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hardmultiple choiceObjective-mapped

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?

Question 1hardmultiple choice
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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?

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Answer choices

Why each option matters

Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.

A

Distractor review

Get-Service | Format-List Name,PathName

PowerShell Get-Service does not show the service path by default; it returns service status, not path.

B

Best answer

reg query HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ /s /v ImagePath

Correct. This registry query recursively lists all services and their ImagePath values. The tester can then inspect paths that contain spaces and are not enclosed in quotes.

C

Distractor review

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

sc query lists service names only, not paths.

D

Distractor review

net start

net start lists running services, not paths.

Common exam trap

Common exam trap: authentication is not authorization

Logging in proves the user can authenticate. It does not automatically mean the user is allowed to enter privileged or configuration mode. Watch for AAA authorization, privilege level and command authorization details.

Technical deep dive

How to think about this question

This kind of question is testing the difference between identity and permission. A user may successfully log in to a router because authentication is working, but still fail to enter configuration mode because authorization is missing, misconfigured or mapped to a lower privilege level.

KKey Concepts to Remember

  • Authentication checks who the user is.
  • Authorization controls what the user is allowed to do after login.
  • Privilege levels affect access to EXEC and configuration commands.
  • AAA, TACACS+ and RADIUS can separate login success from command access.

TExam Day Tips

  • Do not assume successful login means full administrative access.
  • Look for words such as cannot enter configuration mode, privilege level, authorization or command access.
  • Separate login problems from permission problems before choosing the answer.

Related practice questions

Related PT0-002 practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

PT0-002 fundamentals practice questions

Practise PT0-002 questions linked to PT0-002 fundamentals.

PT0-002 scenario practice questions

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PT0-002 troubleshooting practice questions

Practise PT0-002 questions linked to PT0-002 troubleshooting.

More questions from this exam

Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.

Question 1

A penetration tester is writing the executive summary for a report. The client's CEO needs to understand the business impact of a critical SQL injection vulnerability. Which of the following should the tester include?

Question 2

A penetration tester has gained a low-privileged shell on a Linux server. During enumeration, the tester discovers a binary with the SUID bit set that belongs to root and is known to have a buffer overflow vulnerability. What is the MOST effective next step to escalate privileges?

Question 3

A penetration tester is performing passive reconnaissance against a target domain. Which of the following resources can be used to gather information about the target without directly sending packets to the target's network? (Select two.) (Choose 2.)

Question 4

A penetration tester has obtained a TGT from a domain controller by cracking the krbtgt hash. Which attack can the tester now perform to gain persistent administrative access to any resource in the domain?

Question 5

A penetration tester is writing the executive summary for the final report. The CEO needs to understand the overall risk level and the business impact of the findings. Which of the following should be included in the executive summary?

Question 6

A penetration tester is writing the executive summary of a penetration test report. Which of the following elements is MOST important to include for a non-technical audience?

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this PT0-002 question test?

Authentication checks who the user is.

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: reg query HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\ /s /v ImagePath — Unquoted service path vulnerability occurs when the path to a service executable contains spaces and is not enclosed in quotes, allowing a malicious executable with the same name as a subdirectory to be executed with elevated privileges. The 'reg query' command can extract the ImagePath value for all services, and the tester can manually inspect for vulnerable paths.

What should I do if I get this PT0-002 question wrong?

Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.

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