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hardmultiple choiceObjective-mapped

A penetration tester is performing internal reconnaissance on a Windows Active Directory environment. The tester has a low-privileged domain user account. Which of the following techniques is most likely to help identify all domain controllers and their IP addresses without generating excessive network traffic or alerts?

Question 1hardmultiple choice
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A penetration tester is performing internal reconnaissance on a Windows Active Directory environment. The tester has a low-privileged domain user account. Which of the following techniques is most likely to help identify all domain controllers and their IP addresses without generating excessive network traffic or alerts?

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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

Perform a full subnet ping sweep using Nmap

Ping sweeps send ICMP or TCP probes to many IPs, generating significant traffic and potentially triggering intrusion detection systems.

B

Best answer

Query the DNS service for SRV records of _ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.domain.local

This DNS query directly retrieves the list of domain controllers. It is a normal DNS operation and unlikely to raise alerts.

C

Distractor review

Use NetBIOS name resolution by sending broadcasts

NetBIOS broadcasts can be used to find domain controllers, but they generate broadcast traffic that may be monitored and can be less reliable.

D

Distractor review

Enumerate SMB shares on all IP addresses in the subnet

Enumerating SMB shares involves connecting to each host, which generates considerable traffic and may be logged as reconnaissance activity.

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.

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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: Query the DNS service for SRV records of _ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.domain.local — Active Directory domain controllers automatically register SRV records in DNS that point to their hostnames. Querying for the specific SRV record _ldap._tcp.dc._msdcs.<domain> will return the list of domain controllers. This can be done with a standard DNS query, which is low traffic and generally not monitored as suspicious. Other techniques like ping sweeps or SMB enumeration are more noisy and may trigger security alerts.

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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