Pass the CompTIA PenTest+ PT0-003 Questions and answers with CertsForce

Understanding netsh.exe:

Purpose: Configures network settings, including IP addresses, DNS, and firewall settings.

Firewall Management: Can enable, disable, or modify firewall rules.

Disabling the Firewall:

Command: Use netsh.exe to disable the firewall.

netsh advfirewall set allprofiles state off

Usage in Penetration Testing:

Pivoting: Disabling the firewall can help the penetration tester pivot from one system to another by removing network restrictions.

Command Execution: Ensure the command is executed with appropriate privileges.

References from Pentesting Literature:

netsh.exe is commonly mentioned in penetration testing guides for configuring network settings and managing firewalls.

HTB write-ups often reference the use of netsh.exe for managing firewall settings during network-based penetration tests.

Channel Scanning:

Wireless communications can be disrupted by identifying and interfering with the channels used by Wi-Fi networks.

Channel scanning allows the tester to map all active Wi-Fi channels, identify the target network, and determine possible jamming or interference strategies.

Why Not Other Options?

A (Port mirroring): This applies to wired network traffic duplication for monitoring purposes and is unrelated to wireless disruption.

B (Sidecar scanning): Not a relevant technique in the context of wireless disruption.

C (ARP poisoning): This targets Ethernet/IP communication in a local network, not wireless communication at the radio frequency level.

CompTIA Pentest+ References:

Domain 3.0 (Attacks and Exploits)

Wireless Network Disruption Techniques

An external assessment focuses on testing the security of internet-facing services. Here’s why option C is correct:

External Assessment: It involves evaluating the security posture of services exposed to the internet, such as web servers, mail servers, and other public-facing infrastructure. The goal is to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers from outside the organization’s network.

Segmentation: This type of assessment focuses on ensuring that different parts of a network are appropriately segmented to limit the spread of attacks. It’s more relevant to internal network architecture.

Mobile: This assessment targets mobile applications and devices, not general internet-facing services.

Web: While web assessments focus on web applications, the scope of an external assessment is broader and includes all types of internet-facing services.

References from Pentest:

Horizontall HTB: Highlights the importance of assessing external services to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited from outside the network​​.

Luke HTB: Demonstrates the process of evaluating public-facing services to ensure their security​​.

Conclusion:

Option C, External, is the most appropriate type of assessment for targeting internet-facing services used by the client.

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Penetration test results are sensitive information and must be handled confidentially.

Privileged & Confidential Status Update (Option A):

Helps ensure compliance with legal and regulatory standards by labeling the report as confidential.

Encourages secure handling by recipients.

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):

Explanation: 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.

The tool that the penetration tester should use for further investigation is WPScan. This is because WPScan is a WordPress vulnerability scanner that can detect common WordPress security issues, such as weak passwords, outdated plugins, and misconfigured settings. WPScan can also enumerate WordPress users, themes, and plugins from the robots.txt file.

The two entries in the robots.txt file that the penetration tester should recommend for removal are:

Allow: /admin

Allow: /wp-admin

These entries expose the WordPress admin panel, which can be a target for brute-force attacks, SQL injection, and other exploits. Removing these entries can help prevent unauthorized access to the web application’s backend. Alternatively, the penetration tester can suggest renaming the admin panel to a less obvious name, or adding authentication methods such as two-factor authentication or IP whitelisting.

The vulnerability in question is XML External Entity (XXE) injection, which occurs when an application processes XML input containing external entities that access files on the server or external resources.

Disabling External Entities:

The root cause of the issue is the application's ability to process external entities (). Disabling external entities entirely prevents XXE attacks.

This can be achieved by properly configuring the XML parser (e.g., in Java, disable DocumentBuilderFactory.setFeature("http://apache.org/xml/features/disallow-doctype-decl ", true)).

Why Not Other Options?

A (chmod o-rwx): File permission hardening may reduce the impact of a successful attack but does not mitigate XXE at the parser level.

B (Review logs): Reviewing logs is a reactive measure, not a prevention mechanism.

D (WAF): A WAF may block some malicious requests but is not a reliable mitigation for XXE vulnerabilities embedded in legitimate XML input.

CompTIA Pentest+ References:

Domain 3.0 (Attacks and Exploits)

OWASP XXE Prevention Cheat Sheet

When the client indicates that the scope's hosts and assets are not included in the vulnerability scan results, it suggests that the tester may have missed discovering all the devices in the scope. Here’s the best course of action:

Performing a Discovery Scan:

Purpose: A discovery scan identifies all active devices on the network before running a detailed vulnerability scan. It ensures that all in-scope devices are included in the assessment.

Process: The discovery scan uses techniques like ping sweeps, ARP scans, and port scans to identify active hosts and services.

Comparison with Other Actions:

Rechecking the Scanner Configuration (A): Useful but not as comprehensive as ensuring all hosts are discovered.

Using a Different Scan Engine (C): Not necessary if the issue is with host discovery rather than the scanner’s capability.

Configuring All TCP Ports on the Scan (D): Helps in detailed scanning but does not address missing hosts.

Performing a discovery scan ensures that all in-scope devices are identified and included in the vulnerability assessment, making it the best course of action.

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Explanation of the Correct Option:

A (responder and ntlmrelayx.py):

Responder is a tool for intercepting and relaying NTLM authentication requests.

Since SMB signing is disabled, ntlmrelayx.py can relay authentication requests and escalate privileges to move laterally without directly brute-forcing credentials, which is stealthier.

Why Not Other Options?

B: Exploiting MS17-010 (psexec) is noisy and likely to trigger alerts.

C: Brute-forcing credentials with Hydra is highly detectable due to the volume of failed login attempts.

D: Nmap scripts like smb-brute.nse are useful for enumeration but involve brute-force methods that increase detection risk.

CompTIA Pentest+ References:

Domain 3.0 (Attacks and Exploits)

API as a Target:

APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are common assets to test for vulnerabilities such as improper authentication, data leakage, or injection attacks.

Testing APIs often uncovers critical issues in modern applications.

Why Not Other Options?

B (HTTP): This is a protocol, not a specific asset.

C (IPA): Unrelated to penetration testing (likely a typo or irrelevant here).

D (ICMP): This is a protocol used for network diagnostics, not an application asset.

CompTIA Pentest+ References:

Domain 1.0 (Planning and Scoping)