PT0-002 Practice Test 5 — 10 Questions

Question 1

During a web application test, the tester discovers a parameter that reflects user input in the response without proper encoding. The tester crafts a payload that executes JavaScript when another user views the page. Which type of XSS is this, and what is a primary risk?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Reflected XSS; risk of session hijacking. Reflected XSS executes in the victim's browser when the malicious link is clicked, allowing session hijacking.

Answer

Stored XSS; risk of data theft from database

Answer

Blind XSS; risk of internal network scanning

Answer

DOM-based XSS; risk of client-side logic bypass

Question 2

A penetration testing firm is hired to assess a healthcare organization's network. The client has strict regulatory requirements (HIPAA) and wants to ensure that all patient data is protected during testing. Which scoping document should specify the data handling procedures and the destruction of any collected sensitive information?

Accepted Answer

Data Protection Addendum. A Data Protection Addendum (DPA) or equivalent data handling agreement is the appropriate document to define how sensitive data will be handled, stored, and destroyed. The Rules of Engagement cover authorization and constraints, but specific data protection clauses are often in a separate addendum or included in the contract. The Methodology and Scope of Work do not typically detail data destruction procedures.

Answer

Rules of Engagement

Answer

Testing Methodology

Answer

Scope of Work

Question 3

Which TWO of the following are typical deliverables of a penetration test?

Accepted Answer

Technical findings and remediation guidance. Standard deliverables include an executive summary for management and technical findings for remediation.

Answer

User credentials for all accounts

Answer

Source code of the tested application

Answer

Video recording of the testing process

Question 4

Which Nmap scan type sends SYN packets to determine open ports without completing the TCP three-way handshake?

Accepted Answer

-sS. The SYN scan (-sS) sends a SYN packet and if a SYN/ACK is received, the port is considered open; it does not complete the handshake, making it stealthier than a full connect scan.

Answer

-sU

Answer

-sT

Answer

-sN

Question 5

A penetration tester has gained a low-privileged command shell on a Windows 10 system. The tester suspects there is a vulnerable service with an unquoted service path that can be exploited for privilege escalation. Which command should the tester use to identify all services with this vulnerability?

Accepted Answer

reg query HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ /s /v ImagePath. The `reg query` command with the `/s` switch recursively searches the registry key `HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services` for the `ImagePath` value of each service. An unquoted service path vulnerability occurs when the `ImagePath` contains spaces and is not enclosed in quotes, allowing an attacker to execute arbitrary code by placing a malicious executable in a path that Windows interprets as a command with arguments. This command directly retrieves the raw path strings from the registry, making it the most reliable method to identify unquoted paths.

Answer

Get-Service | Format-List Name,PathName

Answer

sc query type= all state= all | findstr "SERVICE_NAME"

Answer

net start

Question 6

During a post-exploitation phase, a tester needs to establish persistence on a Windows target. Which THREE methods are commonly used for persistence on Windows?

Accepted Answer

Registry Run keys. Scheduled tasks, registry Run keys, and WMI subscriptions are common persistence mechanisms. Pass-the-hash is lateral movement, and cron jobs are Linux-specific.

Answer

Pass-the-hash

Answer

Cron jobs

Question 7

You are conducting passive reconnaissance on a target organization. Which of the following are examples of passive reconnaissance techniques? (Select TWO.)

Accepted Answer

Querying certificate transparency logs. Passive reconnaissance involves collecting information without directly interacting with the target's systems. WHOIS lookups and certificate transparency logs are passive. DNS zone transfer and port scanning are active. Social engineering is active.

Answer

DNS zone transfer

Answer

Scanning ports with Nmap

Answer

Sending phishing emails

Question 8

A penetration tester identifies a Linux binary with the SUID bit set. Which command can find all SUID binaries on a Linux system?

Accepted Answer

find / -perm /4000. The find command with -perm /4000 lists files with SUID set.

Answer

ps aux

Answer

ls -la

Answer

chmod u+s

Question 9

A small business hires a penetration tester to assess the security of their network. The owner is concerned about employee data breaches and wants to ensure compliance with industry regulations. Which of the following is the MOST critical document to establish before the test begins?

Accepted Answer

Rules of engagement. The Rules of Engagement (RoE) is the most critical document because it defines the legal boundaries, scope, and authorization for the penetration test. Without a signed RoE, the tester has no legal protection and the test could be considered unauthorized access, violating laws like the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). It also specifies key constraints such as testing times, target IP ranges, and prohibited actions, ensuring compliance with industry regulations like PCI DSS or HIPAA.

Answer

Vulnerability scan report

Answer

Penetration test report

Answer

Risk assessment matrix

Question 10

A penetration tester is tasked with exploiting a web application that uses an insecure deserialization vulnerability. Which type of attack should the tester primarily use to execute arbitrary code on the server?

Accepted Answer

Malicious object deserialization. Insecure deserialization vulnerabilities occur when an application deserializes untrusted data without proper validation, allowing an attacker to manipulate serialized objects. By crafting a malicious object (e.g., a PHP gadget chain or a Java serialized object with a custom readObject() method), the tester can trigger arbitrary code execution on the server during the deserialization process. This directly aligns with option C, as the attack vector is the deserialization of a malicious object.

Answer

Cross-site scripting (XSS)

Answer

SQL injection

Answer

Cross-site request forgery (CSRF)