PT0-002 Engagement Management Practice Question
A penetration tester is hired to perform a test with no prior knowledge of the target environment. The tester is given only the company name and must gather all necessary information from public sources. Which type of penetration test is this?
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
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Black box
In a black box test, the tester has no prior knowledge or credentials, simulating an external attacker.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Grey box
Why it's wrong here
In a grey box test, the tester is given partial information such as valid credentials, network maps, or application documentation, simulating an insider or authenticated user. This contradicts the 'no prior knowledge' premise because the tester actively leverages provided intel to focus on vulnerable areas, while a black box scenario requires discovering all relevant details independently.
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Black box
Why this is correct
A black box penetration test supplies the tester with no internal knowledge, only the public-facing scope (e.g., a domain or IP address), requiring full reconnaissance through OSINT and active scanning. This directly matches the stated condition of 'no prior knowledge' because all network topology, application behavior, and potential vulnerabilities must be uncovered from scratch, replicating an external attacker's perspective.
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Red team
Why it's wrong here
Red team is an engagement type designed to assess physical, digital, and human defenses against a specific objective, not a knowledge-level classification like black or white box. The prompt asks about the degree of prior information such as credentials or architecture, so labeling the test as 'red team' fails to address the knowledge dimension and is therefore definitionally incorrect.
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White box
Why it's wrong here
A white box test grants the tester complete visibility, including source code, architecture blueprints, and high-privilege credentials, effectively simulating an authenticated insider with full system knowledge. Since the scenario explicitly states 'no prior knowledge,' white box is the opposite of the correct condition: the tester would not need to conduct initial recon because every internal detail is already exposed.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PT0-003 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 PT0-003 exam.