The SecOps Group Certified Network Security Practitioner (CNSP) CNSP Question # 1 Topic 1 Discussion
CNSP Exam Topic 1 Question 1 Discussion:
Question #: 1
Topic #: 1
You are performing a security audit on a company's network infrastructure and have discovered the SNMP community string set to the default value of "public" on several devices. What security risks could this pose, and how might you exploit it?
A.
The potential risk is that an attacker could use the SNMP protocol to gather sensitive information about the devices. You might use a tool like Snmpwalk to query the devices for information.
B.
The potential risk is that an attacker could use the SNMP protocol to modify the devices' configuration settings. You might use a tool like Snmpset to change the settings.
SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) uses community strings as a basic form of authentication. The default read-only community string "public" is widely known, and if leftunchanged, it exposes devices to unauthorized access. The primary risk with "public" is information disclosure, as it typically grants read-only access, allowing attackers to gather sensitive data (e.g., device configurations, network topology) without altering settings.
Why A is correct:With the "public" string, an attacker can use tools like snmpwalk to enumerate device details (e.g., system uptime, interfaces, or software versions) via SNMP queries. This aligns with CNSP’s focus on reconnaissance risks during security audits, emphasizing the danger of default credentials enabling passive data collection.
Why other options are incorrect:
B:While modifying settings is a risk with SNMP, the default "public" string is typically read-only. Changing configurations requires a read-write community string (e.g., "private"), which isn’t implied here. Thus, snmpset would not work with "public" alone.
C:Since B is incorrect in this context, C (both A and B) cannot be the answer.
D:The risk in A is valid, so "none of the above" is incorrect.
References:CNSP "Network Device Security" (Section on SNMP Security) highlights the reconnaissance risk of default "public" strings and tools like snmpwalk for exploitation, distinguishing read-only from read-write access.
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