanner. A network vulnerability scanner might also pick up this vulnerability, but the web vulnerability scanner is specifically designed for the task and more likely to be successful.
- Badin Industries runs a web application that processes e-commerce orders and handles credit card transactions. As such, it is subject to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). The company recently performed a web vulnerability scan of the application and it had no unsatisfactory findings. How often must Badin rescan the application?
A. Only if the application changes
B. At least monthly
C. At least annually
D. There is no rescanning requirement.
Answer: C
PCI DSS requires that Badin rescan the application at least annually and after any change in the application.
- Grace is performing a penetration test against a client’s network and would like to use a tool to assist in automatically executing common exploits. Which one of the following security tools will best meet her needs?
A. nmap
B. Metasploit
C. Nessus
D. Snort
Answer: B
Metasploit is an automated exploit tool that allows attackers to easily execute common attack techniques.
- Paul would like to test his application against slightly modified versions of previously used input. What type of test does Paul intend to perform?
A. Code review
B. Application vulnerability review
C. Mutation fuzzing
D. Generational fuzzing
Answer: C
Mutation fuzzing uses bit flipping and other techniques to slightly modify previous inputs to a program in an attempt to detect software flaws.
- Users of a banking application may try to withdraw funds that don’t exist from their account. Developers are aware of this threat and implemented code to protect against it. What type of software testing would most likely catch this type of vulnerability if the developers have not already remediated it?
A. Misuse case testing
B. SQL injection testing
C. Fuzzing
D. Code review
Answer: A
Misuse case testing identifies known ways that an attacker might exploit a system and tests explicitly to see if those attacks are possible in the proposed code.
