hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
PT0-002 Practice Question: During a penetration test for a financial…
During a penetration test for a financial institution, the tester discovers that a third-party vendor's system is vulnerable and could expose customer PII. The tester is unsure if the vendor is within scope. How should the tester proceed?
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
✓
Communicate with the client to clarify whether the vendor is in scope
The tester should communicate with the client to clarify the scope before taking any further action. Testing a vendor system that may be out of scope could violate the terms of the engagement and cause legal or contractual issues. Option A is premature and could lead to unauthorized testing. Option B ignores a potential risk that the client may want to know about. Option C would report a finding that might be out of scope, which could breach the scope boundaries. Therefore, the appropriate first step is to clarify with the client.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Perform additional testing on the vendor system to confirm the vulnerability
Why it's wrong here
Unauthorized testing is unethical and illegal.
- ✗
Ignore the finding since it is out of scope
Why it's wrong here
Potential risk should be raised appropriately.
- ✗
Include the vulnerability in the final report as a high-risk finding
Why it's wrong here
May violate scope agreement.
- ✓
Communicate with the client to clarify whether the vendor is in scope
Why this is correct
Clarifies boundaries before reporting.
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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.