easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
CS0-003 Practice Question: Performs quarterly vulnerability scans of its…
An organization performs quarterly vulnerability scans of its internal network. The scans have a high number of false positives for out-of-date software that is actually up to date. Which of the following would BEST improve the accuracy of the scans?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume false positives are caused by scanner quality or frequency, rather than recognizing that unauthenticated scanning inherently lacks the visibility needed to confirm patch levels, making credential-based scanning the only direct solution.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Implement credential-based scanning.
Credential-based scanning (authenticated scanning) allows the scanner to log into target systems with valid credentials, enabling it to query the local registry or package manager for the exact installed software versions. This eliminates reliance on banner grabbing or service fingerprinting, which often produce false positives when out-of-date software is detected based on network-level heuristics rather than actual installed patches.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Disable verbose output to reduce clutter.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling verbose output merely changes the level of detail presented in the scan report, making it potentially easier to read by suppressing less critical or redundant information. However, it does not alter the underlying scanning methodology, the depth of the probes performed against target systems, or the logic used for vulnerability identification. Therefore, reducing output clutter has no impact on the accuracy of vulnerability detection or the reduction of false positives or negatives.
- ✓
Implement credential-based scanning.
Why this is correct
Implementing credential-based scanning significantly enhances accuracy by allowing the scanner to log into target systems and perform authenticated, local checks. This enables the tool to inspect actual patch levels, system configurations, installed software versions, and internal service states directly, rather than relying solely on network-level inferences. By gaining this internal visibility, the scanner can definitively confirm the presence or absence of vulnerabilities, drastically reducing both false positives and false negatives.
- ✗
Increase scan frequency to monthly.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing scan frequency to monthly improves the timeliness of vulnerability detection, allowing organizations to identify newly emerging threats or configuration drift more quickly. However, the frequency of scans does not inherently improve the accuracy of the individual findings themselves. If the scanning methodology lacks depth, such as being uncredentialed, simply running it more often will still yield the same quality of potentially inaccurate or incomplete results.
- ✗
Use a different vulnerability scanner.
Why it's wrong here
While different vulnerability scanners possess unique signature databases and detection capabilities, simply switching to an alternative tool does not guarantee improved accuracy without addressing fundamental scanning methodologies. If the new scanner is still configured to perform uncredentialed scans, it will face the same limitations in assessing internal system states and confirming patch levels. Therefore, a different tool may still produce a similar rate of false positives or miss critical vulnerabilities without authenticated access.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Network Traffic Analysis
Key term
Banner grabbing
Banner grabbing is the process of connecting to a remote service to capture the banner it sends, which often reveals software type and version for reconnaissance.
Key term
Vulnerability
A vulnerability is a weakness in a system, network, or software that could be exploited by a threat to cause harm or unauthorized access.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CS0-004 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CS0-004 exam.