SY0-701 Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Mitigations Practice Question
Exhibit
External vulnerability scan summary for a small branch office server: Host: 203.0.113.44 Open ports: 22/tcp open ssh 80/tcp open http 5900/tcp open vnc Findings: - VNC authentication: disabled - SSH: restricted to password login only - Web admin page accessible from any source network - Server is in the DMZ and stores customer support tickets
Based on the exhibit, which security issue should the analyst report first?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often focus on missing version details (Option A) or default credentials (Option D) as the most critical finding, but CompTIA emphasizes that exposed services on untrusted networks pose the highest immediate risk because they are directly exploitable without requiring prior access.
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
✓
Exposed service, because VNC and the web admin interface are reachable from untrusted networks.
The scan reveals that VNC (port 5900) and a web admin interface (port 443 or 8080) are exposed to untrusted networks, such as the internet. This violates the principle of least exposure, as these services are known attack vectors for remote code execution and credential theft. The analyst should prioritize this issue because an exposed service directly increases the attack surface and risk of unauthorized access, whereas other findings may be less immediately critical.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Outdated component, because the scan did not list software version details.
Why it's wrong here
The scan output does not include any version numbers, but that absence indicates a missing patch or version audit, not concrete evidence of an outdated component. An outdated-component finding requires a known vulnerable version or an EOL notice; the exhibit instead shows a VNC service with authentication disabled and a web admin portal exposed to any source. Without a CVE or version-to-vulnerability mapping, the analyst cannot claim the risk is attributable to obsolescence rather than exposure.
- ✓
Exposed service, because VNC and the web admin interface are reachable from untrusted networks.
Why this is correct
The most important issue is the exposed service because remote management interfaces are reachable from any source network, and VNC authentication is disabled. That combination creates a high-risk attack surface, especially for a server in the DMZ that stores sensitive customer information.
- ✗
Weak permissions, because SSH requires password login only.
Why it's wrong here
Password-only SSH is indeed a credential-management weakness, but weak permissions in the security context of this scan would refer to file system ACLs or object-level authorization, which the exhibit does not show. The server's SSH configuration is a secondary issue because the dominant, immediately exploitable risk is that VNC and the web admin interface are directly reachable from untrusted networks with no authentication for VNC. Weak permissions are a separate class of misconfiguration, and the evidence points to network exposure rather than insufficient permissions on files or services.
- ✗
Default credentials, because the server is in the DMZ.
Why it's wrong here
The DMZ placement does not by itself imply default credentials; that is a non sequitur. The scan results show no evidence of a factory username/password pair, such as 'admin/admin' or known vendor defaults, and the exhibit lists authentication settings like VNC 'no password' rather than default accounts. Default credentials are a valid concern in general, but the analyst must base the finding on observed indicators, not on the network zone alone.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Network-Based Attacks
Key term
Risk
Risk is the possibility that an event or action will negatively affect an organization's ability to achieve its goals, often measured in terms of likelihood and impact.
Key term
Security
Security in IT is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, damage, or theft.
About these practice questions
One of 1,013 original SY0-701 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SY0-701 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 SY0-701 exam.