The answer is Kerberoasting reconnaissance or ticket harvesting. This is correct because the SIEM alert shows a workstation requesting numerous Kerberos service tickets for many Service Principal Names (SPNs) without any subsequent service access, which indicates an attacker using a valid domain account to gather TGS tickets for offline password cracking. On the CompTIA CySA+ CS0-003 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between legitimate Kerberos usage and reconnaissance activity; a common trap is assuming the high ticket count alone indicates a successful attack, but the lack of corresponding service access is the key indicator that the tickets were harvested, not used. For triage, the clearest next step is to check the requesting account’s recent authentication logs to confirm it is compromised. Memory tip: “Tickets without trips” — if you see many Kerberos tickets but no service access, think Kerberoasting.
CS0-003 Security Operations Practice Question
This CS0-003 practice question tests your understanding of security operations. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. A key principle to apply: kerberoasting targets service accounts with weak passwords.. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A SIEM alert shows one workstation requesting a high number of Kerberos service tickets for many SPNs, followed by no corresponding service access. Which attack should be suspected? In the alert triage phase, Which action gives the analyst the clearest next triage step?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Kerberoasting reconnaissance or ticket harvesting
Option D is correct because the SIEM alert describes a workstation requesting a high number of Kerberos service tickets for many Service Principal Names (SPNs) without subsequent service access. This is classic Kerberoasting reconnaissance: the attacker uses a valid domain account to request TGS tickets for services, then extracts and cracks the service account passwords offline. The lack of corresponding service access confirms the tickets were not used for legitimate authentication.
Key principle: Kerberoasting targets service accounts with weak passwords.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
DNS cache poisoning
Why it's wrong here
DNS poisoning changes name resolution and is not characterized by SPN ticket requests.
✗
ARP spoofing
Why it's wrong here
ARP spoofing is a Layer 2 attack and does not explain Kerberos ticket volume.
✗
Pass-the-hash using NTLM only
Why it's wrong here
This pattern concerns Kerberos service tickets, not NTLM hashes.
✓
Kerberoasting reconnaissance or ticket harvesting
Why this is correct
Unusual TGS-REQ volume across service principals can indicate Kerberoasting activity.
Related concept
Kerberoasting targets service accounts with weak passwords.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between Kerberos-based attacks (Kerberoasting) and NTLM-based attacks (pass-the-hash), so the trap here is assuming any credential reuse attack is NTLM-based, ignoring that Kerberoasting uses Kerberos tickets for offline cracking.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Kerberoasting exploits the Kerberos TGS-REP response, which includes a service ticket encrypted with the target service account's NTLM hash. An attacker with a domain account can request tickets for any SPN (e.g., MSSQLSvc, HTTP) and then perform offline brute-force or dictionary attacks on the encrypted portion. In real-world scenarios, attackers often use tools like Rubeus or Impacket's GetUserSPNs.py, and the high volume of TGS-REQ events without corresponding TGS-REP usage is a key detection signature.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Kerberoasting targets service accounts with weak passwords.
Attackers request Kerberos TGS tickets for SPNs.
Tickets are cracked offline to reveal plaintext passwords.
High volume of TGS-REQs without service access is a key indicator.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Kerberoasting targets service accounts with weak passwords.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A security analyst at a medium-sized enterprise encounters this scenario during an investigation or architecture review. The correct answer reflects best practice for the specific threat or control described. Kerberoasting targets service accounts with weak passwords. Security exam questions test whether you can match controls to threats in context — not just recall definitions.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this CS0-003 question in full detail.
Review kerberoasting targets service accounts with weak passwords., then practise related CS0-003 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Security Operations — This question tests Security Operations — Kerberoasting targets service accounts with weak passwords..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Kerberoasting reconnaissance or ticket harvesting — Option D is correct because the SIEM alert describes a workstation requesting a high number of Kerberos service tickets for many Service Principal Names (SPNs) without subsequent service access. This is classic Kerberoasting reconnaissance: the attacker uses a valid domain account to request TGS tickets for services, then extracts and cracks the service account passwords offline. The lack of corresponding service access confirms the tickets were not used for legitimate authentication.
What should I do if I get this CS0-003 question wrong?
Review kerberoasting targets service accounts with weak passwords., then practise related CS0-003 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Kerberoasting targets service accounts with weak passwords.
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These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A SIEM alert shows one workstation requesting a high number of Kerberos service tickets for many SPNs, followed by no corresponding service access. Which attack should be suspected?
hard
✓ A.Kerberoasting reconnaissance or ticket harvesting
B.DNS cache poisoning
C.Pass-the-hash using NTLM only
D.ARP spoofing
Why A: A high volume of Kerberos service ticket requests for many SPNs, followed by no actual service access, is characteristic of Kerberoasting reconnaissance. In this attack, an adversary with valid domain credentials requests TGS tickets for service accounts to extract the NTLM hash embedded in the ticket, which can then be cracked offline. The lack of subsequent service access confirms the tickets were obtained solely for offline brute-force cracking, not legitimate use.
Variation 2. A SIEM alert shows one workstation requesting a high number of Kerberos service tickets for many SPNs, followed by no corresponding service access. Which attack should be suspected? In the evidence source phase, Which evidence source best supports or refutes the detection?
hard
✓ A.Kerberoasting reconnaissance or ticket harvesting
B.ARP spoofing
C.DNS cache poisoning
D.Pass-the-hash using NTLM only
Why A: The alert describes a workstation requesting a high number of Kerberos service tickets (TGS-REQ) for many different Service Principal Names (SPNs) without subsequently accessing those services. This pattern is classic for Kerberoasting reconnaissance, where an attacker with valid domain credentials (e.g., a compromised user account) enumerates SPNs to request TGS tickets for accounts that have servicePrincipalName attributes set. The attacker then extracts the encrypted ticket data offline to crack the associated service account passwords. The lack of corresponding service access confirms the tickets were harvested, not used for legitimate authentication.
Variation 3. A SIEM alert shows one workstation requesting a high number of Kerberos service tickets for many SPNs, followed by no corresponding service access. Which attack should be suspected? In the containment trade-off phase, Which response balances containment with evidence preservation?
hard
✓ A.Kerberoasting reconnaissance or ticket harvesting
B.ARP spoofing
C.Pass-the-hash using NTLM only
D.DNS cache poisoning
Why A: The SIEM alert describes a workstation requesting a high number of Kerberos service tickets (TGS-REQ) for many different Service Principal Names (SPNs) without subsequent service access. This is classic Kerberoasting reconnaissance: an attacker with valid domain credentials (e.g., after initial compromise) requests TGS tickets for accounts with SPNs, then extracts and cracks the NTLM hash embedded in the ticket offline. The lack of service access confirms the tickets were harvested for offline cracking, not for legitimate use.
Variation 4. A SIEM alert shows one workstation requesting a high number of Kerberos service tickets for many SPNs, followed by no corresponding service access. Which attack should be suspected? In the root-cause analysis phase, Which finding would most directly explain the activity?
hard
✓ A.Kerberoasting reconnaissance or ticket harvesting
B.ARP spoofing
C.Pass-the-hash using NTLM only
D.DNS cache poisoning
Why A: The alert describes a workstation requesting a high number of Kerberos service tickets for many SPNs without subsequent service access. This is characteristic of Kerberoasting reconnaissance, where an attacker with domain credentials (e.g., a compromised user account) requests TGS tickets for service accounts to extract their NTLM hashes offline for cracking. The lack of actual service access confirms the tickets are being harvested, not used for legitimate authentication.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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