In a professional penetration test or vulnerability assessment, the most efficient and effective way to discover vulnerabilities on a Windows-based system is to use an automated vulnerability scanning tool such as Nessus.

Nessus is a widely used vulnerability scanner developed by Tenable. It performs comprehensive scans across systems to identify:

Missing patches and updates

Misconfigurations

Weak or default credentials

Known vulnerabilities and associated CVEs

Outdated software versions

CEH v13 course material emphasizes the use of tools like Nessus, OpenVAS, and Qualys during the Vulnerability Analysis phase of ethical hacking engagements.

From CEH v13 Official Study Guide (Module 05: Vulnerability Analysis):

“Vulnerability scanning tools such as Nessus and OpenVAS are used to automatically identify known vulnerabilities in systems, including operating systems, applications, and services. These tools correlate identified issues with CVE entries and offer severity ratings based on CVSS scores.”

Incorrect Options Explained:

A. The Windows Update tool only updates the operating system and Microsoft applications. It is not designed to detect security flaws or vulnerabilities comprehensively.

C. MITRE.org is an excellent source of information for known vulnerabilities (CVEs), but it does not scan systems or detect vulnerabilities in a target environment.

D. Creating a disk image is useful for forensic purposes or backup, but it does not help in actively identifying vulnerabilities in a live system.

Reference – CEH v13 Study Guide:

Module 05: Vulnerability Analysis

Section: “Vulnerability Assessment Tools”

CEH iLabs Exercise: “Using Nessus to Perform Vulnerability Scanning”