A penetration tester has exploited a vulnerability in a web application and gained access to the underlying server. The tester's objective is to maintain access for further testing, but the client has strict rules of engagement that prohibit the use of malware. Which technique is most appropriate?

Use a web shell to maintain access

Create a new user account with administrative privileges

Use a legitimate remote access tool like SSH with a new key

Install a backdoor service on the server

What is the purpose of risk assessment in a penetration testing report?

To list all vulnerabilities without any prioritization

To compare the tester's skills with other testers

To prioritize vulnerabilities based on their potential impact and likelihood of exploitation

To provide a detailed log of all actions taken during the test

A security team has been asked to assess the security posture of a new web application. The team has already run a vulnerability scanner that reported several potential issues. The team wants to confirm which issues are actually exploitable and understand the business impact. What should the team do?

Patch all reported issues immediately without further analysis.

Ignore the scanner results and rely on manual code review.

Conduct a penetration test to validate the scanner findings and assess exploitability.

Run the scanner again with a different tool to get a second opinion.

A penetration tester is assessing a network and has identified an open port on a server. The tester needs to determine which service is running and whether it has known vulnerabilities. Which technique is most appropriate for this task?

Perform a DNS lookup to identify the service

Run a vulnerability scanner against the entire network to identify all vulnerabilities

Banner grabbing by connecting to the port and reading the service banner

Check the server's firewall logs for service information

Which of the following is an example of an exploitation technique?

Using SQL injection to bypass authentication on a web application

Performing a ping sweep to discover live hosts

Analyzing network traffic with Wireshark

Running a vulnerability scanner to identify missing patches

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Domain 4Objective 2

Penetration Testing Application GCED Practice Questions (Page 7)

Part of the Penetration Testing domain, which makes up ~18% of our current practice bank. GIAC (SANS) does not publish an official question count, but from its 180-minute exam (~70–120 total, ~13–22 in this domain), expect 7–11 from this objective — we provide 47 practice questions to prepare you well beyond it. (estimate)

47questions here

10free pages

7concepts

Questions 31–35

31expert · hard
A penetration tester has exploited a vulnerability in a web application and gained access to the underlying server. The tester's objective is to maintain access for further testing, but the client has strict rules of engagement that prohibit the use of malware. Which technique is most appropriate?
Select an answer first
32foundation · easy
What is the purpose of risk assessment in a penetration testing report?
Select an answer first
33application · medium
A security team has been asked to assess the security posture of a new web application. The team has already run a vulnerability scanner that reported several potential issues. The team wants to confirm which issues are actually exploitable and understand the business impact. What should the team do?
Select an answer first
34application · medium
A penetration tester is assessing a network and has identified an open port on a server. The tester needs to determine which service is running and whether it has known vulnerabilities. Which technique is most appropriate for this task?
Select an answer first
35foundation · easy
Which of the following is an example of an exploitation technique?
Select an answer first

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