PT0-002 Attacks and Exploits Practice Question
Which Metasploit command is used to display information about the current meterpreter session, including the target OS and user?
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
✓
sysinfo
The 'sysinfo' meterpreter command displays system information such as OS, architecture, and sometimes user context.
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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hashdump
Why it's wrong here
hashdump is not used for displaying general system information; instead, it extracts Windows password hashes from the Security Account Manager (SAM) database (or from LSASS memory). This Meterpreter command is a post-exploitation credential harvesting tool, requiring elevated (often SYSTEM) privileges to dump hashes for offline cracking or pass-the-hash attacks.
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getuid
Why it's wrong here
getuid serves a very narrow purpose: it returns the username and/or security identifier (SID) of the current Meterpreter process to confirm the identity under which the session is running. Unlike sysinfo, it does not reveal OS version, architecture, or other host-level details, making it useful only for privilege verification, not system reconnaissance.
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getsystem
Why it's wrong here
getsystem attempts to win privilege escalation to the Windows SYSTEM account by abusing mechanisms such as named pipe impersonation or token duplication, commonly via the built-in 'getsystem' command in Meterpreter. It changes the access token of the session rather than displaying any system information, and success is typically verified afterward with getuid.
- ✓
sysinfo
Why this is correct
sysinfo is the correct Meterpreter command for system reconnaissance, as it displays the target operating system version, computer name, architecture (e.g., x64 or x86), and sometimes the Meterpreter payload type and domain. This information lets a penetration tester choose compatible exploits, payloads, or enumeration modules, and it is the first logical step after gaining a session.
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Command Injection and Directory Traversal
Key term
Metasploit
Metasploit is a powerful penetration testing framework that helps security professionals find and exploit vulnerabilities in computer systems.
Key term
Meterpreter
Meterpreter is an advanced, dynamically extensible payload that provides an interactive command shell and post-exploitation capabilities within a memory-resident environment during a penetration test.
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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.