Challenges of Vulnerability Assessment ICSSCADA Practice Questions (Page 6)

Questions 26–30

1. 26expert · hard

   A security consultant is assessing a large industrial facility with multiple production lines. The asset inventory is incomplete, and the network uses several proprietary protocols. The consultant has limited time and budget. What is the most effective strategy to improve asset discovery?

   • ARun an active scan with a commercial scanner that supports all known ICS protocols.
   • BAsk the facility's IT team for a list of all devices from their network management system.
   • CUse a combination of passive monitoring on critical segments and manual verification of the existing inventory.
   • DDeploy passive network taps on all network segments to capture traffic for a week.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
2. 27application · medium

   A manufacturing company has a critical vulnerability in a PLC that is part of a production line. The vendor has released a patch, but it requires a full system restart, which would halt production for 8 hours. The company has a regulatory requirement to maintain production output. What is the most appropriate action?

   • AImplement compensating controls, such as network segmentation and monitoring, until the patch can be applied.
   • BDo not apply the patch because the risk is low.
   • CApply the patch during the next scheduled maintenance shutdown, even if it is months away.
   • DApply the patch immediately and accept the production loss.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
4. 28expert · hard

   A security consultant is hired to assess a legacy SCADA system that controls a nuclear research reactor. The system uses a proprietary protocol and has no documentation. The consultant must identify vulnerabilities without causing any disruption. What is the most appropriate approach?

   • AUse a generic IT scanner and rely on its default protocol signatures.
   • BRun an active vulnerability scanner with a full port scan to quickly identify all devices and services.
   • CDisconnect the system from the network to perform a safe offline assessment.
   • DPerform passive network monitoring to understand the protocol and identify devices without sending any packets.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
5. 29foundation · easy

   Which characteristic of ICS/SCADA environments most directly complicates vulnerability assessment by making it difficult to apply standard IT scanning techniques?

   • ALack of encryption on all network traffic
   • BUse of proprietary protocols that are not understood by general-purpose scanners
   • CFrequent changes in network IP addressing schemes
   • DHigh turnover of IT security staff
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first
6. 30application · medium

   A security team uses a traditional IT vulnerability scanner on an ICS network. The scanner reports many 'critical' vulnerabilities on PLCs that are actually false positives. What is the most likely reason for this?

   • AThe scanner is interpreting the PLC's responses based on IT protocols, leading to incorrect conclusions.
   • BThe scanner is using too many credentials, causing the PLCs to respond incorrectly.
   • CThe scanner is not configured with the correct time zone, causing timestamp errors.
   • DThe PLCs are genuinely vulnerable, and the scanner is correct.
   Reveal Solution Discussion Select an answer first