PT0-002 Reconnaissance and Enumeration Practice Question
A penetration tester is tasked with performing an authenticated vulnerability scan of a Windows network. The tester has domain admin credentials. Which tool is most appropriate for this task?
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
✓
Nessus
Nessus supports authenticated scanning using credentials (e.g., domain admin) to perform deep vulnerability assessment of Windows systems, including missing patches and insecure configurations.
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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Nikto
Why it's wrong here
Nikto is a web server scanner that focuses on identifying vulnerable files, misconfigurations, and known exploits on web servers. It uses a database of signatures for HTTP-based checks and cannot authenticate to Windows hosts for local OS-level vulnerability enumeration. Even if given credentials, Nikto only performs web-focused checks (e.g., CGI directories, outdated server software), not comprehensive authenticated Windows host vulnerability assessment.
- ✗
Nmap
Why it's wrong here
Nmap is a network mapper and port scanner with a scripting engine (NSE) that can detect services and versions, and some scripts do check for known CVEs, but it lacks a unified vulnerability management database and cannot perform authenticated registry/configuration scanning on Windows. Credentialed scans in Nmap are limited to things like SMB enumeration with specific scripts, not a holistic patch-level and configuration assessment like Nessus.
- ✗
theHarvester
Why it's wrong here
theHarvester is a passive OSINT reconnaissance tool used to gather emails, subdomains, hosts, and employee names from public sources like search engines, PGP key servers, and SHODAN. It does not interact with target systems directly, so it cannot perform authenticated scanning or vulnerability discovery; it is used in the early footprinting phase, not vulnerability assessment.
- ✓
Nessus
Why this is correct
Nessus is a commercial vulnerability scanner that supports credentialed scans via protocols like SSH, WinRM, or SMB, enabling deep assessment of Windows patch levels, service configurations, and custom software. It uses a comprehensive plugin database (e.g., via Nessus or the free Nessus Essentials) to map system state to known vulnerabilities, including missing patches, weak permissions, and policy violations. For authenticated Windows scanning, it connects with provided credentials (local or domain) to query WMI and the registry, making it the correct tool for this task.
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JA
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.