Free Access to CompTIA.PT0-003.v2026-01-26.q136 with Valid Practice Test (Page 6)

Question 21

A penetration tester has been given eight business hours to gain access to a client's financial system. Which of the following techniques will have the highest likelihood of success?

A.Performing spear phishing against employees by posing as senior management
B.Attempting to tailgate an employee going into the client's workplace
C.Using a brute-force attack against the external perimeter to gain a foothold
D.Dropping a malicious USB key with the company's logo in the parking lot

Question 22

Which of the following post-exploitation activities allows a penetration tester to maintain persistent access in a compromised system?

A.Creating registry keys
B.Installing a bind shell
C.Executing a process injection
D.Setting up a reverse SSH connection

Correct Answer: A

Maintaining persistent access in a compromised system is a crucial goal for a penetration tester after achieving initial access. Here's an explanation of each option and why creating registry keys is the preferred method:
Creating registry keys (Answer: A):
Modifying or adding specific registry keys can ensure that malicious code or backdoors are executed every time the system starts, thus maintaining persistence.
Advantages: This method is stealthy and can be effective in maintaining access over long periods, especially on Windows systems.
Example: Adding a new entry to the HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run registry key to execute a malicious script upon system boot.
References: Persistence techniques involving registry keys are common in penetration tests and are highlighted in various cybersecurity resources as effective methods to maintain access.
Installing a bind shell (Option B):
Explanation: A bind shell listens on a specific port and waits for an incoming connection from the attacker.
Drawbacks: This method is less stealthy and can be easily detected by network monitoring tools. It also requires an open port, which might be closed or filtered by firewalls.
Executing a process injection (Option C):
Explanation: Process injection involves injecting malicious code into a running process to evade detection.
Drawbacks: While effective for evading detection, it doesn't inherently provide persistence. The injected code will typically be lost when the process terminates or the system reboots.
Setting up a reverse SSH connection (Option D):
Explanation: A reverse SSH connection allows the attacker to connect back to their machine from the compromised system.
Drawbacks: This method can be useful for maintaining a session but is less reliable for long-term persistence.
It can be disrupted by network changes or monitoring tools.
Conclusion: Creating registry keys is the most effective method for maintaining persistent access in a compromised system, particularly in Windows environments, due to its stealthiness and reliability.

Question 23

Which of the following commands will allow a penetration tester to permit a shell script to be executed by the file owner?

A.chmod u+x script.sh
B.chmod u+e script.sh
C.chmod o+e script.sh
D.chmod o+x script.sh

Question 24

During an assessment, a penetration tester plans to gather metadata from various online files, including pictures. Which of the following standards outlines the formats for pictures, audio, and additional tags that facilitate this type of reconnaissance?

A.EXIF
B.GIF
C.COFF
D.ELF

Question 25

A company hires a penetration tester to perform an external attack surface review as part of a security engagement. The company informs the tester that the main company domain to investigate is comptia.org.
Which of the following should the tester do to accomplish the assessment objective?

A.Perform information-gathering techniques to review internet-facing assets for the company.
B.Perform a phishing assessment to try to gain access to more resources and users' computers.
C.Perform a physical security review to identify vulnerabilities that could affect the company.
D.Perform a vulnerability assessment over the main domain address provided by the client.

Question 21

Question 22

Question 23

Question 24

Question 25

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