An organization wants to reduce the risk of credential-based initial access from phishing. Which control is most effective?

Enforce multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Increase password length to 15 characters

A company runs a legacy application that is no longer patched. An attacker exploits a known buffer overflow in the application to execute code on the server. Which initial access vector is this?

Exploitation of vulnerabilities

A company has implemented email filtering and user awareness training, but they still experience successful phishing attacks. Which additional control would be most effective in preventing initial access from these attacks?

Increase the frequency of password changes

Implement a web proxy with URL filtering

Deploy endpoint detection and response (EDR) agents

An organization discovers that an attacker logged into a VPN account using credentials that were found in a public data breach. The account did not have multi-factor authentication enabled. Which control would have been most effective in preventing this initial access?

Requiring multi-factor authentication for all VPN users

Implementing a longer password history policy

Using a more complex password algorithm

Disabling the VPN during off-hours

GIAC Information Security Fundamentals

Domain 3Objective 2

Intrusion and Initial Access Techniques GISF Practice Questions (Page 5)

Part of the Threats and Defenses domain, which makes up ~36% of our current practice bank. GIAC (SANS) does not publish an official question count, but from its 120-minute exam (~50–80 total, ~18–29 in this domain), expect 5–7 from this objective — we provide 45 practice questions to prepare you well beyond it. (estimate)

45questions here

9free pages

9concepts

Questions 21–25

21application · medium
An organization wants to reduce the risk of credential-based initial access from phishing. Which control is most effective?
Select an answer first
22application · medium
A company runs a legacy application that is no longer patched. An attacker exploits a known buffer overflow in the application to execute code on the server. Which initial access vector is this?
Select an answer first
23expert · hard
A company has implemented email filtering and user awareness training, but they still experience successful phishing attacks. Which additional control would be most effective in preventing initial access from these attacks?
Select an answer first
24application · medium
An attacker sends an email to a company's HR department, pretending to be a job applicant and including a link to a 'resume' hosted on a malicious site. When an HR employee clicks the link, malware is downloaded. Which social engineering principle is being exploited?
Select an answer first
25application · medium
An organization discovers that an attacker logged into a VPN account using credentials that were found in a public data breach. The account did not have multi-factor authentication enabled. Which control would have been most effective in preventing this initial access?
Select an answer first

Finished these 5 questions?

Review the revealed explanations, or continue through the curriculum.

Next 5 questions →Back to GISF

Free Basic Practice is a study aid with revealable answers — not a scored exam. Examers.io is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by GIAC (SANS). “GISF” is a trademark of its owner, used for identification only.